Cheats could prosper in Fastnet

RORC's refusal to lift rules against moveable ballast is coming under fire, writes Lynsey Thomas

Cheats could prosper in the Fastnet Race this summer unless the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) changes its stance on moveable ballast. Top-level racers have been lobbying RORC over changing the rule for the Admiral's Cup, but now the event has been cancelled it has become less of an issue. Competitors in the Fastnet, however, will not be so keen to give up the fight.
madforsailing has been investigating the rationale behind the rule and has been asking RORC how it intends to police it for racing in the future.

Mark Heeley, owner of new Farr 40 GBR 25, had been in correspondence with the Royal Ocean Racing Club since October 2000 to try and solve the predicament, and it emerged that RORC had more than one reservation about rethinking the rules. The trouble begins with the rule itself, Rule 51 on Moveable Ballast, which states: "All moveable ballast shall be properly stowed, and dead weight or ballast shall not be moved for the purpose of changing trim or stability. Floor boards, bulk heads, doors, stairs and water tanks shall be left in place and all cabin fixtures kept onboard."

The rule itself seems simple enough to follow, the trouble begins when a crew is sent below to "tidy". This produces the ideal opportunity to take advantage of the rule, thus resulting in an action that is not only going to significantly increase the speed of the boat but is also impossible to police and prove. Crews are left facing the dilemma that he who cheats the most could potentially win. Heeley says: "The trouble is, not only is it impossible to police but it's also impossible to prove. Nobody is ever prepared to protest and we are all left facing the awful moral dilemma of "playing with the greyness". In my opinion it is a deeply unhealthy and unfair way of running the racing."

For some racing however the rule has been written out altogether. The Volvo and the Vendee allow their boats to stack the rail and it is an accepted part of the racing. The TV coverage of Ellen MacArthur showed her shifting all of her kit after each tack to help her gain the optimum speed and performance, a process that sometimes took over half an hour.

RORC's main concern for altering the rule for different classes in different races is: "Where do you draw the line?" RORC's ratings officer Mike Urwin says: "As it stands and provided it is enforced we have a rule which is the same for everybody, so why bother to delete it when you are only going to be imposing a further manual job for the crew?" He goes on: "By changing the rule to allow people to shift the weight we would be taking the emphasis off sailing and making it into a game of furniture removal.

"For inshore racing there is precious little to be gained. The real gain, if any, would be in offshore racing, however in this day and age the amount of spare kit a boat will require is minimal and sails don't weigh very much at all. If however crews are competing at a professional level it is completely unacceptable that they behave unprofessionally."

Kevin Sproul of Hyde Sails disagrees. He is convinced about the significant differences in speed that can be gained between stacking and not stacking. Recalling his experiences of last year's Tour Voile, in which he finished third aboard Tony Buckingham's Mumm 30 Easy Oars, the sailmaker comments: "The differences in speed are incredible. Stacking the rail on an upwind leg in a Mumm 30 will increase the boat speed by .3 to .4 knots, whereas downwind in 20 knots of breeze stacking the rail will add 3 to 4 knots to the speed.

"The non-stacking rule is a rule that has been abused for years and with the era of the one design dawning upon us it doesn't take much brain power to know why a boat has suddenly started to pull away form the pack."

So how does RORC intend to police racing in the future, for example during the Fastnet? Urwin responds: "At the end of a race an inspector will call that all crew are to remain on deck whilst the inspector boards the boat and checks below. If there is absolute chaos, which there generally is in any offshore racing, then there is no problem. If however an inspector boards and finds everything stacked up to the side then action will be taken." This seems fine in theory but what stops someone going below to cause "chaos" 15 minutes before the end of a race? Is there a solution whereby a rule can be altered for a particular race that ensures no one is able to cheat, and everyone is confident that they can get on with their sailing on that all important 'level playing field'?

Both Sproul and Heeley argue that the rules that were used during the Tour Voile offer a perfect solution to the weight stacking issue. Sproul explains: "The rules allowed the boats to stack the weight but the amount of kit allowed onboard was restricted and weighed both before and after the racing. The anchor and the life raft were not allowed to be moved and held in place with an anti-tampering tape. The rule worked beautifully and was not in any way open to abuse, it was an absolute breath of fresh air to be able to get on with our sailing and not worry about anyone having an unfair advantage."

Surely a rule that is so open to abuse has to be looked at in a sport where competition is fierce, and any small advantage can make all the difference?