Sportsmanship in other Sports

I'm currently looking at other sports to see how they handle 'verbal' abuse of the referee/umpire in a field of play. I think I might need some help.

The rugby rules are pretty straightforward. From the IRB Laws of Rugby Union 2012:

(s) All players must respect the authority of the referee. They must not dispute the referee’s decisions. They must stop playing at once when the referee blows the whistle except at a kick-off or at a penalty kick following admonishment, temporary suspension, or send-off.

Sanction: Penalty kick

 I've been told that this works extremely well in Rugby. If you only look crosseyed towards a referee you'll get a penalty.

In Tennis, from 2012 FRIEND AT COURT, The USTA Handbook of Tennis Rules and Regulations: Misconduct:

• Visible or audible profanity or obscenity
• Abuse of racket, balls, or equipment
• Verbal or physical abuse of a player or official
• Receipt of coaching
• Abusive conduct by a player or a person associated with a player (USTA Regulation IV.C.10. refers to this situation)
• Retaliatory calls (obviously bad calls made in retaliation for the opponent’s calls)
• Unsportsmanlike conduct (any other conduct that is abusive or detrimental to the sport)
• Failure to follow the instructions of an official (Violation of any USTA Tournament Regulation (USTA Regulation IV.C.20.)

Violations shall be penalized as follows: First Offense: Point, Second Offense: Game, Third Offense: Default

If there are any of you who - besides Sailing -  participate in other sports where a referee or umpire is taking decisions in a field of play, please have a look at your rulebook and tell me what is written  about verbal abuse towards officials.

Taking a Penalty in Match Racing IV (MR04)

As promised this next instalment about penalties in Match Racing is taking one around the pin-end of the finish.

The rules prescribe that you are not allowed to taken penalty within the zone. But that is only for the zone of a rounding mark! The pin-end of the finish is not a rounding mark, it is a passing mark. Therefore penalties are allowed in that zone.

The big advantage of taking your penalty around that mark is that you can finish directly after having completed your penalty - even with little boat speed - by bearing away to the line. It is one manoeuvre that - if you've done your training - has been done a hundred times before.

The Blue boat with the outstanding penalty needs to be approximately 4 to 5 boat lengths ahead, to be able to complete the penalty and still finish first. She enters the zone clear ahead and Yellow must give mark-room in position 1. Blue luffs after passing the mark and makes sure that her spinnaker head is below the goose-neck. (Something that has to be done before passing head to wind, that's when Blue is starting to take her penalty)

Passing head to wind she losses her mark-room under rule 18.2(b) and must keep clear under rule 21.2.
As soon as Blue has reached a course 90 degrees from true wind the penalty is complete. (in position 6). She's on port tack and Yellow is on starboard tack. So Blue is still keep clear boat. But because she now has an overlap with Yellow and is within the zone, rule 18 again switches on again. Blue is inside boat and Yellow must give her mark-room, under rule 18.2(a). Blue is already at the mark, so she's entitled to sail her proper course. Which is to bear away and finish as soon as possible. Yellow must gybe or sail by the lee, to give Blue that room.

Boom?

There's one other thing - besides getting the spinnaker down in time - that is your boom. With bigger boats the boom is almost at a ninety degree angle and really sticks out. In rounding the mark it happens that the boom sticks out so far, that the end is over the mark and over the line. Rule C7.2(d) however dictates that the boat must completely be on the course side, after having completed her penalty, before she can finish. Part of the boom may never be on the correct side. So she can't finish.

If the RC gets a heads up from the umpires about the leading boat having an outstanding penalty, they watch - particularly that boom - so see if Blue ever manages to get completely to the course side, before crossing the line for the second time.

J.

Taking a Penalty in Match Racing III; (MR03)

Right, as it is Tuesday I'm posting another piece about taking a penalty in Match Racing.
This time the leading boat does not have five or six boat lengths advantage to do her penalty on the starboard lay-line, like I wrote about in Taking a Penalty in Match Racing II (MR02).

The Blue boat is right on the tail of the Yellow boat, who has an outstanding penalty. It is the second upwind leg of the match and instead of trying to hook the trailing boat on the run, Yellow lays a 'trap' at the windward mark.

She makes sure she enters the zone clear ahead - so Blue has to give her mark room.
Arriving at the mark Yellow luffs head to wind but does not tack. She stays head to wind and Blue is forced to go behind her to the outside. Yellow deliberately slows down. She may even use a big rudder movement to do so.

As soon as Blue gets an overlap to leeward of Yellow the second part the definition of mark-room comes in effect. Yellow has mark-room, including room to tack. If she inadvertently passes head to wind and is subject to rule 13, that is no longer a problem. She loses mark-room when she does, but it is not hard to keep clear, bearing away from Blue. Blue sails around her. Yellow lets that happen, but speeds up just enough to prevent Blue from passing in front of her.
Yellow has passed the line separating the upwind leg from the downwind leg. The correct penalty to take is now: passing head to wind and bearing away to a course lower than 90 degrees from true wind.

Yellow controls Blue and sails outside the zone. (Remember, you are not allowed to take a penalty inside the zone of a rounding mark). Outside the zone Yellow luffs, giving room to Blue under rule 16.1 and slows down again.  If Yellow's timing is right, Blue will get ahead more.

As soon as she's able to pass safely behind Blue (and can keep clear as tacking boat) Yellow passes head to wind and bears away clear astern of Blue. She has now taken her penalty and can sail downwind to the finish.
Blue will also tack and bear away on port or only bear away on starboard, but whatever she does, she is again trailing boat. Yellow has 'shed' her penalty and has not lost any ground.

Even if Blue decides to tack away after the initial luff by Yellow, there's is no problem. Yellow can then also tack and bear away. As soon as she has done that, she is again ROW leeward boat

Basicly this is the same manoeuvre as done in the dail-up after entry. Then Blue tries to get behind Yellow to be able to sail to the right hand side of the pre-start area. In this manoeuvre the roles may be reversed, but again one boat is trying to get behind the other, while sailing head to wind.

If you've understood my explanation above, I've a question to you:
Can  a boat take a penalty while sailing backwards?

Taking a Penalty in Match Racing II; (MR02)

In Match racing the penalties are less severe than in Fleet racing. That is to give the penalized boat a fighting chance to do the penalty and still win the match. It is also the reason why the penalty does not have to be taken 'as soon as possible' after the incident. In fact - like I posted in the first post about penalties in Match racing - rule 44 as a whole, has been deleted (C7.1) and been replaced by what is written in C7.2, 3 and 4.
(Taking a Penalty in Match Racing; (MR01))

A penalty can be delayed until a moment in the race you have the best chance of doing it and don't lose control over your opponent. Or - if you decide to do it at the last possible moment - just before you finish. But that is for another posting.

Today I want to show you  the best possible place to take your penalty in the beat (either in the first or second upwind). Rule C7.2 (a)(1) states:

"When on a leg of the course to a windward mark, she shall gybe and, as soon as reasonably possible, luff to a close-hauled course"

The best place to take a penalty in the beat is just over the starboard lay-line to the windward mark, beginning your turn on port tack.

In the following animation Yellow is taking a penalty between positions 5 - when her boom passes the middle of the boat - until position 7 when she reaches close-hauled on starboard.

During that time she is keep clear boat (RRS 21.2) and rules of section A do not apply.

Yellow is approximately five or six boat lengths in front of Blue. Doing a penalty turn in the beat normally takes that amount of space. If you haven't practised and drilled with your crew - it will take longer. You do want to keep your boat moving at maximum speed, do you not?
Yellow completes her penalty and is now sailing on the starboard lay-line to the mark and both Blue and Yellow are approximately on the same distance to the windward mark.

But when Yellow comes 'out' of the penalty and has reached close-hauled on starboard, she's then right-of-way boat. Initially with a rule 15 limitation but that limitation is passed by the time she reaches position 8.
Blue must keep clear. Either by tacking and putting herself in the outside boat position (giving mark-room) rounding the mark or by ducking and sailing over the lay line - loosing ground to Yellow.

This manoeuvre does not work on the port lay-line, because then you come out as keep clear boat. It is still a good place to do your penalty, but you must have enough distance to be sure to cross a starboard tacker in front- seven or eight boat lengths, minimum.

Next episode in Taking a Penalty in Match Racing Doing it at the Finish.

Taking a Penalty in Match Racing; (MR01)

This is the first post in a new series about Match Racing. I’ll try to post regularly, at least one a week – usually on Tuesdays. They will be about actual manoeuvres and the rules in Match Racing

MR01-2012
This first post in the series is about taking a penalty.

Yellow has an outstanding penalty and decides to take it well in front of the other boat when almost on the port lay-line. She’s sailing on starboard and Blue is at least seven boat lengths behind. With some skill she should be able to cross ahead of Blue and get to the windward mark first.
(NB: this manoeuvre would be better done on the starboard lay-line, because once you’ve completed and are back on close hauled course, you have right of way)

In normal fleet racing she has to comply with rule 44.2 which says: Sailing well clear of other boats as soon after the incident as possible, by sailing a One-Turn or Two-Turn Penalty promptly, making the required number of turns in the same direction, each turn including one tack and one gybe.

Q&A 2010-010 B021 2011-010-B021 explains further that if a boat does its penalty and has to stop turning half way because of another boat, she's only doing a correct penalty when that other boat has changed course to achieve this.

If the other boat didn't change course and was always on an 'interfering' course to begin with, the boat with the penalty hasn't sailed well clear and the penalty is incorrect and should be done anew.

If the other boat changed course after the boat began to turn she's is allowed to curtail her turn, so as to not break rule 21.2 and finish the penalty as soon as the other boat has passed.

However in Mach Racing Rule 44 has been switched off by rule C7.1.
There is no obligation to sail well clear.

A boat can take a penalty in close proximity of another boat, by forcing the other boat in a tactical situation to stay 'behind' as long as she is keeping clear when she's doing the penalty bit (from head to wind to 90 degrees from true wind in a downwind leg, and from gybing to close hauled on an upwind leg).

In the animation Yellow doesn’t ‘make’ it. In position 6 she stops turning because there’s a chance she would not keep clear of Blue if she does. She sails straight on to go behind Blue. One boat length later Blue decides to tack to defend the right side and Yellow luffs up and gets to close hauled behind Blue.

Has Yellow done her penalty or not?

On the water we decided she had, reading Q&A 2010-010 B021 2011-010-B021, I doubted that, thinking about it a little more, I think she has, because of the change made by C7 that the ‘sailing well clear’ part in rule 44 is no longer applicable.

Please tell me your opinion.

(pillow)Case of the Week (11/12) - 19

(This is an instalment in a series of blogposts about the ISAF Case book 2009-2012 with amendments for 2010. All cases are official interpretations by the ISAF committees on how the Racing Rules of Sailing should be used or interpreted. The cases are copied from the Casebook, only the comments are written by me.)
(Don’t look for case number 16, because again it is deleted in the Casebook)

CASE 19

Rule 14(b), Avoiding Contact
Rule 44.1(b), Penalties at the Time of an Incident: Taking a Penalty
Rule 60.3, Right to Protest; Right to Request Redress or Rule 69 Action
Rule 61.1(a)(3), Protest Requirements: Informing the Protestee
Rule 62.1(b), Redress
Rule 63.5, Hearings: Validity of the Protest or Request for Redress
Rule 64.3(a), Decisions: Decisions on Measurement Protests

An interpretation of the term ‘damage’.

Question
Is there a special meaning of ‘damage’ in the racing rules?
Answer
No. It is not possible to define ‘damage’ comprehensively, but one current English dictionary says ‘harm . . . impairing the value or usefulness of something.’
This definition suggests questions to consider. Examples are:

1. Was the current market value of any part of the boat, or of the boat
   as a whole, diminished?
2. Was any item of the boat or her equipment made less functional?

RYA 1968/2




In my experience as judge I’ve come across this issue more than once. It is always a judgement call, but one with far reaching consequences. If you deem the contact to have caused damage, the right of way boat can be penalized in for infringing rule 14. If you decide that is wasn’t damage, the right of way boat can not.

Personally I like this criteria: “Damage is something a prudent owner would repair immediately” 
So a scratch on the hull that can be repaired in the next scheduled maintenance is not damage, even if the owner puts a piece of duck tape over it, to prevent further deterioration.

The list of rules at the beginning of this Case are the rules in the book where damage is mentioned. But there is a difference. I’ve made two columns to show this 

Rules involving damage	Rules involving SERIOUS damage
14(b)	44.1(b)
61.1(a)(3)	60.3
62.1(b)	63.5
64.3(a)

As to when damage becomes serious damage is also widely discussed in the PC/Jury circles.
What do you think? What would you consider serious damage?

(pillow)Case of the week (08/12) – 22

(This is an instalment in a series of blogposts about the ISAF Case book 2009-2012 with amendments for 2010. All cases are official interpretations by the ISAF committees on how the Racing Rules of Sailing should be used or interpreted. The cases are copied from the Casebook, only the comments are written by me.)

CASE 22

Rule 61.2(c), Protest Requirements: Protest Contents
Rule 63.5, Hearings: Validity of the Protest or Request for Redress
Rule 64.1(a), Decisions: Penalties and Exoneration

It is irrelevant for deciding on the validity of a protest that the protest committee thinks the rule cited in the protest as having been broken will very likely not be the applicable rule.

Summary of the Facts

After a collision near a mark, S protested P, citing rule 18 on her protest form as required by rule 61.2(c). The protest committee declared the protest invalid and refused to proceed with the hearing, because it said the protest should have cited rule 10 rather than rule 18. Had the hearing gone ahead and the parties been questioned, the protest committee said, the protest might have been upheld. S appealed.

Decision

Rule 61.2(c) requires the protest to identify any rule the protestor believes was broken. There is no requirement that the rule or rules identified must be the rule or rules that are later determined to have been broken, and it is irrelevant for deciding on the validity of the protest that the protestor cited a rule that will very likely not be the applicable rule.

It is the protest committee, after finding the facts, that determines the applicable rule. Rule 64.1(a) states that a disqualification or other penalty shall be imposed whether or not the applicable rule was mentioned in the protest. It is unimportant that the protestor made a mistake in citing the rule.

The appeal is upheld to the extent that the protest committee is instructed to hold a new hearing.

FIV 1967/4 촀⩚늂

Everybody gets a ‘freebie’ as far as citing the correct rule is concerned. This practice probably came about after some protests were thrown out because of using the wrong rule. And to be denied justice, because one forgot that port-starboard was rule 10 and not 11, was most likely perceived as very unfair. Can’t argue with that, can you?

In practise this means however, that whatever the protestee puts in the box gets ignored. And the general side effect is that sailors don’t even look-up the correct rule anymore.

”I am right and the other one is wrong and the PC can sort it out…..

In my opinion this ‘freebie’ has contributed to the general decline in rules knowledge. Let alone skill in the room. The phrase “He hasn’t won on the water” comes to mind. Wining a protest is somehow a little ‘dirty’.

As long as there are no referees on the water – judging every incident and acting independently – our sailing sport will be a self-policing sport. Competitors are expected not only to follow but to enforce the rules.

And that starts with knowing the rules. Including which rule number!
They are on your bloody phone as an APP, are they not?
It takes five seconds to look it up….

Get rid of the ‘freebies’, bring knowledge back!

Get Up, Stand Up, Fight for your Rights!

ISAF Q&A 2011 - 023 and 024

Published om the ISAF website; a couple of late 2011 Q&A's, both with 31 December 2011 as date of publishing.


ISAF Q&A 2011-023 K03 deals with Match Racing.
It is fairly common to have more than one windward mark and boats are shown a colored flag at the preparatory signal to indicate which windward mark to use for their match. This Q&A answers a question that many sailors and umpires have struggled with. And many different opinions were discussed.

What if both boats round the wrong windward mark?
Should the race be abandoned? Who should indicate this. Should the umpires penalize if a boat touches that (wrong) windward mark..... etc.


I'm not sure if I agree completely with the solution this Q&A gives. If both boats round the same mark it is a fair race, is it not? If touching the wrong mark is not penalized - by deduction it is therefor not a mark of the course - than boats NEVER go to the next leg of the course. They are still sailing on a beat although they are returning to the leeward mark. This means doing a penalty by tacking and bearing away is the wrong penalty.
Rule 17 gets very confusing! Proper course is to go to the correct windward mark. If, when sailing to the leeward mark, a leeward boat gets an overlap, she can luff up to head-to-wind... AND still be not be sailing above her proper course....


These are but a few first hand problems is see with the answer in this Q&A. Perhaps it should be the policy of the RC to abandon immediately when both boats round the wrong mark....

ISAF Q&A 2011-024 J023 deals with redress for a taking a penalty.
If a boat takes a penalty but protests the other boat and is found not to have broken any rules in the subsequent hearing, can it get redress for having taken the penalty? (having lost places in doing so)
The short answer is NO.

Not because it wasn't a disadvantage, not because she wasn't fouled.
Redress is unavailable because none of the criteria in rule 62.1 is applicable;

• The PC, RC or OA haven't made a mistake
• There was no damage or injury by a boat breaking a rule in part 2
• Nobody needed help in compliance for with rule 1.1
• There was no boat who was penalized under rule 2 or rule 69

We can also argue if it was - at least partly - her own fault. By taking a penalty you make sure, that if in the subsequent hearing the boat was found to have broken a rule, she would be exonerated.
But you don't have to take a penalty.!

It is the boats choice to do so. If she hadn't, the same outcome of the hearing would have exonerated her anyway.......

Double standard?

Rule 19 deals with both “normal” obstructions and with continuing obstructions:

19.1 When Rule 19 Applies Rule 19 applies between boats at an obstruction except when it is also a mark the boats are required to leave on the same side. However, at a continuing obstruction, rule 19 always applies and rule 18 does not.

First a static picture; I’ve designated the top as situation one and the bottom as situation two.



Below the animation of the two situations with three boats sailing along a continuing obstructions end up in exactly the same situation. In both animations the boat behind the yellow boats is in trouble – she has to dump speed to avoid contact. But in both situations she’s not keeping clear under rule 12.

Yellow protests in position 5: Who do you penalize in situation one and who in situation two?
My answers after the break.

PERTH 2011; Case 48; RRS 69.1 against Ainslie

From the Perth 2011 Jury Notice Board: Case 48.pdf:

DECISION OF THE INTERNATIONAL JURY IN CASE 48

Rule 69.1 Hearing based on report from Organizing Authority
Ben Ainslie (Finn GBR 3)

Facts Found

As the first two boats in Finn Race 9 rounded the gate for the second beat and headed towards the shore, a media boat followed close to leeward of the leader. This caused wash for GBR 3, who attempted to wave the media boat off.
When the leaders passed through the gate and headed towards the finishing line, the same media boat followed the leader to the finishing line leaving a large wake, which again affected GBR 3's race.

The media boat crossed the finishing line and then stopped in front of GBR 3 after GBR 3 finished. As GBR 3 came alongside, the skipper jumped aboard the media boat.

The skipper grabbed and shook the boat driver, shouting 'You have no respect!' He then walked towards another member of the media boat's crew, but made no contact with him. He then jumped into the water, swam to his boat and sailed away.

On coming ashore, the skipper of GBR 3 wrote a letter of apology and delivered it to the media boat driver. The media boat driver accepted that apology and apologised in a letter for disturbance during the race.

Conclusion

The action of jumping on a media boat with anger and grabbing the driver constitutes physical aggression. Such behaviour is never an acceptable response. Such behaviour not only constitutes a gross breach of good manners but also, coming from a top athlete at a world championship, brings the sport of sailing into disrepute.

However, the repeated nature of the media boats interference over multiple legs is a mitigating circumstance, as is the prompt and unsolicited written apology given to the boat driver.

Decision

GBR 3 is to be scored DGM (disqualification non-excludable for gross misconduct) for Races 9 and 10.

 

Decision given at 22:40 December 9, 2011
International Jury: Bernard Bonneau (Chairman), Jim Capron, Josje Hofland, Ana Sanchez, Marianne Middelthon

The matter has been dealt with at the event. Is it now over?

Reading Rule 69.1(c):

The protest committee shall promptly report a penalty, but not a warning, to the national authorities of the venue, of the competitor and of the boat owner. If the protest committee is an international jury appointed by the ISAF under rule 89.2(b), it shall send a copy of the report to the ISAF.

That means that four ‘higher’ authorities will be send a report. The Australian MNA: Yachting Australia (because the venue was Perth), the RYA (Ainslie is from GBR), the MNA of the boat-owner (if that is an MNA other than from Australia or Great Britain) and the ISAF.

In all likely hood Yachting Australia and the ISAF will defer from investigating and leave the matter in the hands of the RYA. They are now the first to respond. But if the decision of the RYA is not appropriate in the eyes of either YA or the ISAF, they can then start there own investigation and decide on whether an additional sanction is warranted.

ESS Act 8; Almeria - All done

Act 8 has finished yesterday. We did some good races out of and inside the harbour in front of a good crowd. Visit the Extreme Sailing Series website to see the results
The wind cooperated and stayed with us, so we had fair racing for all. Except for Emirates Team New Zealand, because the damage from the crash the day before was such, that it couldn't be repaired overnight. They will sail in Act 9 in Singapore in December. For all races not sailed in Act 8 they were given redress - average points out of all sailed races.

For Singapore we will have some issues to consider:
The rule 14 penalty - which we discussed in earlier posts, needs adjustment. The latest we have come up with, is to let the penalized boat sail, including start, but to restrict the use of the gennaker until the last boat has past the windward mark.

The pink flag - in use for situations were we are unable to find sufficient facts to make a judgement.

A windward gate - perhaps with some rulechanges.

Also in this event rule 49.1 came up. The use of non working sheets or other equipment to hike. A support rib/coach had taken some photo's of crew positions that he considered illegal. This rule is not subject to an umpire initiated penalty for the moment, only to a red flag protest, but perhaps that should change. The Class rules and SI have changed RRS 42. Perhaps they also need to address RRS 49.1. I must admit that I did not notice these illegal crew hiking at all - too busy concentrating on Part 2 rules.

Today I'm travelling back home, with a fairly late flight. I'm planning to concentrate on Match Racing for a couple of days - since I have a Grade 3 MR event in Greece next weekend. And do some work on You Tack Pro.

ESS Act 8; Almeria; CRASH!

On the fourth day of the Extreme Sailing Series Act 8 here in Almeria there was a boat stopping crash between Gitane and Emirates Team New Zealand. It happened on the beat toward the first windward mark in the harbour in race nine. I've made a scenario - diagram of what happened to the best of my ability.

I haven't seen the video - if there is any, but the diagram represents what we on the water judged as have happened. Purple is Emirates Team New Zealand (ETNZ), Red is Luna Rossa (LR) and Grey is Gitane (G).
LR astern and to windward of G, both practically tacking simultaneously to go behind ETNZ.
After the tack LR became clear ahead, right of way boat. She initially slowed down to be able to go behind ETNZ. Because of the bear away G gained speed and tried to go behind ETNZ as well. When the boats crashed he boat speed of G was twice as fast as LR. Her left hull hit ETNZ about a foot from the stern, sheering of the aft left corner of the hull, and her right hull hit LR.

Rules applicable: 10, 12, 14 and 19
LR had to keep clear of ETNZ and did so.
G failed to keep clear of ETNZ and broke rule 10, she also failed to keep clear of LR as windward boat and broke rule 11. She claimed to have been denied enough room under rule 19 by LR, but because the overlap was established at the last moment, LR could not give room and according to 19.2 (b) last sentence, did not have to, because she was unable to do this.
ETNZ did not break rule 14 because it was never clear for her that the port boat would not keep clear. Gitane did break rule 14. She should have slowed down during the tack or go behind Luna Rossa to avoid the collision.

On a final note, the 30 seconds penalty for the next start did (again) not work so we are trying something else. Gitane came in fourth with that penalty. We are thinking about having to round the first windward mark as last boat for a rule 14 penalty.
J.

ESS Gate Scenarios

Scenario One

Purple and Red both round the port gate mark.Purple enters the 3BL Zone as inside boat but in rounding leaves the zone in position 4. After position 6 Purple has to bear away for Red and puts up her Yankee Flag.
What should the umpires response be?

Scenario Two

Purple and Red both round the port gate mark.Purple enters the 3BL Zone as inside boat and in rounding does NOT leaves the zone. After position 6 Purple has to bear away for Red and puts up her Yankee Flag.What should the umpires response be?


Scenario Three

Purple and Red both round the port gate mark.Purple enters the 3BL Zone as inside boat and in rounding does NOT leaves the zone. In position 3 Red head up to avoid Purple and she displays a Yankee Flag. After position 6 Purple has to bear away for Red and puts up her Yankee Flag.What should the umpires response be?

My answers after the break. If you have a different opinion don't hesitate to comment.

Starting penalty in ESS Trapani

Pindar on port miscalculated her bear away to go behind Alinghi. Result: contact with serious damage.
This happened right at the start of race 33 in Trapani.

So now we could test out our new 30 seconds 'starting penalty'.
Pindar in the box for race 34. Well, we will have to rethink the whole idea. It is not enough! Pindar crossed the line half a minute after the others, but all the way at the pin on port, with full speed.
That took the first 15 seconds of the penalty off, so Pindar was in the fleet on the second leg. She didn't get all the way to the front but certainly wasn't last.

Alinghi, who came for redress, which we granted, made an interesting observation as well. By putting the boat in last position at the start it wasn't an opponent for the frontrunners anymore. Not a boat they had to keep clear off or who could take their wind.

Like I said, a rethink is necessary.
Do you have any suggestions?
And please, not a points penalty. ....

I will write a FTBD-post when I get back home. Most likely not before Tuesday.

Gate, gate and gate

Today was all about the gate. Seven out of ten incidents were at the gate.

I'm still amazed at a port boat thinking if I just give enough room, I'm okay. And then ' forcing' a starboard boat to gybe.

There was one so bad it made me wish I could give an umpire initiated penalty.
Besides breaking rule 10, that same port boat then failed to give enough mark-room AND also luffed the inside boat when they were still at the mark to almost head to wind.
No Yankee flag, so no penalty, but oh boy, these were some major infringements.

Something I still have a hard time accepting. But like our CU says: "no aggrieved sailor, no penalty"

Did you ever had situation where you felt like giving a penalty, without a Yankee flag from one of the boats, so you couldn't?
J.

Penalty Box at ESS Act 6 Trapani ?

I wonder if I should go to events in Italy anymore…

ping-ping ------ “We will offload your baggage”

Long time readers perhaps remember the adventures I had,  – or rather the adventures of my bag - flying to this warm and sunny country. I wrote a story about doing an event without any clothes, other than the ones I had on:
http://rrsstudy.blogspot.com/2008/11/ams-roma-milan-brindisi-brindisi.html
And yes, they managed to do it again.
My bag got lost and never arrived in Palermo. Now, 36 hours later, they still don’t know where it is…. Between telephoning to airports and buying some toiletries and spare underwear AND doing the umpiring at the first day at this ESS-event in Trapani, there was no time in writing a post anymore. There still isn’t.
I wrote this yesterday-evening before going to bed, but am posting it this morning after getting WIFI access at the venue.
Another effing thing they are very good at over here: No mobile service – so no internet connection other than at the event. My iPhone is draining it’s battery searching for a carrier. And it doesn’t do any good to my patience either when, after wading trough several non-English speakers and half an hour of telephone-music, the carrier decides it’s time to quit …. Perhaps it is to hot?

Rule 14

As for the rules I have one titbit which might interest you. We are experimenting with an alternative penalty for rule 14. Not a DSQ or a points penalty, but a starting penalty. The boat breaking rule 14 is put in the ‘penalty’ box during the start and shall not cross the line 30 seconds after the starting signal has been given. While in the penalty box she must keep clear of all other boats.
The chances of her getting 11 points (finishing last) in that race are pretty high, but she is in the race. And she might get lucky and catch up a couple of boats. I’ll let you know how this ends. First we must have a rule 14 issue. That is more likely on Friday, Saturday or Sunday when racing will be in the harbour close to shore.
J.

Penalty taken?

Today's second post is also about hitting the pin-end committee boat. No damage this time, the rubberboat could withstand the soft touch.(>.<)

No, it is about taking the penalty. I've drawn a diagram and you will have to tell me if this boat has or has not taken a one turn penalty according to rule 44.2?

The Race committee has protested the boat for hitting a mark and your panel has to decide if this boat has exonerated herself or not. Bring me the arguments you would use to convince your fellow Jury-members,

PS: Read the rule again before you answer!

ISAF Q&A 2011-017 B22

Besides the Q&A about loosing your sight, Matt posted about on Unruly, there was another Q&A this week:
ISAF Q&A 2011-017 B22: This one is about a boat hitting a pin end mark committee boat and [seriously] damaging it.

The Q part asks: Is rule 44.1 (b) applicable?

Before you read the answer, consider the options: If a boat has to retire after damaging a the race committee boat, it also applies to any other boat, houseboat, jetties or whatever you have on the water. Anything!

For the answer read: ISAF Q&A 2011-017 B22

And as usual there's also a new Booklet (August 2011) with all the (current)  Q&A's

WPIR Documents

On the ISAF Website a couple of documents have been published which relate directly to what is happening in Weymouth at the WPIR

• Breaches and Standard Penalties for the Weymouth & Portland International Regatta 2011
• Addendum Q for use only at the Weymouth and Portland International Regatta 2011 (Olympic Test Event).
• Provisional Course Assignment for the Weymouth and Portland International Regatta 2011
• Medal Race and Nothe Course Restricted Areas for the Weymouth and Portland International Regatta 2011
• ISAF Race Management Policies (Match Racing) for the Weymouth & Portland International Regatta 2011
• Discretionary Penalties for the Weymouth & Portland International Regatta 2011

Have a look and let me know what you think - particularly on the Match Race Policies.

40 year old Norwegian rules in the AC34?

One of my readers provided a link to a site with simplified Match Race rules for taking a penalty: (thanks G J!)
According to the text already in use by the local clubs on the Inner Oslofjord since the 1970s.
An exerp:

15.1: It will be umpiring in accordance with RRS App.C, deleting the system in RRS App. C 7.2, C 8 and C 9, and adding: A penalised boat shall always exonerate herself as soon as possible, on the same leg as the opponent, by crossing the extended midship-line astern of the other boat, with any part of her hull, crew or equipment in normal position.

15.2: RRS App. C 10.2 regarding RRS 31, is altered to: " No penalties for mark touching with only one boat within the two-length zone (applies even to starting marks). "

The complete rules you can find here:  http://www.yrc.no/match_race.htm

Did I not read something similar in the new AC34 rules?



You can read the complete rules here:  RRS AC 43 Edition


In both rules the basic idea is to put the infringing boat behind the other....

In nine day's the sailing world will see if this 40 year old idea is working on the most innovative competing racing boats on the planet....