RRS 2009-2012

We tak a look at the latest Racing Rules of Sailing from ISAF

Last week a new incarnation of the Racing Rules of Sailing was officially released by ISAF, due to come into effect from 1 January 2009 and running until 31 December 2012. As most will know, ISAF updates the rules every four years so this was expected. This is always a controversial area of the sport and rule changes vary between being slight tweaks to wording – as in the 2005-2008 version – and full revisions as was the case for the 1996-2000 set.

This year sees much of the usual tweaking with rules such as the change throughout from ‘personal buoyancy’ to ‘personal flotation device’. There are a number of these slight changes that have all but no effect on the sport for most sailors. However, there are also a couple of areas in the rulebook that have seen a total overhaul.

The change likely to see the biggest effect out on the water is the total revision of rule 18. The most important parts of this rule are 18.1 ‘when this rule applies’ – now called ‘When rule 18 applies’ and 18.2 ‘Giving room; keeping clear’ – now ‘Giving mark room’. Specifically the rule used to be worded thus:

18.1 When This Rule Applies

Rule 18 applies when boats are about to round or pass a mark they are required to leave on the same side, or an obstruction on the same side, until they have passed it. However, it does not apply

(a) at a starting mark surrounded by navigable water or at its anchor line from the time the boats are approaching them to start until they have passed them, or

(b) while the boats are on opposite tacks, either on a beat to windward or when the proper course for one of them, but not both, to round or pass the mark or obstruction is to tack.

18.2 Giving Room; Keeping Clear

(a) OVERLAPPED – BASIC RULE

When boats are overlapped the outside boat shall give the inside boat room to round or pass the mark or obstruction, and if the inside boat has right of way the outside boat shall also keep clear. Other parts of rule 18 contain exceptions to this rule.

(b) OVERLAPPED AT THE ZONE

If boats were overlapped before either of them reached the two length zone and the overlap is broken after one of them has reached it, the boat that was on the outside shall continue to give the other boat room. If the outside boat becomes clear astern or overlapped inside the other boat, she is not entitled to room and shall keep clear.

(c) NOT OVERLAPPED AT THE ZONE

If a boat was clear ahead at the time she reached the two length zone, the boat clear astern shall thereafter keep clear. If the boat clear astern becomes overlapped outside the other boat, she shall also give the inside boat room. If the boat clear astern becomes overlapped inside the other boat, she is not entitled to room. If the boat that was clear ahead passes head to wind, rule 18.2(c) no longer applies and remains inapplicable.

(d) CHANGING COURSE TO ROUND OR PASS

When after the starting signal rule 18 applies between two boats and the right-of-way boat is changing course to round or pass a mark, rule 16 does not apply between her and the other
boat.

(e) OVERLAP RIGHTS

If there is reasonable doubt that a boat obtained or broke an overlap in time, it shall be presumed that she did not. If the

Essentially the main focus here is the statement that rule 18 applies when boats are ‘about to round or pass’ a mark or obstruction. This wording early on in the rule means, although there are the specific lock in moments to the rule, such as 18.2 which gives details of the two boat length zone and how the rule is applied in various overlapped/non overlapped situations, there is significant ambiguity. By way of example, sailing a 49er in 25 knots of breeze would mean beginning to drop the spinnaker, in all likelihood, outside of the two length zone due to the speed of the boat. Clearly one could argue in this situation they were ‘about to round’ in spite of the fact they were outside the two length zone. The problem here is the ambiguity of whether someone is about to round or not. In large part it is because of this, that the wording in the new version of the rule has been changed. Rules 18.1 and 18.2 now read:

18 AT A MARK-ROOM

18.1 When Rule 18 Applies

Rule 18 applies between boats when they are required to leave a mark on the same side and at east one of them is in the zone. However, it does not apply

(a) Between boats on opposite tacks on a beat to windward,

(b) Between boats on opposite tacks when the proper course at the mark for one but not both of them is to tack,

(c) Between a boat approaching a mark and one leaving it, or

(d) If the mark is a continuing obstruction, in which case rule 19 applies.

18.2 Giving Mark-Room

(a) When boats are overlapped the outside boat shall give the inside boat mark-room, unless rule 18.2(b) applies.

(b) If boats are overlapped when the first of them reaches the zone, the outside boat at that moment shall thereafter give the inside boat mark-room. If a boat is clear ahead when she reaches the zone, the boat clear astern at that moment shall thereafter give her mark-room.

(c) When a boat is required to give mark-room by rule 18.2(b), she shall continue to do so even if later an overlap is broken or a new overlap begins. However, if either boat passes head to wind or if the boat entitled to mark-room leaves the zone, rule 18.2(b) ceases to apply.

(d) If there is reasonable doubt that a boat obtained or broke an overlap in time, it shall be presumed that she did not.

(e) If a boat obtained an inside overlap from clear astern and, from the time the overlap began, the outside boat has been unable to give mark-room, she is not required to give it.

It is clear to see this re-wording of the rule offers a much tighter context for mark rounding and provides less confusion than previously. Specifically, the lock in contexts of rule,18.2, have been tightened up and the whole system seems much clearer.

However, where in the old rule there was a great deal of ambiguity in the words ‘about to round’ this ambiguity did have its uses. Significantly in the past years as boat technology has improved, so the speed of the boats being raced, both in the dinghy and keelboat world, has increased impressively. As discussed with the earlier example of a 49er in 25 knots of wind, a modern, high performance boat will often start procedures to round a mark well before the two length zone begins to take effect. The old ‘about to round’ statement was useful because of the very ambiguity it provided, essentially allowing one single set of rules to cover everything from the fastest to the slowest boats without having to adapt any wordings or concepts.

Most will have noticed where in the old version of rule 18 the ‘two length zone’ is referred to, in the newest version the word ‘zone’ is used in it’s place. 'Zone' is defined in the new rules as three boat lengths and so the standard distance from a mark that rule 18 applies will from now on be three boat lengths not two. However, under rule 86 ‘changes to the racing instructions’ there is an addition to 86.1 (b) that reads:

…However, the sailing instructions may change to ‘two’ or ‘four’ the number of hull lengths determining the zone around marks, provided that the number is the same for all marks and all boats using those marks. If the sailing instructions change a rule or that definition, they shall refer specifically to the rule or definition and state the change.

This is the attempt to make allowances for faster and slower boats using the same rules, allowing the distance that rule 18 comes into effect to be changeable from regatta to regatta. Of course this, in itself, does provide some ambiguity as it may well be hard for many sailors to judge the difference between two or four boat lengths, specifically if they are changing from championship to championship.

It is also worth noting that now the point at which rule 18 switches on is now much more rigid. This means as soon as two boats enter the zone overlapped, the outside boat needs to be giving room to the inside boat at that exact moment. In effect this should increase the distance at which crews need to take avoiding action to ensure they are not breaking rule 18 as soon as they enter the zone.

There has also been a tightening of the part of the rule that covers when rule 18 ceases to apply. Rule 18.2 (c) now gives two specific examples, when either boat passes head to wind or if the boat entitled to mark room leaves the zone. This should clear up some of the confusion that has existed in the past as to when boats ‘have passed’ the mark, as it was worded in the previous rules.

Although rule 18 is the biggest modification to the new rule set, there are a few more changes that caught our eye when going through the latest release. Specifically, we were interested to note a change in rule, 42.3, exceptions to the propulsion rule there is now a section (42.3 (h)) that gives sailing instructions the right to allow propulsion using an engine or any other method in stated circumstances, provided the boat does not gain a significant advantage in the race.

To see the full revisions to the Racing Rules of Sailing click here. To send in your comments on the new rules please send comments to batmail@thedailysail.com.