Who has to Keep Clear?

Received the following mail on Monday from Gianni Restano, about an interesting conflict in the rules. I have no answer to his query....


Hi Jos,

I'm an Italian umpire, and since a couple of months ago your blog has become a mandatory daily read. Thank you very much for maintaining it!
Yesterday I saw a peculiar situation in a match race that could be interesting for your blog's readers.

Yellow is given two penalties during the pre-start. Blue starts early and is recalled. Blue realizes the recall a bit late, and as a result there is an incident between Blue sailing towards the pre-start side of the starting line (on proper course) and Yellow taking the penalty just after starting, as she is required to do.

The funny thing is that rule 20.1 says that Blue must keep clear of Yellow, whilst rule 20.2, as modified by C2.8, says the opposite. I haven't been able to find any rule, call or case which states the prevalence of either rule on the other. A common sense solution could be to have the two conflicting rules offsetting each other, and to go back to the basic rules (10, 11 and so on), but I am not too happy umpiring using just commons sense. Can you (or your readers) shed some light on this situation? Do you believe it justifies a rapid response call?

BTW: the new rulebook (2009-2012) doesn't solve the issue.

Thank you, hope to meet you somewhere on a rubber duck,
Gianni Restano


Well Gianni, I did some research and could not find a call or case answering this either. But I do know that the rules in part A do not apply. The preamble of section D specifically states that they do not, when rule 20 or 21 applies between two boats. For now, both have to keep clear. I would think the boat taking a penalty has a greater obligation to do so, but I cannot back that up with the rules.

Perhaps one of the LTW readers has a different opinion? If not, it might indeed be worth a Question to the Rapid Response Call WP.

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Once upon a time....the End

Unbelievable!

My "fairy tales" generate more visitors than any Q&A or true story ever can.
After being published in Scuttlebutt 2721 my post 'A Lesson in Umpiring' generated over a 1000 visitors. I should start all my posts with: 'Once upon a time......'

Perhaps I should follow Tillerman's poll and write about: 'Whatever the hell I want' as long as there is at least one magical creature in it. I will ask Mss Esmerelda Wheaterwax to teach me headology or Nanny Ogg how to curse. "Bugger all that, let's curse someone"


Please excuse me, I have to find a frying pan. I just experienced a 'sussurus' and have to look for the Nac Mac Feegle, before they steal all my possessions.... and my mind.

LTW Readers Q&A | 13

Received another rules question about sailing the course, this time from Luigi Cuccotti, IRO from Italy.

In his E-mail he writes: I have a Q&A to submit which I’m sending in the attachment. The facts are true, but in this race I was a competitor, not the chairman of the race committee. Thanks a lot for your kind attention.

His Q:

CHANGING OF THE NEXT LEG OF THE COURSE

Race for Off Shore boats, with marks. Windward-Leeward course.
The Sailing Instructions establish:

1. “The change course will be signaled according to rule 33.”
2. “The boats are obliged to tune in on the official channel VHF 72. The race committee will be listening to boat communications during the race on this channel, and will make radio communications as well, when possible, about the race and, when required, will make changes to sailing instructions under rule 89.2(c) RRS ISAF 2005-2008”

Facts/Conclusions

1. During the second leg (leeward leg) the chairman of the Race Committee said on the radio, on the official channel: “Change next leg, new compass bearing is 125° (the old was 120°) and the length of the leg is 2.2 nautical miles (the old length was 2.0 n.m.).”
2. The Race Committee chairman didn’t announce any changes to sailing instructions.
3. Near the leeward mark there was a race committee boat, she displayed only flag “C” and made sound signals.
4. This boat did not show
   - a board with the new compass bearing or a triangular green flag
   - a board with +
5. Change of the next leg of the course wasn’t made according to rule 33, as established on the sailing instructions.

Question:

Has a boat, who does not round the new mark indicated by radio, but rounds the old mark, sailed the course correctly according to rule 28?

 

My A:

No, in my opinion the boat has not sailed the correct course. If you apply the string test, it doesn't pass the new mark on the required side.

The change in the sailing instructions was done orally by radio, but that is permitted because the procedure to do so, is stated in the SI (Rule 89.2(c)). Boats are obliged to listen to CHF-channel 72 and the change was announced. She should have rounded the new mark.

However, in order to disqualify this boat, she must first be protested by someone, be it by the RC or another competitor. A boat may not be disqualified without a hearing for breaking rule 28. If the PC decided that the boat did break that rule, she is then entitled to ask for redress, because she will then be DSQ'd and that is a significant worsening of her score.

The boat might be able to get redress, since one of the requirements of rule 62.1 has been met (requirement a).Not showing the compass bearing or a green triangle and a board with a "plus" sign, as written in rule 33, is an omission by the RC.

But the boat must also show there was "no fault of her own". If this boat has heard the radio transmission, that would be very hard to uphold. Because she chose to ignore that message, there is, at least in part, some fault of her own.

Even if she didn't hear the VHF-radio message, the PC must find out why. If there was no good reason to not listen (and that does not include a broken VHF), part of the fault again lies with the boat.

If she just sailed to the old mark because she wanted to show how "wrong" the RC was doing, she is NOT entitled to redress and the DSQ will stand.

 

What is your opinion?

.

ISAF Conference 2008 MADRID

The ISAF Conference in Madrid has started since Thursday and although this year all attention is focused on Olympic equipment issues, there are also numerous other issues on the table.

Not in the least the appointment of all but a few committee members in this post Olympic conference. Every four years the committees get a reshuffle. Some of the members will stay on, others leave and new people are invited to join the different committees and working parties.

I've had a look at the agenda's of the IJ Sub Committee, the IU Sub Committee and the Race Officials Committee.

Interesting to note in the IJSC Agenda are:

10. DEVELOPMENT.

(a) Grouping of IJs; To receive and discuss ROC guidance on the grouping of IJs. This must be something similar as the already in place grouping system for IU. In that system IU's are grouped in three groups, with subgroups in group 2, to make sure that appointments by ISAF of Race Officials to events is done with knowledge of the skills of the individual.
(Group one is most experienced, Group two is 'standard' or new IUs and group three are all ungrouped IUs)

(b) Education of IJs; To discuss proposal for “refresher training” of IJs. I've heard rumors about testing all IJ also every four years, to make sure they are up to par with rules and procedures.

(c) Rule 42 Education Programme.; To receive a report from Bill O’Hara on the Rule 42 workshops held in 2008 and to review the plans for 2009. Maybe a subgroup for rule 42 Judges?

Also on the agenda the IJ manual:

12. INTERNATIONAL JUDGES MANUAL
(a) Updates; To note the updates to the International Judges Manual
(b) New Sections; To discuss the need to include sections on:
- CAS (Court of Arbitration in Sports)
- dealing with minors (more and more an issue in current sports events)
- define the tasks of a protest committee scribe

This last agenda issue I find interesting. Up until now the scribe was a more or less random choice in panels. Anybody could be asked to do it. As if anybody had the necessary skill to do it correctly all the time. Being a good scribe takes practice and advice from experts. You need to learn how to do it. So including it in the manual is in my opinion a given.

The IU Sub Committee agenda has also a few interesting items:

In 10 DEVELOPMENT the IUSC will discuss the progress in: Support to Ungrouped and Group 2 IUs; To receive a report from Kirk Brown on the progress of the mentor project offered to ungrouped IUs and Group 2 IUs.

I've been part of that program for a couple of months, but haven't been able to get much out of it - part due to the fact I haven't been at an event with my mentor, part because I have not taken the time to discuss issues with him. It is not always easy to put in writing .... Also because there's no program, no syllabus, no specific goals other than the ones you formulate yourself and not much guidance from ISAF. For both me and the mentor.

In the ROC agenda this item drew my attention:

13. CONFLICTS OF INTEREST; (a) Guidelines for the assessments
To discuss the draft guidelines to assess conflicts of interest.

Perhaps you've glanced at RRS 63.4? The new rule is:

63.4 Interested Party.
A member of a protest committee who is an interested party shall not take any further part in the hearing but may appear as a witness.
Protest committee members must declare any possible self-interest as soon as they are aware of it. A party to the hearing who believes a member of the protest committee is an interested party shall object as soon as possible.
(my emphasis)

An issue which has certainly been put in the spotlight by this year's FARR 40 protest in the World Championship.

In all three committee meetings the appointment and re-appointment of Race Officials will be discussed:
- To consider the lists of nominations for appointment as International Judge, International Umpire, International Race Officer and International Measurer.

I'm due next year for my IJ-status, so no nail biting for me this year. But I wish those who are up the best of luck!

If you want to read the full Agendas here are the links:

International Judges Sub-Committee Agenda, meeting today,
International Umpires Sub-Committee Agenda, meeting also today,
Race Officials Committee Agenda. meeting on Monday November 10th.

.

A Lesson in Umpiring

or - Never Flinch in giving a Penalty -

As told to me by an experienced umpire, about what he learned in younger days....

Once upon a time there was a friendly umpire at a nice event. He was enjoying the sailing and had a great time flying his flags.

Because he was in such a good mood, he showed the green and white flag with extra zest and enthusiasm. But if needed, he blew his whistle also extra loud for a blue or yellow penalty if he thought it was an "extra" deserving penalty.

In Flight five, Match two, the two opponents were not very even. Yellow had clearly been doing this a lot longer than Blue and in the second downwind leg had almost an 80% lead.

Our happy umpire was a good hundred meters away from the windward mark, when he saw the boom of the Blue trailing boat, hit the orange Mark.
~Lets give them a break~ he thought, ~they are so far behind, I will pretend I didn't see it, and not penalize them~

Five seconds later the halyard of the spinnaker on the Yellow boat broke with a loud snap and the spinnaker dropped in the water. The boat all but stopped. The crew immediately went to work to clear up the mess.

Blue sailed on and halved the distance.

Yellow - still a good 40 meters away from the finish - struggled to get the wet spi out from under the bow.

Blue found a little extra wind and came closer and closer.

Yellow still moved agonizingly slow.

Our happy Umpire started to worry a bit and he motored closer.

Blue was only ten meters behind Yellow when they finally cleared the spinnaker out of the water and picked up a little more speed.

In the meantime Blue, flying a beautiful red kite themselves, sailed to leeward of Yellow and created an overlap. Our umpire's hart sank when the Race Committee showed a blue flag when the boats crossed the finish line.

The difference was only one meter, the race officer told our umpire after the Match. With a served penalty, Yellow would have had time to finish first...

Happy no longer, our umpire tried to console himself with a promise:
Never will I not give a penalty out of pity or happiness. Hitting a Mark equals a flag. No exceptions.....

The End.

"My marriage is like a fairy tale"
"Every time I come home, there's that Witch sitting on the couch"

www.rizla.nl

Ladies Only | 3

On Sunday 2nd of November we had the final day of the Ladies Only in Hamburg on lake Alster. Together with a couple of 'die-harts' who went sailing on - what we in the Netherlands would call - a "watercold" Sunday, we sailed semi finals and place finals for all the spots.

One of the teams was a last minute replacement for a team that couldn't attend. They eventually sailed for places 5 and 6 and managed to win! Tania, Venita, Laura H. and Laura S., you did very well for a first time team!

Also one of the reasons I mention them, is that as an umpire you come to expect some of the maneuvers boats are going to make. You have to anticipate to be able to be on the correct place to see the rules issues. With new teams that is sometimes a challenge. So the lesson I learned was to keep a greater distance with inexperienced crews. But I'm sure this particular team will be able to learn to do the right moves very fast, if they keep the learning curve up.

The club organizing the event also had a youth regatta the previous day and the young sailor winning the local Opti event, was a very keen student of the rules. He asked permission to join us on the umpire boat, forgoing the price giving. The next day he was back and I had the pleasure to tell him something about umpiring. So on the final day, Oscar, 13 years old, struggling with his first words in English, joined us for a couple of matches.

He still has a good deal to learn but I was impressed by his knowledge and dedication.

And, yes, that is Oscar standing behind me and Stephan in the umpire boat.

I think that particularly this club is doing a very good job teaching young sailors the joy of sailing in all its forms and shapes. The Alster Acts for instance, which will be closed in a fortnight with the 12th event this year, are giving new match racers the chance to learn.

The fact that they manage to do a good job is clearly visible in the winner of the event Team Halbrock, who are members of HSC.

With Silke Hahlbrock as helm and Marion Rommel, Maren Hahlbrock and Nele-Marie Bock as crew, they beat last years winners Team Lethinen from Finland in the finals with two against one. Congratulations!

I've put all the photos on Flickr. You can have a look by clicking on Ladies Only MR 2008 at my account.

Standard Documents for Match Racing 2009-2012

On the ISAF Website two standard documents have been published for Match Racing under the new rules 2009-2012.
Following the publication of the 2009-2012 edition of The Racing Rules of Sailing, the standard Notice of Race and standard Sailing Instructions should be used for all Match Racing events starting after 1 January 2009.

The concept of the standard Notice of Race (NoR) and standard Sailing Instructions (SIs) is that all the well known options have been included to give each event organizer a reasonable degree of freedom. Having selected a particular option the actual NoR and SIs used will remain 'standard' and therefore be well tested and easily recognizable by all involved. As many options have been included the standard may appear to be long. However, when the options that are not required and the comments column are deleted, the length of the SIs for each event is more reasonable.

If your event finds that it needs other options, or that an amendment to the standard is required, please send a proposal to the ISAF for consideration for the next version.

Please remember to read these standards in conjunction with Appendix C - Match Racing Rules. The Standard NoR and SIs should be used together. Duplication of NoR and SI has been used in order that the SIs are complete for each event.

As usual, your comments and suggestions for improving this standard are always welcome.

On a personal note I think that standardization of NOR and SI are a must in Sailing. Nobody wants to study eleven pages before going on the water. Necessary information should be always at the same place in the document and always in a logical order.
These files make it easy to comply.

.

CLASSIC BOAT SHOW 2008

NEWSLETTER CLASSIC BOAT SHOW 2008
From Maritime Heritage to Spirit of Tradition

Classic Boat Show 2008 holds course
Maritime Heritage steers safely through global crisis

While the financial crisis has knocked the wind out of the global market, Thedo Fruithof is calmly finalising the arrangements for the Classic Boat Show from his humble abode in Andijk. Later this week the enormous exhibition hall on the Gependam will be constructed and will host 130 exhibitors and 65 ships during three full days of maritime pleasure from 7 – 9 November 2008.
“This Show is different from all the previous ones,” says the proud MC Fruithof, “For example, the steamer towboat the Rosalie (1873) and the restored Rhine barge Helena (1875) are unique examples of the riveting tradition that can now be applied in polyester."

Upgraded web site
For regular visitors to the web site this is old news, but the Classic Boat Show 2008 offers many new features. The web site provides easy access to all the companies and organizations that you can meet at the Show. The site features a photo gallery of most of the boats that are on display during the Show in Enkhuizen, with full details. The site offers a comprehensive international trade catalogue, but also local information on where to stay and dine, as well as the current weather report. Enjoy the great variety of exhibits as well as the film program, lectures, and meetings and bring your kids to the children’s program. Please do visit the web site for all the attractions and updates to this year’s Classic Boat Show and Maritime Heritage www.klassieke-schepen.nl
For example…
Symposium: New Rules and Regulations for Inland Shipping
A symposium is organised by the Federatie van Oude Nederlandse Vaartuigen (Federation of old Dutch Vessels) about new European and Dutch rules and regulations for inland shipping. The Saturday symposium is open to skippers, ship owners and members of conservation organisations and will meet on the MS Terra Nova.

New York and Henry Hudson 400
In 1609, under the auspices of the Dutch East India Company, Captain Hudson set sail out of Amsterdam on the Half Moon in search of a passage to China. Instead, he discovered the best natural harbour in the world and the island of Manhattan. Shortly after this discovery, New Amsterdam was founded and gradually developed into the world’s capital city, known as New York. Dutch settlers brought with them a deep tradition of enlightenment, tolerance, and acumen which became a hallmark of its new-world colony. The early settlement of New Amsterdam with its multiethnic, dynamic inhabitants mirrors the diverse, cosmopolitan culture for which New York City is revered throughout the world. With a celebration of these noteworthy beginnings, Henry Hudson 400 plans to reinforce the deep ties between these two cultures. In 2009, Henry Hudson 400 will commemorate the legendary voyage with two three-day festivals in both Amsterdam and in New York. A transatlantic sailing race for the larger vessels will connect both cities; about 35 smaller vessels such as botters, tjalks and skûtsjes, will be transported across the ocean in a cargo ship. The Henry Hudson 400 Foundation presents its plans at the Classic Boat Show. www.henryhudson400.com

Sailing is my vocation
The Dutch interest group for professional sailing (BBZ) presents an introductory day on Saturday, November 8th, for people who are interested in working in chartering and yacht building. Various stands provide information, lectures are planned as well as a job market. To get a feel of these professions you can sign on for a journey on the two-master barge Helena that sails from Rotterdam to Enkhuizen and back (see www.rivierzeilen.nl for details).

100 year old Hengst
The mussel-fishing barge Jan Korneel was restored to its original state by the Tolerant Foundation in the Belgian town of Rupelmonde. This authentic oak fishing boat, dating back to 1908, is one of eight remaining originals of its kind, of which thousands sailed the river Schelde only a century ago. The restoration took two years and was supervised by the craftsman Cees Droste. The 100 year old Hengst Jan Korneel was re-launched on September 14th and can be admired at the Classic Boat Show.

Finally
“Enkhuizen is THE place to see all types of historic vessels of any length during this comprehensive and compact boat show. The exhibit is concentrated in one large exhibition hall, bigger than last year”, says organizer Thedo Fruithof, “This historic town, which was once a main harbour of the East-India Company’s fleet, provides a contemporary background. Visitors travelling by train or bus arrive on the spot with the show right next door to the station; and visitors arriving by car can enjoy a wonderful ferry crossing along the historic vessels on show.”

BEURS KLASSIEKE SCHEPEN
ENKHUIZEN
7-9 November 2008
Daily 10:00-18:00 hrs
Fairground next to the NS-Railway Station, Enkhuizen
FREE parking and ferry transport, follow directions on site
Entrance fee: € 10

We look forward to seeing you at Classic Boat Show 2008,
With kind regards,
Thedo Fruithof and Wim de Bruin

LTW Readers Q&A | 12

Due to another Appeals Committee meeting yesterday, which started at seven so I had to leave straight after work, I wasn't able to post. Therefore today the Q&A which was suppose to go on-line yesterday. This one is from Sen from Japan, who has a question about race management and what to write in the SI:

Oct 28th, 2008
My sister yacht club is planning to conduct a big boat regatta. The regatta consists of three inshore races and one offshore race during three days.

There is a problem about the offshore race. The estimated course of the offshore race is as follows;
Race area ----- Pacific Ocean, the Kii Channel to the bay of Osak;
Course configuration ----- Start - Turning point mark – Finish

1. Starting area ----- Place: near the shore, Starting line: between RC boat and a buoy
2. Turning point ----- Place: at the middle of the Kii Channel, Mark: RC boat is set up
3. Finishing area ----- as same as the Start area

Sailing Instructions about the Turning point as follows;

1. The round mark at the middle of the Kii Channel will be a RC boat displaying flag M and shall be left to port.
2. Boats shall leave the round mark within 500 meters distance from the mark.
3. When course is shortened at the mark, the RC boat will display flag S. Boats shall finish the imaginary line which is drawn in zero (0) degrees direction indicated by magnetic compass from the staff displaying flag S on the race committee boat.

Background;

1. At the point of round mark, the depth is very deep and also the tide is strong.
2. It is all the RC boat can anchor at the point and the RC wants to evade to set up the other mark as possible as it can.
3. Case 45

Question; will such SIs follow the RRS?


Sen, I don't think there's anything in the rules which states there must be a 'pin-end' finishing mark. But theoretical it would then be an unending line and - as one of the International Judges I talked to about this, suggested - it could go round the globe and not end until it comes back to the RC boat. Which would make finishing on the other side also correct according to the rules.... Well, that is not something we would want.
I suggest the following amendment to the text in the SI:

3. When course is shortened at the mark, the RC boat will display flag S. The finish line will be a line in zero (0) degrees direction indicated by magnetic compass from the staff displaying flag S on the race committee boat. Boats shall cross this line within a distance of 500 meters from the RC boat, leaving the RC boat to port. This changes RRS 32.2

I've added the last short sentence because of RRS 86.1(b) which prescribes that you may change a racing rule in the SI, but only by referring specifically to it, as well as stating the change.

Any other opinions? Feel free to comment.

.

Australian Judges Seminar Report

Brass send me a report on how the National judges program is doing 'Down Under'. He attended a local judges seminar and Emailed me the following report:


Dear Jos,

I've been away for 6 weeks delivering a boat and sailing in two large regattas in Northern Australia.

Since I've been back I have attended a local judges seminar. The Seminar Preparation series on LTW was extremely helpful, and just at the right time for me. Thanks to LTW I managed to pass the test at the National Judges standard. Now all I have to do is get my assessments and accumulate the experience requirements.

I thought our seminar spent too much time on administration matters noticed that it was much less fast-paced and demanding than the IJ seminars you have described, but it was absolutely terrific to have two IJs spending their weekend trying hard to convey their vast experience and improve your standard.

I guess I have been working up to this for some time. Two years ago I did an Umpires course which was extensive and very good. I have been following LTW and other sailing websites and doing the exercises and solving rules problems pretty regularly.

To prepare myself for the seminar and the test, I took copies of all the quizzes and test material in the LTW downloads directory

http://rrsstudy.blogspot.com/2006/10/download-directory.html

Tests were
a.. ISA 100 Questions.doc
b.. NASS rules Test 2001.pdf
c.. NASS rules Test 2002.pdf
d.. Quick Test.pdf
e.. US SAILING Judges Workshop Study Questions 2003.pdf
f.. US SAILING Judges Workshop Study Questions 2005.pdf
I also used Dave Dellenbaugh's Racing Rules IQ Quiz Speed&Smarts/87_Rules_IQ_Test.pdf

I started by doing the Dave Dellenbaugh Rules IQ Quiz and I scored about 70%.

Looking at where I went wrong, I was able to identify rules areas where I was weak, for example, in my case, because I sail heavy keelboats, I knew next to nothing about rule 42, so I re-studied the rules that I had identified I was unfamiliar with.

I then worked my way through the other tests on LTW, correcting each test, and looking up and ensuring my correct understanding for each question I got wrong.

I did each of the LTW Seminar Preparation problems.

To finish my preparation I did the ISAF 100 Questions Quiz and made about 92%. When I eventually completed the formal Judges Test, I scored about 90% so the ISAF 100 Questions Quiz was a pretty good predictor.

The Australian Judges test consists of 45 short questions in 45 minutes.

Unlike the IQ Quiz, or the ISAF 100 Questions Quiz they are not True/False questions. They are short 'problem' questions, some with diagrams, some without. Each question has three possible answers for candidates to choose from. Unlike the ISAF Quick Test, candidates were not expected to cite rule numbers for every question.

The questions in the ISAF Quick Test were a new type to me. Each question was a 'snapshot' at one instant in time, instead of the more usual position by position build-up to the eventual incident that we usually find in LTW exercises, and each question required candidates to state the rule numbers applicable. I would be interested to know if this is typical of IJ examinations.

All in all a worthwhile seminar and I am looking forward to moving forward with judging.

Brass


Thanks Brass, and congratulations on passing the test!
I don't think the ISAF Quick Test is representative if the questions you would get at an IJ Examination. But I haven't been attending a seminar for a couple of years. The questions I made as preparation posts are my best "guess" at what kind you can expect. Perhaps other recent attendees would like to comment?