Some time ago Menno send me a mail about a curious rules issue he had seen on the internet: On the Sailgroove-website in the series Technique Tuesdays, Val Smith explains a ‘loophole’ exploiting the new definition of fetching in the rulebook.
Sailing Videos on Sailgroove
Perhaps you have already seen this.
My question to all LTW readers: Has anybody ever come across this on the water (umpiring) or in the room? Is it being done?
Most regatta’s in my neck of the woods are done in non-tidal waters so there’s very little – if any – current to be exploited. But there must be sailing waters around the world were this kind of ‘fetching’ is possible…..
Thanks Menno, for your contribution. Please keep sending them in.
J.
Sunday 28 February 2010
Saturday 27 February 2010
LTW Readers Q&A | 035; Port is slow to respond please be patient
From a Sunny Sydney – (b@b#s!h%sot) – a question from Neil, about that bloody windward mark – again (*^%#(*@)&@!#!!)
During Club racing this situation has recently raised much debate and I would appreciate your thoughts. With many hours researching on the net I have never found this issue discussed.
The scenario.
Neil Johnson.
Neil, this is what I came up with for the facts you’ve described:
By your use of the word ‘barging’ I deduce that you might think that Yellow (Port)has some sort of protection from the Purple (SB) boat, by entering the zone so far ‘ahead’?
I’m afraid I must disappoint you. Rule 18 does not switch on, until position 6 (and there the Purple boat is inside boat with mark-room). The fact that Yellow has an adverse current and has trouble or is slow rounding the mark has no ‘standing’ in the rulebook. She must keep clear as port boat!
NO buts, maybees or otherwise.
And once she’s passed head to wind she must keep clear under rule 13 (tacking boat). Purple gains an inside overlap and is therefore entitled to mark-room under 18.2(a) – not 18.3, because she’s not fetching the mark – including room to tack because she’s overlapped to windward and on the inside of a boat required to give mark-room.
I would understand if you now started cursing yourself, but please keep it civilized. Nanny Ogg would say: “Bugger all that, lets curse someone”
Thanks for you contribution to LTW!
J.
Next time in LTW Readers Q&A: Sheeting in a Laser
.
During Club racing this situation has recently raised much debate and I would appreciate your thoughts. With many hours researching on the net I have never found this issue discussed.
The scenario.
- A windward mark to be passed and cleared to starboard (a clockwise direction).
- Boat A has entered the zone on port and will fetch the mark and with no others boats in the zone.
- Due to an adverse tide and a drop in the wind, Boat A slows at the mark and is still fetching the mark and does not need to tack for rounding.
- Boat B enters the zone on starboard (with a slight increase in wind strength) and hails Boat A to tack while barging inside Boat A at the mark and then Boat B tacks to round the mark forcing Boat A onto starboard and eventually Boat A tacking back on to port to round the mark.
Neil Johnson.
Neil, this is what I came up with for the facts you’ve described:
By your use of the word ‘barging’ I deduce that you might think that Yellow (Port)has some sort of protection from the Purple (SB) boat, by entering the zone so far ‘ahead’?
I’m afraid I must disappoint you. Rule 18 does not switch on, until position 6 (and there the Purple boat is inside boat with mark-room). The fact that Yellow has an adverse current and has trouble or is slow rounding the mark has no ‘standing’ in the rulebook. She must keep clear as port boat!
NO buts, maybees or otherwise.
And once she’s passed head to wind she must keep clear under rule 13 (tacking boat). Purple gains an inside overlap and is therefore entitled to mark-room under 18.2(a) – not 18.3, because she’s not fetching the mark – including room to tack because she’s overlapped to windward and on the inside of a boat required to give mark-room.
I would understand if you now started cursing yourself, but please keep it civilized. Nanny Ogg would say: “Bugger all that, lets curse someone”
Thanks for you contribution to LTW!
J.
Next time in LTW Readers Q&A: Sheeting in a Laser
.
iPhone app: Racing Rules of Sailing
The Racing Rules of Sailing 1.0 | Score: NR | Price: $5.99
Release Date : Feb 27 , 2010
The United States Sailing Association (US SAILING) is proud to present the official iPhone application for The Racing Rules of Sailing for 2009-2012 Including the US SAILING Prescriptions.
The Racing Rules of Sailing app is for you if you are an avid sailor looking for instant access to the official rules and signals.
With this application you will be prepared to answer any rules or signal questions that arise.
Features :
ISAF is the governing body for the rules of sailing in other jurisdictions.
Please contact the appropriate governing body in your jurisdiction with questions regarding the Rules of Sailing.
From: The Racing Rules of Sailing 1.0 for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad | iPhoneapps360.net (bekijken via Google Sidewiki)
Update 10-03-2010
Received an Email from Brass about this app:
Release Date : Feb 27 , 2010
The United States Sailing Association (US SAILING) is proud to present the official iPhone application for The Racing Rules of Sailing for 2009-2012 Including the US SAILING Prescriptions.
The Racing Rules of Sailing app is for you if you are an avid sailor looking for instant access to the official rules and signals.
With this application you will be prepared to answer any rules or signal questions that arise.
Features :
- The only rules app approved by US SAILING Every rule, appendix and definition available at the touch of a finger
- Simple navigation
- Images and descriptions of all the signal flags
- Convenient word, numeric and phrase search function
- Bookmarking feature for your most referenced to rules and definitions US SAILING is the national governing body for sailing in the United States.
ISAF is the governing body for the rules of sailing in other jurisdictions.
Please contact the appropriate governing body in your jurisdiction with questions regarding the Rules of Sailing.
From: The Racing Rules of Sailing 1.0 for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad | iPhoneapps360.net (bekijken via Google Sidewiki)
Update 10-03-2010
Received an Email from Brass about this app:
Dear Jos, I just saw this on SA:
It was pointed out to me by a friend last night that the US Sailing Rules app has some incorrect definitions under 'postponements': AP over A and AP over N the defs are wrong. The app is great how it hyperlinks words to other pages. My bro wants his $5.99 back. I'll buy it when it gets fixed.
If you want to go to the forum: Go hereCan anybody tell me what the app says AP over A and AP over N means?
I wonder what on earth the Americans think AP over N means?
Regards, Brass
Friday 26 February 2010
RR Team Racing Call 2010-002
Just when you think you got your head wrapped around the 2010 RRS changes, the RR-panel throws you out of whack. These situations might happen most often in team racing, but it is also true in Fleet Racing. Not so much in Match racing - but that is because seldom are there more then two boats - I think.... <G>
A new RRTR Call on the ISAF site today, about when an obstruction suddenly ceases to be an obstruction.
Or when a 'right-of-way'-boat that is an obstruction, becomes a 'keep-clear'-boat that isn't (by definition).
RAPID RESPONSE TEAM RACING CALL 2010/002
Rule 11 On the Same Tack, Overlapped
Rule 12 On the Same Tack, Not Overlapped
Rule 19 Room to Pass an Obstruction
Question 1
A and X are sailing on a broad-reach leg and are approaching Y, who is moving slowly. A’s bow is about half of a boat-length behind X’s bow and X is steering a course to pass to leeward of Y. At position 1, A hails for room to pass to leeward of Y. At position 2, X is overlapped to leeward of Y and there is no longer room for A to pass between them. A luffs to keep clear of Y and protests. What should the call be?
Answer 1
No penalty. When, after position 1, boats A and X are at the obstruction Y, rule 19 requires the outside boat X to give the inside boat A room between X and Y. However, at position 2, X is no longer required to keep clear of Y and, as a result, Y is no longer an obstruction. Because Y is not an obstruction, rule 19 no longer applies between A and X, and X is therefore no longer required to give A room to pass to leeward of Y. A keeps clear of X and Y as required by rules 11 and 12, respectively.
Question 2
Similar to question 1, except that A’s bow is about half of a boat-length ahead of X’s bow and X is steering a course directly toward Y’s transom. At position 2, A becomes overlapped to windward of Y. Shortly thereafter, X bears away and passes to leeward of Y. A protests. What should the call be?
Answer 2
No penalty. Rule 19 begins to apply between positions 1 and 2 when A and X are at the obstruction Y. Rule 19.1(a) gives X the right to choose which side to pass the obstruction. At the time rule 19 begins to apply, neither A nor X is outside or inside with respect to Y, and therefore rule 19.2(b) is not applicable.
At position 2, A becomes overlapped to windward of Y. A is now the outside boat, and must give X room between her and the obstruction under rule 19.2(b) if X chooses to do so. However, X chooses to go below Y. When X becomes overlapped to leeward of Y, X becomes an obstruction to A and Y and, accordingly, A must give Y room between her and X. A gives Y room as required by rule 19.2(b) and keeps clear of her as required by rule 11.
Question 3:
Similar to question 2, except that A and X are steering a course to pass to leeward of Y. At position 2, A becomes overlapped to leeward of Y. Y luffs to keep clear and protests. What should the call be?
Answer 3
No penalty. A and X are sailing a proper course and therefore do not break rule 17. At position 1, A keeps clear of X as required by rule 11. At position 2, A becomes overlapped to leeward of Y. X is now an obstruction to A and Y. As the outside boat, Y must give A room between her and X, provided that she is able to do so from the time the overlap began. Y must also keep clear of A under rule 11. Y gives room and keeps clear by luffing.
In case you are wondering why X already becomes an obstruction to Y in position 2 - remember the definition of overlap. Ooh, and in all animations the coloured boats are my additions. I used TSS this time. Although the animations have improved on the screen, it doesn't translate in the gifs as of yet.
For those of you who want to download the pdf: RRTR Call 2010-002
.
A new RRTR Call on the ISAF site today, about when an obstruction suddenly ceases to be an obstruction.
Or when a 'right-of-way'-boat that is an obstruction, becomes a 'keep-clear'-boat that isn't (by definition).
RAPID RESPONSE TEAM RACING CALL 2010/002
Rule 11 On the Same Tack, Overlapped
Rule 12 On the Same Tack, Not Overlapped
Rule 19 Room to Pass an Obstruction
Question 1
A and X are sailing on a broad-reach leg and are approaching Y, who is moving slowly. A’s bow is about half of a boat-length behind X’s bow and X is steering a course to pass to leeward of Y. At position 1, A hails for room to pass to leeward of Y. At position 2, X is overlapped to leeward of Y and there is no longer room for A to pass between them. A luffs to keep clear of Y and protests. What should the call be?
Answer 1
No penalty. When, after position 1, boats A and X are at the obstruction Y, rule 19 requires the outside boat X to give the inside boat A room between X and Y. However, at position 2, X is no longer required to keep clear of Y and, as a result, Y is no longer an obstruction. Because Y is not an obstruction, rule 19 no longer applies between A and X, and X is therefore no longer required to give A room to pass to leeward of Y. A keeps clear of X and Y as required by rules 11 and 12, respectively.
Question 2
Similar to question 1, except that A’s bow is about half of a boat-length ahead of X’s bow and X is steering a course directly toward Y’s transom. At position 2, A becomes overlapped to windward of Y. Shortly thereafter, X bears away and passes to leeward of Y. A protests. What should the call be?
Answer 2
No penalty. Rule 19 begins to apply between positions 1 and 2 when A and X are at the obstruction Y. Rule 19.1(a) gives X the right to choose which side to pass the obstruction. At the time rule 19 begins to apply, neither A nor X is outside or inside with respect to Y, and therefore rule 19.2(b) is not applicable.
At position 2, A becomes overlapped to windward of Y. A is now the outside boat, and must give X room between her and the obstruction under rule 19.2(b) if X chooses to do so. However, X chooses to go below Y. When X becomes overlapped to leeward of Y, X becomes an obstruction to A and Y and, accordingly, A must give Y room between her and X. A gives Y room as required by rule 19.2(b) and keeps clear of her as required by rule 11.
Question 3:
Similar to question 2, except that A and X are steering a course to pass to leeward of Y. At position 2, A becomes overlapped to leeward of Y. Y luffs to keep clear and protests. What should the call be?
Answer 3
No penalty. A and X are sailing a proper course and therefore do not break rule 17. At position 1, A keeps clear of X as required by rule 11. At position 2, A becomes overlapped to leeward of Y. X is now an obstruction to A and Y. As the outside boat, Y must give A room between her and X, provided that she is able to do so from the time the overlap began. Y must also keep clear of A under rule 11. Y gives room and keeps clear by luffing.
Published February 25, 2010 This call is valid until 1 January 2011
In case you are wondering why X already becomes an obstruction to Y in position 2 - remember the definition of overlap. Ooh, and in all animations the coloured boats are my additions. I used TSS this time. Although the animations have improved on the screen, it doesn't translate in the gifs as of yet.
For those of you who want to download the pdf: RRTR Call 2010-002
.
Thursday 25 February 2010
Gaastra Winter Test
This you need to see!
Rainbow 114 does NOT want to wait any longer and starts breaking the ice....
Rainbow 114 does NOT want to wait any longer and starts breaking the ice....
ISAF Jury Report Website
The communication between Protest-Committees / Juries in different events has been difficult at best. Only a few issues ever get discussed on a wider scale. Mostly it is the individual panels who have to decide the problems as best as they can.
A few bigger events - particularly World Cup events - have the luxury of a large group of IJs, NJs, IUs and NUs who can discuss issues, they have encountered in the past.
It is however expected that every IJ and IU hands in a report to the ISAF about an event he or she has attended. These reports are not only used to assist the ROC in finding difficulties with individual ROs, but also to have some feedback from the actual events under the ISAF-umbrella.
Since a couple of years excerpts of these Jury Reports are published on the Internet: ISAF JURY REPORT.
And instead of sending in a paper you can fill in the public sheet of the ISAF IJ Report directly on-line.
Every report is checked by the site-administrator (IJ-Report Editor) and a member of the International Judges Sub Committee before it is posted on-line. The site is also used to create a database with the numbers. (So and so many Request for Redress for OCS, or total number of hearings, etc.)
Example: From 2010 Rolex Miami OCR:
If you want to know what is happening at events and what special issues the Juries encounter, have a browse trough the reports. At least it is a glimpse into the IJ-world.
By clicking on the text on the front page you get specific information and wich officials attended.
In case you want to keep up-to-date on the latest, (at least those of you who are using Google-reader) fill in this in your RSS reader: http://www.ijreport.org/ Google feed. This is a new feature of Google-Reader: You can track any changes to a website by letting Google create a feed for it
.
A few bigger events - particularly World Cup events - have the luxury of a large group of IJs, NJs, IUs and NUs who can discuss issues, they have encountered in the past.
It is however expected that every IJ and IU hands in a report to the ISAF about an event he or she has attended. These reports are not only used to assist the ROC in finding difficulties with individual ROs, but also to have some feedback from the actual events under the ISAF-umbrella.
Since a couple of years excerpts of these Jury Reports are published on the Internet: ISAF JURY REPORT.
And instead of sending in a paper you can fill in the public sheet of the ISAF IJ Report directly on-line.
Every report is checked by the site-administrator (IJ-Report Editor) and a member of the International Judges Sub Committee before it is posted on-line. The site is also used to create a database with the numbers. (So and so many Request for Redress for OCS, or total number of hearings, etc.)
Example: From 2010 Rolex Miami OCR:
Judges were split on the new definition of party: does this new definition allow a jury to make a boat that may be affected by a redress decision a party to the hearing, when the jury is not considering redress for this boat?
Requirement for the three highest-ranked boats to wear coloured bibs: one team requested to be exempted from this requirement because of an existing contract with a team sponsor.
There were difficulties in some hearings to get in due time the race committee staff involved in the situation in question.
Too many support boats were not properly identified with national letters. The requirement for coach boats to stay clear of the starting line and its extensions was not popular but we believe this should be applied in all other Sailing World Cup regattas. The course designation based on the number of beats to windward to be sailed should be a standard. When three fleets are racing simultaneously on a trapezoid course the race committee decided to start them on an Outer-Inner-Inner sequence and this caused delays.
If you want to know what is happening at events and what special issues the Juries encounter, have a browse trough the reports. At least it is a glimpse into the IJ-world.
By clicking on the text on the front page you get specific information and wich officials attended.
In case you want to keep up-to-date on the latest, (at least those of you who are using Google-reader) fill in this in your RSS reader: http://www.ijreport.org/ Google feed. This is a new feature of Google-Reader: You can track any changes to a website by letting Google create a feed for it
.
Tuesday 23 February 2010
Looking for 18.1(b)
Not long ago during a presentation I was asked to give an example of rule 18.1(b). I must confess I was not able to come up with one that was not also already covered by 18.1(a). I've been thinking about it after that, but could use some help.
Lets start at the beginning:
Rule 18.1 is the rule that tells us when rule 18 applies. There are four bullets, from (a) to (d):
The first one is easy enough. For boats on different tack on a beat, approaching a windward mark, there's no rule 18, until one of them changes tack
The third one has been added in the latest rule cycle, but most people already applied it before. No rule 18 between a boat approaching and a boat leaving a mark.
The fourth bullet (d) tells us that in case the mark is also a continues obstruction, rule 19 applies and not rule 18.
That leaves the second one, rule 18.1(b):
Rule 18 does not apply between boats on opposite tacks when the proper course at the mark for one but not both of them is to tack.
The one I came up with was a starboard tack boat on a reach toward a mark and a port tack boat on a beat about to round the same mark. Something like this:
Rule 18 is off until the Orange boat passes head to wind. Then she becomes inside boat entitled to mark-room. If Purple has to avoid Orange before she's passed head to wind; penalty on Orange
If Purple only has to respond after Orange has passed head to wind, no infringement, no penalty.
READ UPDATE in Comments!
(J. 23/02/10; 21:33 h)
Can you find other situations where rule 18.1(b) is applicable?
Lets start at the beginning:
Rule 18.1 is the rule that tells us when rule 18 applies. There are four bullets, from (a) to (d):
The first one is easy enough. For boats on different tack on a beat, approaching a windward mark, there's no rule 18, until one of them changes tack
The third one has been added in the latest rule cycle, but most people already applied it before. No rule 18 between a boat approaching and a boat leaving a mark.
The fourth bullet (d) tells us that in case the mark is also a continues obstruction, rule 19 applies and not rule 18.
That leaves the second one, rule 18.1(b):
Rule 18 does not apply between boats on opposite tacks when the proper course at the mark for one but not both of them is to tack.
The one I came up with was a starboard tack boat on a reach toward a mark and a port tack boat on a beat about to round the same mark. Something like this:
Rule 18 is off until the Orange boat passes head to wind. Then she becomes inside boat entitled to mark-room. If Purple has to avoid Orange before she's passed head to wind; penalty on Orange
If Purple only has to respond after Orange has passed head to wind, no infringement, no penalty.
READ UPDATE in Comments!
(J. 23/02/10; 21:33 h)
Can you find other situations where rule 18.1(b) is applicable?
Monday 22 February 2010
Heads UP: New rules videos on Sailgroove
Just a heads up -- Matt Knowles just posted three new videos on Sailgroove about the latest calls for 2010:
Particularly the last one - about what is sailing "to the mark" and being "at the mark" is also of interest for Fleet and Team racers.
If you want to read the official text of the publications go to new Team Race Call Book for E10, the RR Team Call 2010/001 and the RR Match Race Call 2010/001 on the ISAF Site.
The only thing I wish - as being an umpire/judge active in all disciplines - that what is applicable for one is also applicable for the other. For instance: the situation in RRTR Call 2010/001 is NOT applicable in Match Racing because of the new rule C2.12. which states that if the outside boat is not able to give mark room she does not have to.
But then again if sailing wasn't complicated - it wouldn't be half the fun it is now.
Oooh, thanks Chris, for your heads up!
- Team Race Call E10,
- Rapid Response Team Race Call 2010/001 and
- Rapid Response Match Race Call 2010/001
Particularly the last one - about what is sailing "to the mark" and being "at the mark" is also of interest for Fleet and Team racers.
If you want to read the official text of the publications go to new Team Race Call Book for E10, the RR Team Call 2010/001 and the RR Match Race Call 2010/001 on the ISAF Site.
The only thing I wish - as being an umpire/judge active in all disciplines - that what is applicable for one is also applicable for the other. For instance: the situation in RRTR Call 2010/001 is NOT applicable in Match Racing because of the new rule C2.12. which states that if the outside boat is not able to give mark room she does not have to.
But then again if sailing wasn't complicated - it wouldn't be half the fun it is now.
Oooh, thanks Chris, for your heads up!
(pillow)Case of the Week (8) - 108
Sixth (pillow)Case in our new series. Keep it under your pillow this week and read it before going to sleep.
CASE 108
Rule 28.1, Sailing the Course
Rule 44.1(b), Penalties at the Time of an Incident: Taking a Penalty
Rule 44.2, Penalties at the Time of an Incident: One-Turn and Two- Turns Penalties
Assumed Facts
In each of the four illustrated situations, a boat touches a rounding mark that she is required to leave to port and then makes a turn that includes one tack and one gybe.
Question
In each situation, does the boat take a One-Turn Penalty that complies with rule 44 and with rule 28.1?
Answer
When a boat breaks rule 31, her penalty is usually a One-Turn Penalty. However, if, by touching the mark, she causes injury or serious damage or gains a significant advantage in the race or series, her penalty is to retire (see rule 44.1(b)).
In each illustrated situation she takes a One-Turn Penalty that complies with rule 44.2, provided that :
All four illustrated turns comply with rule 28.1. Provided that the string representing the boat’s track when drawn taut lies on the mark’s required side, the boat would comply with rule 28.1 even if (as not illustrated) a penalty turn resulted in the boat making an extra 360° turn around the mark.
(RYA 2005/4)
.
CASE 108
Rule 44.1(b), Penalties at the Time of an Incident: Taking a Penalty
Rule 44.2, Penalties at the Time of an Incident: One-Turn and Two- Turns Penalties
When taking a penalty after touching a mark, a boat need not complete a full 360° turn, and she may take her penalty while simultaneously rounding the mark. Her turn to round the mark will serve as her penalty if it includes a tack and a gybe, if it is carried out promptly after clearing and remaining clear of the mark and other boats, and when no question of advantage arises.
Assumed Facts
In each of the four illustrated situations, a boat touches a rounding mark that she is required to leave to port and then makes a turn that includes one tack and one gybe.
Question
In each situation, does the boat take a One-Turn Penalty that complies with rule 44 and with rule 28.1?
Answer
When a boat breaks rule 31, her penalty is usually a One-Turn Penalty. However, if, by touching the mark, she causes injury or serious damage or gains a significant advantage in the race or series, her penalty is to retire (see rule 44.1(b)).
In each illustrated situation she takes a One-Turn Penalty that complies with rule 44.2, provided that :
(a) as soon as possible, and before beginning her penalty turn, she sailsRule 44.2 does not require a boat that takes a One-Turn Penalty to complete a full 360° turn, or a turn of any particular number of degrees, and it does not prohibit taking the penalty while making another manoeuvre, such as rounding the mark.
well clear of any other boats and remains clear of them while making
her turn;
(b) when she begins her penalty turn she is no longer touching the mark;
and
(c) she makes her penalty turn promptly after she is clear of other boats.
All four illustrated turns comply with rule 28.1. Provided that the string representing the boat’s track when drawn taut lies on the mark’s required side, the boat would comply with rule 28.1 even if (as not illustrated) a penalty turn resulted in the boat making an extra 360° turn around the mark.
(RYA 2005/4)
.
Sunday 21 February 2010
Sunday Rules Snap | Soft versus Wing
In a blogpost on SailRaceWin published today, a couple nice pictures were posted: Dubai Traditional 60ft Dhow Sailing Championships: Heat One.
Since I spend half a year in Dubai as a trainee, my interest was peeked.
I know (very) little about the traditional Dhows that are sailed there, but they sure are beautiful. I never got the chance to sail on one, only visited a builders-yard to see the frame, alas.
Anyway here's the picture:
This particular photo struck me as a Port - Starboard situation between the 'softes' sail possible and the ultimate wing!
Since I'm a civil engineer it also is a picture of the two things that take much of my time...
And it sure makes me wish this FFing winter comes to an end....
Since I spend half a year in Dubai as a trainee, my interest was peeked.
I know (very) little about the traditional Dhows that are sailed there, but they sure are beautiful. I never got the chance to sail on one, only visited a builders-yard to see the frame, alas.
Anyway here's the picture:
Image copyright Ashraf Al Amra.
This particular photo struck me as a Port - Starboard situation between the 'softes' sail possible and the ultimate wing!
Since I'm a civil engineer it also is a picture of the two things that take much of my time...
And it sure makes me wish this FFing winter comes to an end....
Saturday 20 February 2010
AC 33 | Rules and explanations – part 5
When AC 33 match two was postponed again and again last Sunday, everybody was dreading the moment that the PRO Harold Bennett would have to pull the plug and send the boats back in. Fortunately the wind filled in and just before the cut-off time of 16:30 he was able to start the match. But it took some doing!
For those of you who haven't heard about the difficulties he faced and what happened, here are some excerpts from different sources:
Later in the evening Scuttlebutt came out with an extra edition with some astonishing news:
SCUTTLEBUTT EXTRA 3 - Sunday, February 14, 2010 (An update to supplement Scuttlebutt 3028 (and Extra 1 and 2)
SCUTTLEBUTT EXCLUSIVE - BENNETT RISES ABOVE RIFF
From an interview with Harold Bennett in Sailingworld: The 33rd Americas Cup Lawyers, Guns and Money.
It has been a week since the match and some lively discussions have begun on the sailing forums. In this post I'll give you some of my personal notes and thoughts on this subject:
Lets have a look at the rules.
There's rule 85; Governing Rules
Any, in the NoR, SI or other relevant document, regulated boundaries for wave and wind, become therefore rules according to the definition.
And rule 90.1; Race Committee
The PRO/RO is responsible for everything his team does. If the mark boat has not recorded the rounding correctly – the RO gets the blame. If a flag setter on the committee boat doesn’t want to put up the flag, the PRO is the only one who can ‘fire’ him and find someone else to do the job.
The wave and wind limitations are part of the rules and should be discussed on the RC-boat. But in the end, only one person takes the decision - simply because it is his responsibility, and that is the RO.
If an individual RC-member does something that has an influence on the race – positive or negative - you cannot protest that individual. In fact, you cannot protest the RC at all. If you disagree with something that has happened because of the RC, the only thing you can do is request redress. And we all know that getting redress is not only depending on "The RC made a mistake or did not do something they should have done". There are other 'demands' before redress can be granted.
But if anything outside the rules in the RRS or the instructions in the NoR & SI is done by an individual RC-member, that has significantly influenced the results/score in a race or series, your only recourse is to request for redress. The Jury might find that you are indeed disadvantaged without any fault of your own and grant redress, but it cannot punish the RC as a whole nor the individual in question.
There is no provision in the rules to start an individual hearing against any member of the RC. You cannot disqualify a member of the RC. You cannot hold a rule 69 hearing against that person.
It becomes complicated if a connection between a competing boat and a RC-committee member can be found as fact. Then the Jury of that event can start a investigation and if appropriate start a rule 69 hearing, but only against the boat or persons competing, not against the RC-member.
An International Jury must be absolutely sure of the facts before it can decide in a rule 69 hearing against the competitor. And again, if appropriate, the Jury can only penalize the competitor, not the RC-member.
What about Interested Party?
The definition of Interested Party is only about a person who may gain or lose as a result of a protest committee's decision, or who has a close personal interest in the decision. The definition does not include someone on the race committee boat who has ties with a team or competitor.
Only when an actions or non actions influences the score in a significant way, and without any fault of the boat, that boat can request redress and get 'compensated' if necessary.
Since the match was sailed and the 'other' boat won, there's no redress possible.
That leaves only one rule.
That is rule 69.2; Action by a National Authority or Initial Action by the ISAF
When someone - RC-member, coach, parent, or anybody who has anything to do with the event - does something that could be a gross breach of a rule, good manners or sportsmanship, or might have conducted him/herself in such a manner that it brings the sport into disrepute, rule 69.2 gives the possibility to write a report and send it to the National Authority or to ISAF.
The MNA and/or ISAF can start an investigation and, when appropriate, conduct a hearing. It may then take any disciplinary action they think is appropriate against that person(s), team, or club.
Like Harold Bennett stated in the interview, a report will be send and the conduct of RC-members will be included. It is now up to the MNA or ISAF to decide what to do with that report.
Rule 69.2 gives them a choice. They may or they may not conduct an investigation and take this matter further.....
"¿Dónde están mis fresas?"
J.
For those of you who haven't heard about the difficulties he faced and what happened, here are some excerpts from different sources:
Later in the evening Scuttlebutt came out with an extra edition with some astonishing news:
SCUTTLEBUTT EXTRA 3 - Sunday, February 14, 2010 (An update to supplement Scuttlebutt 3028 (and Extra 1 and 2)
SCUTTLEBUTT EXCLUSIVE - BENNETT RISES ABOVE RIFF
By Cory E. Friedman, America’s Cup analystFROM SCUTTLEBUTT 3029
Valencia, Spain (February 14, 2010) - By now many ‘Buttheads know that challenger USA 17 crushed defender Alinghi 5 in both races to win the 33rd America’s Cup. However, reliable sources tell Scuttlebutt that even when you thought it could not get any worse - it did. The defense club – Société Nautique De Genève’s (SNG) - had their Race Committee actually go on strike and refuse to start Sunday’s race ordered by ISAF approved PRO Harold Bennett. To begin the second race of the Match, Bennett was forced to draft Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC) observer Tom Ehman and a Guardia Civil cop on board the RC boat and ordered them to run the flags as Bennett counted down himself.
* From Thomas C. Price, Annapolis, MD:
I'm sorry but if what your Scuttlebutt Extra says is true, (SNG tried to manipulate the RC to their advantage) that calls for sanction by ISAF against Mr Bertarelli. This absolutely cannot be allowed to pass without resolution and it's clear that it's he ISAF who must resolve it! If true, no Alinghi team should ever sail a sanctioned event again! What a shame. After the awkward "Cumbaya" moment at the press conference, where the parties shook hands, this news is reprehensible.
* From George Morris, Inverness, Scotland, UK:
If the SNG race committee really did behave as described then this will surely require a Rule 69 referral to ISAF. If the RC members who refused to raise the flags are members of SNG then that club would surely be banned from holding any more yacht races and if they were acting on instructions from Alinghi then surely that team would be banned from all future competition. AC events are not quite the same thing as ordinary sailing club regattas but there is a point at which the two sports touch each other, and that is on the racecourse. If Alinghi attempted to fix the result by buying the race committee, then they have disqualified themselves from future competition. Tell me it isn't true.
From an interview with Harold Bennett in Sailingworld: The 33rd Americas Cup Lawyers, Guns and Money.
Harold, what happened on the boat when you tried to start Race 2? Is it true that the SNG members on the boat refused to perform their jobs?
We had a bit of a mutiny. I don't think SNG wanted to go, so they decided they weren't going to do flags. So Tom [Ehman, BMW Oracle Racing's head of external affairs] took the AP down and my boat driver, who's also an international umpire, he shot up forward and did the rest of the signals.
Does this stray into Rule 69 territory. Would you normal write a report for ISAF?
Yes I do have to and obviously that's going to be included in any report. That's what you do, you've got outline what's going on on the boat, whether it's good or bad.
What could've been their motivation? The wind was as light as it could get and still be stable.
We had a perfect breeze the way I saw it. I had good weather information from the Alinghi weather team. It was perfect, everything lined up, 8, 9 knots up the course. And it was like, well, let's do it.
Have you heard of a race committee at any regatta deciding they want to prevent the race being run?
No. Well I've certainly never experienced it. No. I've never heard of that before.
It has been a week since the match and some lively discussions have begun on the sailing forums. In this post I'll give you some of my personal notes and thoughts on this subject:
Lets have a look at the rules.
There's rule 85; Governing Rules
"The organizing authority, race committee and protest committee shall be governed by the rules in the conduct and judging of races"And if you look at the definition of rules, they include: (g) any other document that govern the event.
Any, in the NoR, SI or other relevant document, regulated boundaries for wave and wind, become therefore rules according to the definition.
And rule 90.1; Race Committee
"The race committee shall conduct races as directed by the organizing authority and as required by the rules."There are no individual Race Committee members in the rules. The RC may consist of many people, doing different things, but in the rules they are all considered part on one ‘entity’, which is called the Race Committee.
The PRO/RO is responsible for everything his team does. If the mark boat has not recorded the rounding correctly – the RO gets the blame. If a flag setter on the committee boat doesn’t want to put up the flag, the PRO is the only one who can ‘fire’ him and find someone else to do the job.
The wave and wind limitations are part of the rules and should be discussed on the RC-boat. But in the end, only one person takes the decision - simply because it is his responsibility, and that is the RO.
If an individual RC-member does something that has an influence on the race – positive or negative - you cannot protest that individual. In fact, you cannot protest the RC at all. If you disagree with something that has happened because of the RC, the only thing you can do is request redress. And we all know that getting redress is not only depending on "The RC made a mistake or did not do something they should have done". There are other 'demands' before redress can be granted.
But if anything outside the rules in the RRS or the instructions in the NoR & SI is done by an individual RC-member, that has significantly influenced the results/score in a race or series, your only recourse is to request for redress. The Jury might find that you are indeed disadvantaged without any fault of your own and grant redress, but it cannot punish the RC as a whole nor the individual in question.
There is no provision in the rules to start an individual hearing against any member of the RC. You cannot disqualify a member of the RC. You cannot hold a rule 69 hearing against that person.
It becomes complicated if a connection between a competing boat and a RC-committee member can be found as fact. Then the Jury of that event can start a investigation and if appropriate start a rule 69 hearing, but only against the boat or persons competing, not against the RC-member.
An International Jury must be absolutely sure of the facts before it can decide in a rule 69 hearing against the competitor. And again, if appropriate, the Jury can only penalize the competitor, not the RC-member.
What about Interested Party?
The definition of Interested Party is only about a person who may gain or lose as a result of a protest committee's decision, or who has a close personal interest in the decision. The definition does not include someone on the race committee boat who has ties with a team or competitor.
Only when an actions or non actions influences the score in a significant way, and without any fault of the boat, that boat can request redress and get 'compensated' if necessary.
Since the match was sailed and the 'other' boat won, there's no redress possible.
That leaves only one rule.
That is rule 69.2; Action by a National Authority or Initial Action by the ISAF
When someone - RC-member, coach, parent, or anybody who has anything to do with the event - does something that could be a gross breach of a rule, good manners or sportsmanship, or might have conducted him/herself in such a manner that it brings the sport into disrepute, rule 69.2 gives the possibility to write a report and send it to the National Authority or to ISAF.
The MNA and/or ISAF can start an investigation and, when appropriate, conduct a hearing. It may then take any disciplinary action they think is appropriate against that person(s), team, or club.
Like Harold Bennett stated in the interview, a report will be send and the conduct of RC-members will be included. It is now up to the MNA or ISAF to decide what to do with that report.
Rule 69.2 gives them a choice. They may or they may not conduct an investigation and take this matter further.....
"¿Dónde están mis fresas?"
J.
Zeilraad Archieven on-line op Watersport website
De uitspraken van de Zeilraad zijn door Henk Botterweg opnieuw gerubriceerd en geactualiseerd, en vanaf heden staan ze de site van het Watersportverbond.
Vanaf het jaar 2000 zijn ze per jaar gebundeld, bovenaan staan de samenvattingen gevolgd door de volledige uitspraak.
De actuele stand van zaken van de hoger beroepen die in behandeling zijn kunt u vinden in de rubriek "Samenvattingen 2009". Bovendien staat in rubriek "Uitsprakenregister" een lijst met hoger beroepen en de daarbij behorende regels uit de Regels voor Wedstrijdzeilen.
De hoger beroepen staan als PDF op de site waardoor ze eenvoudig te raadplegen zijn en gemakkelijk te printen. U vindt de uitspraken van de Zeilraad via deze link.
Hieronder vindt u per jaar de samenvattingen van de hogerberoepen.
Binnenkort kunt u de uitspraken overzichtelijk terugvinden op www.watersportverbond.nl/wedstrijdzeilen. Op die nieuwe website zal dan ook de rubriek "Schorsingen" te vinden zijn, hierin staan de personen vermeld die op dit moment door de zeilraad voor een bepaalde periode zijn geschorst.
Voor nadere inlichtingen of vragen kunt u contact opnemen met de secretaris van de Zeilraad Henk Plaatje.
The above posted text is about the Dutch National Appeal Committee: "de Zeilraad". They've reorganized and published their decisions in a pdf-archive going back to 2000.
With internet translation possibilities you should be able to translate the general gist of the 'verdicts'. If you come across a case you need clarification about, you can either ask Henk Plaatje (mail address above) or send me an Email.
Vanaf het jaar 2000 zijn ze per jaar gebundeld, bovenaan staan de samenvattingen gevolgd door de volledige uitspraak.
De actuele stand van zaken van de hoger beroepen die in behandeling zijn kunt u vinden in de rubriek "Samenvattingen 2009". Bovendien staat in rubriek "Uitsprakenregister" een lijst met hoger beroepen en de daarbij behorende regels uit de Regels voor Wedstrijdzeilen.
De hoger beroepen staan als PDF op de site waardoor ze eenvoudig te raadplegen zijn en gemakkelijk te printen. U vindt de uitspraken van de Zeilraad via deze link.
Hieronder vindt u per jaar de samenvattingen van de hogerberoepen.
- Uitsprakenbundel 2000 (Appeal decisions 2000)
- Uitsprakenbundel 2001 (Appeal decisions 2001)
- Uitsprakenbundel 2002 (Appeal decisions 2002)
- Uitsprakenbundel 2003 (Appeal decisions 2003)
- Uitsprakenbundel 2004 (Appeal decisions 2004)
- Uitsprakenbundel 2005 (Appeal decisions 2005)
- Uitsprakenbundel 2006 (Appeal decisions 2006)
- Uitsprakenbundel 2007 (Appeal decisions 2007)
- Uitsprakenbundel 2008 (Appeal decisions 2008)
- Samenvattingen 2009 (Summaries 2009)
- (uitsprakenregister) (Appeal decisions register)
Binnenkort kunt u de uitspraken overzichtelijk terugvinden op www.watersportverbond.nl/wedstrijdzeilen. Op die nieuwe website zal dan ook de rubriek "Schorsingen" te vinden zijn, hierin staan de personen vermeld die op dit moment door de zeilraad voor een bepaalde periode zijn geschorst.
Voor nadere inlichtingen of vragen kunt u contact opnemen met de secretaris van de Zeilraad Henk Plaatje.
The above posted text is about the Dutch National Appeal Committee: "de Zeilraad". They've reorganized and published their decisions in a pdf-archive going back to 2000.
With internet translation possibilities you should be able to translate the general gist of the 'verdicts'. If you come across a case you need clarification about, you can either ask Henk Plaatje (mail address above) or send me an Email.
Friday 19 February 2010
Spam, Spam, Spam, Eggs, Bacon and Spam
Like all who do some blogging or run a website my spamfilters are set fairly high. My provider has that possibility for my mailboxes. The rest is captured in my mail program and put into a secluded folder.
Because of this, sometimes a 'genuine' message gets labelled as SPAM.
We couldn't use E-mail any more if those preventive measures weren't available. Even our rulebook has a SPAM-rule! (Rule 41(d))
Yesterday I received an Email and I need some help from you as reader of LTW.
This is the message:
__________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Boat Ramps - iPhone Application
Boat Ramps is a database-driven application that provides the fastest way to locate boat ramp and launching facilities. Boat Ramps provides an easy to use interface that places a database of over 45,000 ramps at your fingertips.
With ease Boat Ramps will provide a list of ramps in proximity to your current location. The proximity and number of results can be configured to fine tune the results of your search.
Boating away from your current location? No problem. Simply enter the desired location's zip code or select a city and Boat Ramps will provide you a list of possible ramps to launch your vessel.
How to get there? Once a ramp of interest is located its location can be fed to the built-in Maps application to obtain directions. Currently Boat Ramps provides boat ramp / launch locations for the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. Ramp / launch locations for additional countries may be added at a later date. Boat Ramps requires the iPhone OS 3.0 to run.
Latest Update:
* Added the Ability for Users to Added Ramps to Database.
* Added the Ability to Map All Ramp & Marina Results on the Map Simultaneously.
* Added the Ability Search by Ramp, Marina, or Both.
* Added Icons to Results to Identify Ramps, Marinas and Marinas with Ramps.
* Added Phone Numbers to Marina Entries When Available.
* Added Ability to Toggle Between a Standard, Satellite or Hybrid Maps.
Website Link:
http://www.derektrauger.com/ Products/BoatRamps.aspx
iTunes Store Link
http://itunes.apple.com/ WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/ viewSoftware?id=333176419&mt=8
Contact: Derek Trauger dtrauger@derektrauger.com Ph: 386-801-4634
_______________________________________________________
Should I consider this as SPAM and trow it out with the rest as garbage?
Or are you interested to read about this and other similar 'press'-releases on LTW?
Because of this, sometimes a 'genuine' message gets labelled as SPAM.
We couldn't use E-mail any more if those preventive measures weren't available. Even our rulebook has a SPAM-rule! (Rule 41(d))
Yesterday I received an Email and I need some help from you as reader of LTW.
This is the message:
__________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Boat Ramps - iPhone Application
Boat Ramps is a database-driven application that provides the fastest way to locate boat ramp and launching facilities. Boat Ramps provides an easy to use interface that places a database of over 45,000 ramps at your fingertips.
With ease Boat Ramps will provide a list of ramps in proximity to your current location. The proximity and number of results can be configured to fine tune the results of your search.
Boating away from your current location? No problem. Simply enter the desired location's zip code or select a city and Boat Ramps will provide you a list of possible ramps to launch your vessel.
How to get there? Once a ramp of interest is located its location can be fed to the built-in Maps application to obtain directions. Currently Boat Ramps provides boat ramp / launch locations for the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. Ramp / launch locations for additional countries may be added at a later date. Boat Ramps requires the iPhone OS 3.0 to run.
Latest Update:
* Added the Ability for Users to Added Ramps to Database.
* Added the Ability to Map All Ramp & Marina Results on the Map Simultaneously.
* Added the Ability Search by Ramp, Marina, or Both.
* Added Icons to Results to Identify Ramps, Marinas and Marinas with Ramps.
* Added Phone Numbers to Marina Entries When Available.
* Added Ability to Toggle Between a Standard, Satellite or Hybrid Maps.
Website Link:
http://www.derektrauger.com/
iTunes Store Link
http://itunes.apple.com/
Contact: Derek Trauger dtrauger@derektrauger.com Ph: 386-801-4634
_______________________________________________________
Should I consider this as SPAM and trow it out with the rest as garbage?
Or are you interested to read about this and other similar 'press'-releases on LTW?
Labels:
blog,
fun,
press release,
SPAM
AC 33 | Rules and explanations – part 4
There have been a lot of comments on the match winning move of USA-17 in the second match. The tactician on the boat (John Kostecki) called a perfect lay-line according to helmsman (James Spithill) and that, together with his skill as match racer, cumulated in USA being able to round the mark first. Lets have a look at the rules involved in this situation and what SUI could have done. Or could she?
In the drawings SUI is the yellow boat and USA the blue boat. I regret I cannot draw a trimaran, but as both boats are almost the same dimension, it should be more or less to scale, nevertheless.
This is what happened (as far as I can reconstruct from videos):
Picture: AC33 SUI-USA M2 Layline Cross.png
GIF- Animation: AC33 SUI-USA M2 Layline Cross.gif
Boat Scenario file: AC33 SUI-USA M2 Layline Cross.xbs
Position one
SUI to windward and a little in front; USA to leeward approaching on the lay-line.
SUI is keep clear boat either under rule 12 or 11
Position two to three
USA tacks from Starboard to Port a couple of boat lengths above the lay line. SUI continues.
USA is now keep clear boat under rule 10
Position three to four
Boats are four or five lengths apart. SUI is crossing USA.
USA bears away slightly to gain speed and to discourage SUI to go for a dial-down.
USA is still keep clear boat but SUI must give her room to do this IF she changes course, which she does not.
Position four
SUI has crossed in front of USA and starts to luff to go into a tack above the lay-line
USA has full speed and keeps clear.
Position five
While SUI is slowing in her tack, USA passes to leeward of her and luffs to her higher course to fetch the mark.USA becomes right of way boat initially by SUI tacking (rule 13) then as leeward boat (rule 11) en then as clear ahead boat (rule 12)
Position six, seven to eight (a little later)
SUI has completed her tack and is gaining speed. She's slightly to windward but clear astern of USA
USA gained five or six boat lengths in the stretch to the mark and enters the (4 hull-lengths) zone clear ahead of SUI. She's now not only right of way boat but also entitled to mark-room
What could SUI have done to prevent USA from gaining the upper hand?
Put yourself on the big Alinghi 5 Catamaran and convince Brad Butterworth and Ernesto Bertarelli what to do:
Option 1:
Between position two and three you could have gone for a dail-down. A risky move, because by changing course you are subject to rule 16 and have to give USA room to keep clear, but perhaps it can be done.
You have to set this up, knowing boat-speed and manoeuvrability of the other boat as well as your own. Since this was only the second time these boats raced (against each-other), I would not blame you if you have serious doubts about having that knowledge.
Best outcome of this move would be, to be able to force USA back into a tack. Then you would be able to sail on to a position where you wanted and tack first to go to the mark.
But even if the second best thing happened - that is USA being able to bear away quickly enough to keep clear of you - there would have been a big chance that USA could no longer fetch the mark. As soon as the cross was done, go into a tack and gain the upper windward position (making sure you fetch the mark yourself.). If USA must tack again (and again) to round the mark you will be long gone and in front.
If USA is able to fetch the mark, you are no worse off. You needed to give him mark-room and now you will have to do that also. At least you are still close by.
Picture: AC33 SUI-USA M2 Layline Cross Dial down.png
GIF- Animation: AC33 SUI-USA M2 Layline Cross Dial down.gif
Boat Scenario file: AC33 SUI-USA M2 Layline Cross Dail down.xbs
Option 2:
Tack below USA.
You want to try to get a lee-bow position. There are two drawbacks: Tacking that low would mean that you do it barely on the lay-line, perhaps you are even not yet on the lay-line. With that shifty wind and still 2 miles to go, you might not fetch the mark. And secondly there's a big chance that USA - with her superior speed - simply would pass to windward and roll you.
Picture: AC33 SUI-USA M2 Layline Cross Lee-bow.png
GIF- Animation: AC33 SUI-USA M2 Layline Cross Lee-bow.gif
Boat Scenario file: AC33 SUI-USA M2 Layline Cross Lee-bow.xbs
Option 3:
To tack in front of USA. Now this move is even more riskier. The distance between the boats and the fact that - like in all cats - tacking takes an eFFing long time, would make it highly likely that while your are tacking (and are keep clear boat under rule 13) USA would have to take avoiding action. And even if you manage to complete your tack - i.e. turn your catamaran on a new close hauled course - then rule 15 would kick in and you would have to give USA initially room to keep clear. No doubt a Yankee flag from USA would follow and for you a great risk of getting penalized. That would make this a match-losing move. Another penalty on top of the one you already had, equals loosing the match (bar acts of God)
Picture: AC33 SUI-USA M2 Layline Cross Front tack.png
GIF- Animation: AC33 SUI-USA M2 Layline Cross Front tack.gif
Boat Scenario file: AC33 SUI-USA M2 Layline Cross Front tack.xbs
You can be sure that all these three options have been anticipated by USA-17. JS&TK will take advantage of every possibility that you open up for them.
You choose, there's no more time.
USA is luffing to tack.....
Next time in AC 33 | Rules and explanations, reflections on the rules for Race Committees, Organizing Authority and Interested Parties. Or was it about the Bounty?
Stay tuned.
.
In the drawings SUI is the yellow boat and USA the blue boat. I regret I cannot draw a trimaran, but as both boats are almost the same dimension, it should be more or less to scale, nevertheless.
This is what happened (as far as I can reconstruct from videos):
Picture: AC33 SUI-USA M2 Layline Cross.png
GIF- Animation: AC33 SUI-USA M2 Layline Cross.gif
Boat Scenario file: AC33 SUI-USA M2 Layline Cross.xbs
Position one
SUI to windward and a little in front; USA to leeward approaching on the lay-line.
SUI is keep clear boat either under rule 12 or 11
Position two to three
USA tacks from Starboard to Port a couple of boat lengths above the lay line. SUI continues.
USA is now keep clear boat under rule 10
Position three to four
Boats are four or five lengths apart. SUI is crossing USA.
USA bears away slightly to gain speed and to discourage SUI to go for a dial-down.
USA is still keep clear boat but SUI must give her room to do this IF she changes course, which she does not.
Position four
SUI has crossed in front of USA and starts to luff to go into a tack above the lay-line
USA has full speed and keeps clear.
Position five
While SUI is slowing in her tack, USA passes to leeward of her and luffs to her higher course to fetch the mark.USA becomes right of way boat initially by SUI tacking (rule 13) then as leeward boat (rule 11) en then as clear ahead boat (rule 12)
Position six, seven to eight (a little later)
SUI has completed her tack and is gaining speed. She's slightly to windward but clear astern of USA
USA gained five or six boat lengths in the stretch to the mark and enters the (4 hull-lengths) zone clear ahead of SUI. She's now not only right of way boat but also entitled to mark-room
What could SUI have done to prevent USA from gaining the upper hand?
Put yourself on the big Alinghi 5 Catamaran and convince Brad Butterworth and Ernesto Bertarelli what to do:
Option 1:
Between position two and three you could have gone for a dail-down. A risky move, because by changing course you are subject to rule 16 and have to give USA room to keep clear, but perhaps it can be done.
You have to set this up, knowing boat-speed and manoeuvrability of the other boat as well as your own. Since this was only the second time these boats raced (against each-other), I would not blame you if you have serious doubts about having that knowledge.
Best outcome of this move would be, to be able to force USA back into a tack. Then you would be able to sail on to a position where you wanted and tack first to go to the mark.
But even if the second best thing happened - that is USA being able to bear away quickly enough to keep clear of you - there would have been a big chance that USA could no longer fetch the mark. As soon as the cross was done, go into a tack and gain the upper windward position (making sure you fetch the mark yourself.). If USA must tack again (and again) to round the mark you will be long gone and in front.
If USA is able to fetch the mark, you are no worse off. You needed to give him mark-room and now you will have to do that also. At least you are still close by.
Picture: AC33 SUI-USA M2 Layline Cross Dial down.png
GIF- Animation: AC33 SUI-USA M2 Layline Cross Dial down.gif
Boat Scenario file: AC33 SUI-USA M2 Layline Cross Dail down.xbs
Option 2:
Tack below USA.
You want to try to get a lee-bow position. There are two drawbacks: Tacking that low would mean that you do it barely on the lay-line, perhaps you are even not yet on the lay-line. With that shifty wind and still 2 miles to go, you might not fetch the mark. And secondly there's a big chance that USA - with her superior speed - simply would pass to windward and roll you.
Picture: AC33 SUI-USA M2 Layline Cross Lee-bow.png
GIF- Animation: AC33 SUI-USA M2 Layline Cross Lee-bow.gif
Boat Scenario file: AC33 SUI-USA M2 Layline Cross Lee-bow.xbs
Option 3:
To tack in front of USA. Now this move is even more riskier. The distance between the boats and the fact that - like in all cats - tacking takes an eFFing long time, would make it highly likely that while your are tacking (and are keep clear boat under rule 13) USA would have to take avoiding action. And even if you manage to complete your tack - i.e. turn your catamaran on a new close hauled course - then rule 15 would kick in and you would have to give USA initially room to keep clear. No doubt a Yankee flag from USA would follow and for you a great risk of getting penalized. That would make this a match-losing move. Another penalty on top of the one you already had, equals loosing the match (bar acts of God)
Picture: AC33 SUI-USA M2 Layline Cross Front tack.png
GIF- Animation: AC33 SUI-USA M2 Layline Cross Front tack.gif
Boat Scenario file: AC33 SUI-USA M2 Layline Cross Front tack.xbs
You can be sure that all these three options have been anticipated by USA-17. JS&TK will take advantage of every possibility that you open up for them.
You choose, there's no more time.
USA is luffing to tack.....
Next time in AC 33 | Rules and explanations, reflections on the rules for Race Committees, Organizing Authority and Interested Parties. Or was it about the Bounty?
Stay tuned.
.
Thursday 18 February 2010
FTBD (27)
If you don't know what the title means - I suggest you do some research.
Been fiddling around with the layout a little bit, last couple of weeks, but still am not completely happy with the results. I think I'll do some spring cleaning next. Getting rid of the side-clutter to the fixed pages in the top horizontal bar, some more. That will reduce loading time, which has gone up again, since I last checked. Suggestions are welcome.
The AC posts - still running - have generated an increase in traffic with an new LTW record of 1855 visits on a single day last Tuesday. And total visits have passed the 100.000 mark. To keep the average of one post a day before my next year-day, I'll have to post 1.623 posts/day. Well, this month it looks like that will succeed.
Please keep sending in your Sunday rules - snaps. The crew hanging outside the lifelines was a hit!
The list of ten highest referring sites to LTW:
Lord T' who celebrated his fifth B'day only yesterday! Congrats with that, indeed!
Google ranks LTW as fourth with "Racing Rules of Sailing" as search, after ISAF, US Sailing and Wikipedia. I can live with that.
We've had a couple of months winter here, with lots of ice and snow - on and off. And it doesn't look like it is going to let up anytime soon. So, no winter sailing, alas. Maybe in April.
Cheers,
J.
Been fiddling around with the layout a little bit, last couple of weeks, but still am not completely happy with the results. I think I'll do some spring cleaning next. Getting rid of the side-clutter to the fixed pages in the top horizontal bar, some more. That will reduce loading time, which has gone up again, since I last checked. Suggestions are welcome.
The AC posts - still running - have generated an increase in traffic with an new LTW record of 1855 visits on a single day last Tuesday. And total visits have passed the 100.000 mark. To keep the average of one post a day before my next year-day, I'll have to post 1.623 posts/day. Well, this month it looks like that will succeed.
Please keep sending in your Sunday rules - snaps. The crew hanging outside the lifelines was a hit!
The list of ten highest referring sites to LTW:
Lord T' who celebrated his fifth B'day only yesterday! Congrats with that, indeed!
Google ranks LTW as fourth with "Racing Rules of Sailing" as search, after ISAF, US Sailing and Wikipedia. I can live with that.
We've had a couple of months winter here, with lots of ice and snow - on and off. And it doesn't look like it is going to let up anytime soon. So, no winter sailing, alas. Maybe in April.
Cheers,
J.
Labels:
blog,
FTBD,
photo,
Sunday Snap
Wednesday 17 February 2010
AC 33 | Rules and explanations – part 3
The third post in this series is about the red flag on SUI and the penalty they received in the prestart.
To explain the latter I will have to show you a diagram of the start area. But first a few words on Match Racing.
Because of the special nature of a match race – being one on one – its is not important to finish as fast as possible, as in a fleet race, it is only important to finish first. Finish first is key, however long that may take!
Match race is about control. If you control your opponent, you can win. A controlling position is therefore paramount. In the AC 33 dogfight we see little of this because the boats are all about speed. But – yes – if you are ahead far enough, you control the race. And in Match 1 USA managed to control SUI for a couple of minutes in the prestart.
To get that control you need to engage your opponent. And that engagement begins well before the start. Now if we do anything like a conventional start as in fleet racing, the two boats in a match race will never know when to begin looking for each other to gain that control.
Therefore in match racing there’s a special procedure in the rules which allows a controlled beginning of the pre start manoeuvres. We have a sort of ‘start’ before the actual start line crossing.
To get there, each boats is assigned to a side. The Yellow side next to the RC-boat and a Blue side next to the pin end of the start line
From the Rulebook:
In match 2 of AC 33, SUI was still sailing below the starting line towards her assigned end, when the five minute preparatory signal was given. That is the reason SUI was given a penalty. The wing boat signalled this to the umpire boat and they switched on the yellow light.
Why, you might ask? Why was SUI not there?
Remember the red flag SUI tied to a back stay halfway up the beat? Brad Butterworth declared in the subsequent press-conference, that SUI felt that there where too many spectator boats in that area. They felt that they could not safely navigate and therefore where outside. A red flag for a request for redress.
Looking at the videos specifically, you can see some spectator boats on that side, but they are at least a couple of hundred meters away from the committee boat. Plenty of room to sail there. Might it be that they were not fully prepared to race so late in the afternoon? With a start only five minutes before the official cut-off time? I can only speculate.
Fact is that earning that penalty was unnecessary. SUI should have been in her yellow box. An unforced error, which most match racers make only once. Unfortunately AC33 does not give you second chances……
If SUI had felt that a crucial factor in loosing this match was because of the penalty in the pre-start, I’m sure she would have gone trough with her request for redress. As it was, the difference in boat speed between her and USA was so big, that it was not a deciding factor. Besides, getting redress would be next to impossible.
To conclude this post I have a question for the rules-nerds among you: (Don’t blame me, blame Tillerman for introducing this wording into the AC33, I would not have dared to use it otherwise.)
WHAT IF there were too many spectator boats in Yellow box and SUI could not safely navigate there? How would you decide in the subsequent request for redress?
Next time in AC 33 | Rules en explanations: the Cross on the Port lay-line.
Stay tuned.
.
To explain the latter I will have to show you a diagram of the start area. But first a few words on Match Racing.
Because of the special nature of a match race – being one on one – its is not important to finish as fast as possible, as in a fleet race, it is only important to finish first. Finish first is key, however long that may take!
Match race is about control. If you control your opponent, you can win. A controlling position is therefore paramount. In the AC 33 dogfight we see little of this because the boats are all about speed. But – yes – if you are ahead far enough, you control the race. And in Match 1 USA managed to control SUI for a couple of minutes in the prestart.
To get that control you need to engage your opponent. And that engagement begins well before the start. Now if we do anything like a conventional start as in fleet racing, the two boats in a match race will never know when to begin looking for each other to gain that control.
Therefore in match racing there’s a special procedure in the rules which allows a controlled beginning of the pre start manoeuvres. We have a sort of ‘start’ before the actual start line crossing.
To get there, each boats is assigned to a side. The Yellow side next to the RC-boat and a Blue side next to the pin end of the start line
Picture from a presentation by Henk Plaatje; http://www.plaatje.info/
In the AC33 Match 2, SUI was assigned the Yellow boat and USA the Blue boat.
From the Rulebook:
At her preparatory signal (five minutes in AC33) each boat shall be outside the line that is at a 90 degrees angle to the starting line through the starting mark at her assigned end. …. (C4.1)
Within the two minute period following her preparatory signal, a boat shall cross and clear the starting line, the first time from the course side to the pre-start side. (C4.2)To check that precise line the umpire boat and the wing boat each place themselves on that line, one below and one above the starting line. If a boat is anywhere else then in its “box” when the preparatory signal is given, she gets a penalty. Be it still sailing to get there or be it sailing too soon over the line to get to the other boat. Outside your box equals penalty.
In match 2 of AC 33, SUI was still sailing below the starting line towards her assigned end, when the five minute preparatory signal was given. That is the reason SUI was given a penalty. The wing boat signalled this to the umpire boat and they switched on the yellow light.
Why, you might ask? Why was SUI not there?
Remember the red flag SUI tied to a back stay halfway up the beat? Brad Butterworth declared in the subsequent press-conference, that SUI felt that there where too many spectator boats in that area. They felt that they could not safely navigate and therefore where outside. A red flag for a request for redress.
Looking at the videos specifically, you can see some spectator boats on that side, but they are at least a couple of hundred meters away from the committee boat. Plenty of room to sail there. Might it be that they were not fully prepared to race so late in the afternoon? With a start only five minutes before the official cut-off time? I can only speculate.
Fact is that earning that penalty was unnecessary. SUI should have been in her yellow box. An unforced error, which most match racers make only once. Unfortunately AC33 does not give you second chances……
If SUI had felt that a crucial factor in loosing this match was because of the penalty in the pre-start, I’m sure she would have gone trough with her request for redress. As it was, the difference in boat speed between her and USA was so big, that it was not a deciding factor. Besides, getting redress would be next to impossible.
To conclude this post I have a question for the rules-nerds among you: (Don’t blame me, blame Tillerman for introducing this wording into the AC33, I would not have dared to use it otherwise.)
WHAT IF there were too many spectator boats in Yellow box and SUI could not safely navigate there? How would you decide in the subsequent request for redress?
Next time in AC 33 | Rules en explanations: the Cross on the Port lay-line.
Stay tuned.
.
Tuesday 16 February 2010
ISAF Q&A 2010 – 007, 008 & 009
Again a triplet from the ISAF Racing Rules Q&A panel.
For one thing you can’t say they are not active. With the publication of the new rules cycle 2009-2012 in total now 41 + 9 = 50 Q&A’s have been published, on top of the 20 from previous years.
The smart thing to do is to download the most recent Racing Rules Q&A booklet (20100215). That way you have all the pertinent information in one place.
The new Q&A’s published on the Website are:
ISAF Racing Rules Q&A 2010 – 007 about national prescriptions not complying with rule 86.1(a) and therefore does not validly deny the right of appeal.
This Q&A makes it clear that it is not so easy to deny appeal rights to competitors. The OA or even an MNA might want to do this for the sake of simplicity or for any other reason, but they better make doubly sure they do it the correct way. A sentence in a national rules book as prescription does not comply. The only sure way is to get an International Jury to the event.
ISAF Racing Rules Q&A 2010 – 008 is about redress when boats get entangled with marks. From the answer:
In short; a finishing mark is not different from any other mark with regards to rules 18.2 & 18.5. You have mark-room depending how the zone is entered and you’ll be exonerated for breaking a rule in Section A. The fact that you can sail another course to also reach the finish line, does not in itself switch rules 18.2 or 18.5 off.
About the Q&A’s: Unlike the ISAF Cases, which are authoritative interpretations and explanations of the rules, these answers are solely to assist Race Officials in applying the rules consistently.
International Race Officials who would like to submit a question to the Q&A Service should do so via email to the ISAF
.
For one thing you can’t say they are not active. With the publication of the new rules cycle 2009-2012 in total now 41 + 9 = 50 Q&A’s have been published, on top of the 20 from previous years.
The smart thing to do is to download the most recent Racing Rules Q&A booklet (20100215). That way you have all the pertinent information in one place.
The new Q&A’s published on the Website are:
ISAF Racing Rules Q&A 2010 – 007 about national prescriptions not complying with rule 86.1(a) and therefore does not validly deny the right of appeal.
This Q&A makes it clear that it is not so easy to deny appeal rights to competitors. The OA or even an MNA might want to do this for the sake of simplicity or for any other reason, but they better make doubly sure they do it the correct way. A sentence in a national rules book as prescription does not comply. The only sure way is to get an International Jury to the event.
ISAF Racing Rules Q&A 2010 – 008 is about redress when boats get entangled with marks. From the answer:
For a boat that gets entangled in a mark’s ground tackle to be entitled to redress under rule 62.1(a), there must first be an improper action or omission by the race committee. This will be so only if there is a risk of entanglement that boats could not reasonably be expected to anticipate and the race committee could clearly have done something different that would have avoided or substantially reduced this risk.ISAF Racing Rules Q&A 2010 – 009 about the finishing mark and rules 18.2 and 18.5.
In short; a finishing mark is not different from any other mark with regards to rules 18.2 & 18.5. You have mark-room depending how the zone is entered and you’ll be exonerated for breaking a rule in Section A. The fact that you can sail another course to also reach the finish line, does not in itself switch rules 18.2 or 18.5 off.
About the Q&A’s: Unlike the ISAF Cases, which are authoritative interpretations and explanations of the rules, these answers are solely to assist Race Officials in applying the rules consistently.
International Race Officials who would like to submit a question to the Q&A Service should do so via email to the ISAF
.
AC 33 | Rules and explanations – part 2
This is the second post in our series explaining some of the rules-issues in the America’s Cup 33.
Go back to the first post - AC 33 | Rules and explanations – part 1 – if you want to be reminded.
Before I can start to explain our first issue – the additional five minutes delta SUI earned in the first match - I’ll have to go into the rulebook a little bit. Specifically the definition of finish and the change to that definition that has been done in the Match Racing rules (App. C rule 2.1 & 7.2(d))
According to the changed definition, SUI could take that penalty anytime provided she did so before finishing. The wording in the rulebook says she could only finish after completing any penalties. (Unless that penalty is cancelled under rule C7.2(d). I.e. the other boat is also been given a penalty just before or after the boat crosses the line.)
In Match 1 SUI trailed USA, still carrying a penalty (from the prestart dail-up).
According to the video’s and virtual eye recordings I’ve seen, SUI crossed the line the first time – about ten minutes after USA - without having taken that penalty, but started to do so just after her bows crossed the line. SUI luffed below the line and turned up straight away into a tack.
A penalty on a downwind leg, as defined in the rulebook states:
(2) When on a leg of course to a leeward mark or the finishing line, she shall tack and, as soon as reasonable possible, bear away to a course that is more than ninety degrees from true wind.The penalty starts! when the boat passes head to wind and ends! when the boat has turned downwind. (More then ninety degrees from true wind).
Just after her tack SUI turned downwind and thereby completed her penalty. That was signaled by the umpires by blowing a whistle and turning of the yellow flicker-light. BUT – and this is crucial for the explanation, SUI did so while the boat was still – perhaps completely, but at least partly - below the line.
Going back to rule C7.2(d):
A penalized boat shall not be recorded as having finished until she takes her penalty and sails completely to the course side of the line and then finishes, unless the penalty is canceled before or after she crosses the finishing line.So the penalty was completed, but the boat had not returned completely to the course side of the line. I can understand that with a boat of that magnitude you make a mistake in judging if you are over or not-over the finishing line. But not heading the signal of the RC indicating that you have finished? Or taking that kind of risk in trailing position by doing your penalty turn on the line?
I can only explain this maneuver by guessing that SUI wanted to make the delta as small as possible. That is: crossing the line immediately after having turned more then ninety degrees from true wind. Match Racers do this often, by using one of the finishing marks as a turning point. With that mark they can at least be sure they return to the course side of the line!
But SUI sailed downwind without having any doubt of having finished. Only a radio-communication from the RC made them aware that in fact SUI was still not finished!
After that SUI sailed back upwind, passed the line and then crossed the line according to the rules to finish. This was the mistake that cost them an additional five minute delta in the first match. Instead of 9 minutes 56 second or about, the delta became 15 minutes and 25 seconds!
Before you start about the communication from the RC over the radio, that part of rule 41 was changed in the NoR/SI – and it is a moot point whether that is meant to cover information pertinent to one boat only…….
In our next installment of AC 33 | Rules and explanations we will have a look at the second match. Specifically about the prestart penalty and the red flag on SUI.
Stay tuned.
.
Monday 15 February 2010
AC 33 | Rules and explanations - part 1
The AC33 has been sailed and USA-17 managed to win both matches.
Congratulations to the whole BMW Oracle Racing - team.
In a couple of posts in the coming week, I want to take you back to several rules issues in those two matches. I already posted about the first penalty in the first match in this post Rules picture of the year?, so we'll leave that one. But in both matches there were other - be it less deciding - issues.
I'll try to explain the following subjects:
.
Congratulations to the whole BMW Oracle Racing - team.
In a couple of posts in the coming week, I want to take you back to several rules issues in those two matches. I already posted about the first penalty in the first match in this post Rules picture of the year?, so we'll leave that one. But in both matches there were other - be it less deciding - issues.
I'll try to explain the following subjects:
- SUI lost the first match with a delta of over 15 minutes, although she crossed the finish line within 10 minutes of USA-17. How is that possible?
- In the second match SUI again received a penalty in the pre-start. This time not because of a boat to boat incident, but because of an 'unforced' error on her part. Or was it really 'unforced'?
- Although SUI managed to lead for most of the windward beat to mark 1 and crossed USA in front in the second match, she did not round the first mark as the leading boat. The rules play a big part in why that happened.
- Half way up the beat in the second match SUI tied a red protest-flag in one of her back-stays. What was that all about? Could she have influenced the outcome had the hearing been held?
- And finally a very difficult issue. A major conflict between OA and RC - both represented in the committee boat on the water. With that we drift into a subject the ISAF is also working on: Interested Party.
.
(pillow)Case of the Week (7) -109
CASE 109
Part 2 Preamble Rule 48, Fog Signals and Lights
International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea
The IRPCAS or government right-of-way rules apply between boats that are racing only if the sailing instructions say so, and in that case all of the Part 2 rules are replaced. An IRPCAS or government rule may be made to apply by including it in the sailing instructions or in another document governing the event.Question 1
What are the ‘government rules’ to which the preamble to Part 2 and rule
48 refer? How do those rules differ from the International Regulations for
Preventing Collisions at Sea (IRPCAS)?
Answer 1
The IRPCAS apply only ‘upon the high seas and in all waters connected therewith navigable by seagoing vessels’ (IRPCAS Rule 1(a)). On a country’s harbours, rivers, lakes and other inland waters, governments and other government authorities may establish other rules. Those other rules are the ‘government rules’ to which the Part 2 preamble and rule 48 refer.
Such rules, which may apply nationally on all inland waters or only on specific inland waters, may restate, replace, change or add to the IRPCAS (IRPCAS Rules 1(b) and 1(c)).
Question 2
When the notice of race, sailing instructions and other documents that govern an event do not mention the IRPCAS or government rules, do any rules of the IRPCAS or government rules apply to a boat racing under The Racing Rules of Sailing?
Answer 2
Yes. When safety requires, a boat racing shall sound fog signals and show lights as required by the IRPCAS or applicable government rules (rule 48). Also, when a boat sailing under the Part 2 rules meets a vessel that is not, the IRPCAS or government right-of-way rules apply between them (Part2 preamble).
Question 3
May the notice of race, sailing instructions or another document that governs the event make the IRPCAS or government right-of-way rules or other rules of the IRPCAS or government rules applicable?
Answer 3
Yes, in three ways:
- The sailing instructions may state that the right-of-way rules of the IRPCAS or government rules replace all of the rules of Part 2 (Part 2 preamble and rule J2.2(2)). This is often done for oceanic races and also for racing at night.
- The sailing instructions may state that a particular rule from the IRPCAS or government rules (other than a right-of-way rule) will apply to the event and include the text of that rule (rule J2.2(38)).
- The definition Rule includes ‘(g) any other document governing the event.’ Such a document may include the text of a particular rule or rules from the IRPCAS or government rules (other than a right-of-way rule) that will apply to the event. Rules for crossing shipping lanes are often made available in such a document. To govern an event, a document must be listed in the notice of race (rule J1.1(3)), stating where or how it may be seen, and in the sailing instructions (rule J2.1(2)).
Question 4
If the sailing instructions state that the right-of-way rules of the IRPCAS replace the rules of Part 2, which rules of Part 2 are replaced by which rules of the IRPCAS?
Answer 4
All the rules of Part 2 are replaced. Part B of the IRPCAS contains the IRPCAS ‘Steering and Sailing Rules’, which are, in effect, ‘right-of-way rules’. However, Part B of the IRPCAS must be read in conjunction with the whole of the IRPCAS, particularly Part A. For example, many terms used in Part B are defined in Part A.
Question 5
Is it possible to provide for a wider or narrower range of replacements of right-of-way rules that apply between competing boats?
Answer 5
A sailing instruction may only replace all the rules of Part 2 with all the right-of-way rules of the IRPCAS or government rules. Rule 86.1 states that the sailing instructions shall not change Part 2, which includes its preamble. Therefore, a wider or narrower range of replacements of right-of-way rules that apply between competing boats is not permitted.
RYA 2005/1
All or nothing.
Because the rules depend on each other to get a level playing field you can't use parts of one and parts of the other at the same time.
.
Saturday 13 February 2010
AC33 | America's Cup Umpiring (2)
I heard back from Bill Edgerton, CU at the AC33 in Valencia. He found time to answer the questions I send him earlier. (See America's Cup Umpiring (1))
As before his answers in blue (a little darker so it's also readable on a white background)
What calls did you make in the first match? Can you tell us about the situations you encountered?
The penalty was a simple port and starboard going 13.1, no 16 involved and the give way boat turned across the ROW boat. She had 2 avenues of escape, took the wrong one, if they had gone down, 16 would have applied to USA's course alteration to follow and the call would have gone green.
(red: 13.1 = keeping clear while tacking, from App C; Match Racing)
Judging 2 boat lengths separation for 17 or not, after the start when they were straight lining, was difficult, but unless it was USA to leeward, it was only academic in those conditions.
(red: for those of you who don't speak umpire speak: Rule 17 restricts the leeward boat from sailing above her proper course (after the start-signal) if she established a leeward overlap within two hull lengths of the windward boat. Bill is explaining he found it difficult to judge a distance of 200 feet accurately - which is completely understandable, in my opinion)
Are you planning to change the system now you've umpired the first match?
No, just rotate the personnel a little and refine some of the communications with the RC, especially the penalty taking where the RC came over our radio transmission inadvertently.
Will the team record and document all calls? If so, will these be published?
What you got above will be the sole extent probably, unless there is something of interest, a learning point.
What strikes you as the biggest difference between AC33 and AC32 - from an umpire point of view?
The boats, obviously. The atmosphere is very different, for instance they don't have joint press conference. But our relationship with the sailors though, is as good always.
The delays between races mean more careful management of the team to make sure cabin fever doesn't strike, though the team we have here, is very experienced and time management is one of the skills you develop.
After match 1, I came up with some additional question and send them off in an Email. Hopefully Bill will find some time in answering them. Here's what I wrote:
Many thanks Bill,
Any chance of an updated picture with Graig in the frame? It was him that umpired yesterday, was it not?
I heard some comments on the broadcast about you changing the decision process after a call?
Taking more time to get consensus? Can you tell me anything about that?
Did you change 17 overlap with only the hulls or is the bowsprit the complicating factor?
How are the umpire boats? Yesterday was only between 4-10 knots and you seemed to be going flat out at times.
Will you be able to keep up when it's blowing 16 knots?
I've analysed your call yesterday by the published pictures and put them on the blog It seems to be complying with your answer, but if you have any comments, please send them.
http://rrsstudy.blogspot.com/2010/02/rules-picture-of-year.html
SUI lost five minutes at the finish after completing the penalty. The commentators and journalist all seem to have different answers as to why.
Can you enlighten me? What happened?
Good luck Sunday!
And my regards to your team.
Thanks again .
Jos
If you have additional questions- be quick - it all could be over tomorrow!
(Sunday February 14th)
.
As before his answers in blue (a little darker so it's also readable on a white background)
What calls did you make in the first match? Can you tell us about the situations you encountered?
The penalty was a simple port and starboard going 13.1, no 16 involved and the give way boat turned across the ROW boat. She had 2 avenues of escape, took the wrong one, if they had gone down, 16 would have applied to USA's course alteration to follow and the call would have gone green.
(red: 13.1 = keeping clear while tacking, from App C; Match Racing)
Judging 2 boat lengths separation for 17 or not, after the start when they were straight lining, was difficult, but unless it was USA to leeward, it was only academic in those conditions.
(red: for those of you who don't speak umpire speak: Rule 17 restricts the leeward boat from sailing above her proper course (after the start-signal) if she established a leeward overlap within two hull lengths of the windward boat. Bill is explaining he found it difficult to judge a distance of 200 feet accurately - which is completely understandable, in my opinion)
Are you planning to change the system now you've umpired the first match?
No, just rotate the personnel a little and refine some of the communications with the RC, especially the penalty taking where the RC came over our radio transmission inadvertently.
Will the team record and document all calls? If so, will these be published?
What you got above will be the sole extent probably, unless there is something of interest, a learning point.
What strikes you as the biggest difference between AC33 and AC32 - from an umpire point of view?
The boats, obviously. The atmosphere is very different, for instance they don't have joint press conference. But our relationship with the sailors though, is as good always.
The delays between races mean more careful management of the team to make sure cabin fever doesn't strike, though the team we have here, is very experienced and time management is one of the skills you develop.
After match 1, I came up with some additional question and send them off in an Email. Hopefully Bill will find some time in answering them. Here's what I wrote:
Many thanks Bill,
Any chance of an updated picture with Graig in the frame? It was him that umpired yesterday, was it not?
I heard some comments on the broadcast about you changing the decision process after a call?
Taking more time to get consensus? Can you tell me anything about that?
Did you change 17 overlap with only the hulls or is the bowsprit the complicating factor?
How are the umpire boats? Yesterday was only between 4-10 knots and you seemed to be going flat out at times.
Will you be able to keep up when it's blowing 16 knots?
I've analysed your call yesterday by the published pictures and put them on the blog It seems to be complying with your answer, but if you have any comments, please send them.
http://rrsstudy.blogspot.com/2010/02/rules-picture-of-year.html
SUI lost five minutes at the finish after completing the penalty. The commentators and journalist all seem to have different answers as to why.
Can you enlighten me? What happened?
Good luck Sunday!
And my regards to your team.
Thanks again .
Jos
If you have additional questions- be quick - it all could be over tomorrow!
(Sunday February 14th)
.
Rules picture of the year?
Since there were going to be umpires in the AC 33 match race, we could expect there would be Yankee flags. But I don’t think anybody expected it would be straight away in the first half minute of the first match and ending with a penalty!
Helmsman on USA 17, Jimmy Spithill surely credited his nickname in this match.
So I’m nominating the following picture of the incident as
That is, until someone sends me a better one.
(In fact I’ll do a poll if I get a few more entries end of the year.)
USA (Yellow) on Starboard – SUI (Blue) on Port and has to keep clear. USA is holding for three – four boat lengths and in the picture SUI is now only just beginning to get head to wind. Her turn could have been much tighter! No rule 16 issue, USA may have initiated the collision course subject to 16, but holding for that long without SUI doing much more, negates that restriction on Rule 10.
SUI could have done much more – therefore she is not keeping clear. Either as Port boat or while tacking. Penalty on Blue.
A classic picture perfect example of a Match Race entry but in 90 foot tri/catamarans.
It also shows exactly what the courses of the two boats has been and on top of that it has both umpire boats and the race committee-boat in the frame.
Here’s the whole series on that entry:
I’ve copied the series from the www.bmor-photo.com website. Head over there to see lots more on this match.
Sunday we will see if SUI can lay the same trap for USA-17, when she’s Yellow boat.
.
Helmsman on USA 17, Jimmy Spithill surely credited his nickname in this match.
So I’m nominating the following picture of the incident as
‘2010 Rules picture’
AC33 Match 1; P-SB on the starting line just after entry.
(In fact I’ll do a poll if I get a few more entries end of the year.)
USA (Yellow) on Starboard – SUI (Blue) on Port and has to keep clear. USA is holding for three – four boat lengths and in the picture SUI is now only just beginning to get head to wind. Her turn could have been much tighter! No rule 16 issue, USA may have initiated the collision course subject to 16, but holding for that long without SUI doing much more, negates that restriction on Rule 10.
SUI could have done much more – therefore she is not keeping clear. Either as Port boat or while tacking. Penalty on Blue.
A classic picture perfect example of a Match Race entry but in 90 foot tri/catamarans.
It also shows exactly what the courses of the two boats has been and on top of that it has both umpire boats and the race committee-boat in the frame.
Here’s the whole series on that entry:
Entry. SUI is a few seconds earlier, but USA on full speed on collision course
USA holding. SUI cannot cross. They will have to do something!
SUI heading up, as is USA. Very tight turn by USA 17 and holding again.
The turn by SUI is too wide! Just beginning to get head to wind.
Sunday we will see if SUI can lay the same trap for USA-17, when she’s Yellow boat.
.
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