(This is an installment in a series of blogposts about the ISAF Call book 2009-2012 with amendments for 2010. All calls are official interpretations by the ISAF committees on how the Racing Rules of Sailing should be used or interpreted. The calls are copied from the Call book, only the comments are written by me.)
CASE 69
Rule 42.1, Propulsion: Basic Rule
Momentum of a boat after her preparatory signal that is the result of being propelled by her engine before the signal does not break rule 42.1.
Assumed Facts
In a flat sea and 1-2 knots of wind a boat enters the starting area under power shortly before her preparatory signal at a speed of 5-6 knots. At the preparatory signal she is moving at the same rate of speed but no longer motoring. At 2.5 minutes before her starting signal she hoists her sails and slows to 2 knots.
Question
Does she break rule 42.1?
Answer
No. A boat begins racing at her preparatory signal. During the period in which the boat was racing she was using wind as a source of power as required by rule 42.1. Her motion also resulted from momentum created by engine power that propelled her before she began racing. Nothing in the rule requires that a boat be in any particular state of motion or non-motion when she begins racing. Therefore rule 42.1 was not broken.
USSA 1986/269
She is however subject to rules of part Two. (See the preamble of that part)
That means that if she motors trough another racecourse in order to get to her start – she most likely will infringe rule 23.1 and can be DSQ-ed for it.
You probably had something specific in mind with your postscript.
ReplyDeleteThe general situation that you describe does not fit the "most likely" tag.
A racecourse is a navigable waterway - and behavior is behavior.
@Philip
ReplyDeleteOf course, but if a boat is attending to race, like this one who hurried to get to the start line, it is subject to the RRS in part Two from the moment it leaves the harbour.
Therefore it should behave accordingly.