PART 2


The preamble limits penalization of a non-racing boat, but it does not prevent her from being protested, even when there is no chance of a penalty being imposed. One reason for protesting in these circumstances is if the aggrieved boat has suffered damage that is not serious, but nevertheless precludes her from racing, or hinders her when she does so. Her main concern will be getting redress in the subsequent race(s), and indeed she may be indifferent as to whether the other boat is penalized or not (added to which only the protest committee can decide whether the damage was serious or not). To get redress, a protest is not essential, but a protest hearing will usually ensure the presence of the other boat at the hearing, as a party, from which the protest committee will be more confident of finding facts related to the associated request for redress.


When there is an incident between a boat that is racing under the Racing Rules of Sailing, and a vessel that is not a racing boat, then no protest between them is possible. However, the race committee or another racing boat can protest the boat in the event if they believe she did not accord the other boat her IRPCAS rights, and she can be penalized under the appropriate IRPCAS rules. On the other hand, if a racing boat has been physically damaged by a non-racing vessel, in breach of a rule of the IRPCAS, redress is possible, since rule 62.1(b) foresees redress being given ‘because of the action of…a vessel not racing that was required to keep clear’1


. The following table looks at various situations to which the preamble to Part 2 may apply.


Are the


boats sailing in or near the


racing area?


Yes At the


time of the incident, are they


(a) intending to race or having raced, or (b) racing?


They are both racing (so this is the most common situation)


Yes At that


moment one of them is intending to race, or has been racing, but is not racing.


The other is racing.


Which


rules apply between them for navigation?


Can each protest the other?


Can one or both be penalized?


Is redress under RRS 62.1(b) available when damage or injury caused by one affects the other’s score or place?


The rules of Part 2 of the Racing Rules of Sailing


The rules of Part 2 of the Racing Rules of Sailing


Yes, in the normal way


Yes, in the normal way


Yes, in the normal way


Yes, for breaking a rule of the Racing Rules of Sailing


The boat that was racing can be penalized in the normal way for breaking a racing rule.


The boat that was not racing can be penalized only (a) if she broke rule 14, Avoiding Contact, and the incident resulted in injury or serious damage; or (b) if, under rule 24.1, she interfered with the other boat when it was reasonably possible for her to avoid doing so. Under rule 64.1, the penalty will apply to the race sailed nearest in time to the incident.


Yes, whether or not there is a protest. (A protest will help find facts to assist a redress claim.) For the boat not racing, the damage (not necessarily serious) or injury would have to affect her regarding the next race(s), and the redress under rule 62.1(b), would be applied to the next race(s).


1 See the different meanings of ‘boat’ and ‘vessel’ in the Introduction: Terminology. While the IRPCAS use as ‘keep out of the way of’ rather than ‘keep clear’, ‘the RYA judges these terms to be synonymous.’ (RYA 2004/2). See also WS 109, Q&A4 below. In RYA 2002/14 below, a race committee vessel was ‘a vessel that was not…’


32 RYA The Racing Rules Explained


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