Another 18th, so another FTB-day.
As usual, don't spare the rod.
Please keep on sending me your cases, questions and experiences. I might reject to post them - it still is my blog - but most likely you get your words published. And then around 570 subscribers will read it. The count has gone down a little. Not surprising, since I'm not posting daily any more.
But good enough. Perhaps I'll get more inspiration in winter again.
If you have something to contribute: rrs-study@home.nl
I'm currently at the Open Dutch Championship for Olympic Classes in Medemblik. We had a nice day on the water with three races on all courses. Nice breeze, sunshine and not too many yellow flags.
Heard a new case from my fellow judge which I'm glad to share with you:
In a race - bigger boats - a crew member falls overboard while the boat is sailing clear to take a penalty. The boat does one turn including a gybe and a tack, picks up the crew member and does it's second turn (with a gybe and a tack) straight after. There is hardly any time lost with picking up the crew member out of the water... The turns are done almost immediately after each other.
The boat continues and subsequently wins the race.
There's a valid protest on rule 47.2 by another boat.
What is your decision?
I might postpone posting comments with the answer to give everybody a chance to find the answer. You will have to respond before end of this regatta - Sunday evening, okay?
It looks like we don't have any protest today. End of protest time for all classes have expired...
Only requests for redress if the scoring is faulty.
J.
The rule cited specifies a crew member falling overboard shall be retrieved before continuing in the race. The protestee did one full turn before picking up the overboard crew member, in violation of rule 47.2...
ReplyDeleteThe protest should be upheld and the boat disqualified.
High Jos.
ReplyDeleteWhen they lost the crew member while "sailing clear to ..." they have to pick him up first and then "continue in the race" with 2 turns! = 3 turns!
So a turn to pick him up cannot be the first penalty!
Wolfgang Hofmann
47.2 says that the MOB must be picked up BEFORE the boat continues to race. Taking penalty turns is a part of their race. If the description sequence is accurate, the MOB should have been retrieved BEFORE the first set of turns. In addition, panalty turns are to be taken promptly, and when 2 turns are required, they are to be taken consecutively.
ReplyDeleteA strict reading of rule 47.2 would suggest that the first gybe and tack were a manoeuvre to recover a man overboard and could not be considered to be part of the boat's participation in the race. Therefore the boat still has to do two turns to complete her penalty.
ReplyDeleteHowever, as rule 44.2 is interpreted so that a boat may take a penalty whilst still sailing her proper course (boat on port hits windward mark to be left to port. She then tacks to round the mark and carries out a gybe set to start her windward leg. She has taken her penalty without sailing 1 centimetre further than she would have done if she had no penalty!), I would not be surprised if the turn to pick up man overboard was considered to be a penalty.
One point, that is relevant to the question of man overboard. Under rule 41 in the 2005-2008 rules outside help could be received as provided for in rule 1. This has disappeared from the current rules.
The 2005 version was interpreted locally to mean that if a crew went overboard from a cruiser or keelboat the crew was considered to be a person in danger. As such, they could be recovered by a patrol boat and returned to their boat. As long as the boat made no attempt to continue racing before the crew was back on board tnen she had not infringed 2005 41a and there was no penalty.
Under the present rule:
- the bot is required to recover their crew unaided;
- if they receive aid in any form they should retire or be protested under rule 41
- any competing boat who passes in the proximity of the crew in the water is required to give all possible help, and if they do not they have broken rule 1;
- by not breaking rule 1 the passing boat automatically ensures that the boat that lost a crew overboard breaks rule 41.
Worse, as a judge on the water I have had crew refuse to be picked up by the jury boat because they do not want their boat to have to retire. When this happens near the leeward gate in a heavy weather event for more or less in control sportsboats then I believe that the rules are creating unnecessary problems.
Does anyone know why 2005 41a was removed from the rule book?
Gordon
Under Rule 47.2 "A person leaving the boat by accident or to swim shall be back on board before the boat continues to race." Since the boat's next manoeuvre to continue racing was to execute a Two-Turn Penalty, she could not legally perform this task with one of her crew members not on board. Therefore, the first tack and gybe to retrieve the overboard crew member do not count towards fulfilling the requirements of the Two-Turn Penalty.
ReplyDeleteI vote for a decision to dismiss the protest. The boat is still racing under the definition of "Racing", so the rule 47.2 phase "Continue to race" can only be interpreted as making progress towards the finish line.
ReplyDeleteWhat happens if a second, r-o-w, boat does not avoid the boat taking the rule penalty and trying to retrieve the person in the water. Does
rule 1.1 instruct the jury to protect the boat taking a penalty (rule 21.2) and who is also trying to help a person in the water (rule 22)?
-- A good no wind issue.
Hmmm. I wonder if my Laser would do a 720 for me after I had fallen overboard and, if so, would it satisfy the requirements of Rule 44.
ReplyDelete