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Current issue #112 - Rules of Thumb
Recent Articles
- ISSUE 112 – Rules of Thumb
- ISSUE 110: ANSWERS to Tactics/Strategy IQ TEST!
- ISSUE 109: Preparation is Everything (almost)
- ISSUE 108: How Current Affects your Sailing Wind
- New US Prescriptions on Protests/Redress
- ISSUE 111: Protest Philosophy
- ISSUE 104: Mark-Room: A New Concept at Marks!
- ISSUE 105: The Psychology of Playing Catch-Up
- ISSUE 106: The importance of Changing Gears
- ISSUE 107: Mark Rounding Rules of Thumb
- ISSUE 103: Tips for steering fast upwind
ISSUE 111: Protest Philosophy
When you are involved in an incident, deciding whether to protest or not can be tough. What if the other boat’s infraction was minor??What if their skipper is your friend??What if he is your enemy? Many factors affect your decision of whether to yell ‘Protest!’
Of course, when you’re involved in an incident and you realize you broke a rule, you must take a penalty. This is absolutely required by the rulebook’s Basic Principle, called ‘Sportsmanship and the Rules.’
But when you think the other boat broke a rule, you must decide whether or not to initiate a protest. Sailing is one of the few sports where rules are enforced by the competitors themselves, so every sailor has a certain responsibility to protest when other boats break the rules.
However, there is no rule that requires you to protest any other boat. Rule 60 (Right to Protest) reads, “A boat may protest another boat . . .” In other words, protesting is optional so you must choose when you will, or won’t, file a protest.
In order to make this kind of decision in the middle of a race, it’s helpful to have an overall protest philosophy. This could be something you develop with your entire crew at the beginning of the season, or just a guide you have in your mind before the start of a regatta. The idea is to come up with some guidelines that will help you be consistent about protesting.
For example, you might decide that you will always protest when you think another boat has broken a rule. Or you might choose never to protest. Most sailors fall in between these extremes. Here are some questions to help you start thinking about your own philosophy. Would you protest when:
• A boat commits a minor right-of-way infraction that has little effect on the outcome of the race?
• A boat breaks a rule and hits you or gains an advantage in the race?
• A boat fouls you and causes you to touch a mark or foul a third boat?
• You witness (but are not involved in) an incident between two other boats?
• A boat breaks a sailing instruction or class rule but gains no advantage.
There are obviously many times during a regatta when you may have to decide whether or not to protest. The key is to think about your philosophy ahead of time so that you can make a quick, consistent decision while racing and earn the respect of your competitors in the process.
When you are involved in an incident, deciding whether to protest or not can be tough. What if the other boat’s infraction was minor??What if their skipper is your friend??What if he is your enemy? Many factors affect your decision of whether to yell ‘Protest!’
Of course, when you’re involved in an incident and you realize you broke a rule, you must take a penalty. This is absolutely required by the rulebook’s Basic Principle, called ‘Sportsmanship and the Rules.’
But when you think the other boat broke a rule, you must decide whether or not to initiate a protest. Sailing is one of the few sports where rules are enforced by the competitors themselves, so every sailor has a certain responsibility to protest when other boats break the rules.
However, there is no rule that requires you to protest any other boat. Rule 60 (Right to Protest) reads, “A boat may protest another boat . . .” In other words, protesting is optional so you must choose when you will, or won’t, file a protest.
In order to make this kind of decision in the middle of a race, it’s helpful to have an overall protest philosophy. This could be something you develop with your entire crew at the beginning of the season, or just a guide you have in your mind before the start of a regatta. The idea is to come up with some guidelines that will help you be consistent about protesting.
For example, you might decide that you will always protest when you think another boat has broken a rule. Or you might choose never to protest. Most sailors fall in between these extremes. Here are some questions to help you start thinking about your own philosophy. Would you protest when:
• A boat commits a minor right-of-way infraction that has little effect on the outcome of the race?
• A boat breaks a rule and hits you or gains an advantage in the race?
• A boat fouls you and causes you to touch a mark or foul a third boat?
• You witness (but are not involved in) an incident between two other boats?
• A boat breaks a sailing instruction or class rule but gains no advantage.
There are obviously many times during a regatta when you may have to decide whether or not to protest. The key is to think about your philosophy ahead of time so that you can make a quick, consistent decision while racing and earn the respect of your competitors in the process.
