WHAT’S NEW? What’s New?


Here are 93 significant changes in the 2017 Racing Rules of Sailing. These will then be considered in detail under the rules concerned. The changes affect boats that are racing as well as organizing authorities, race committees, officials and even supporters.


Race Signals There are now five possible preparatory signals that a race officer can choose from, including the U Flag procedure, which has been promoted from an optional sailing instruction to a rule in its own right.


Introduction


The meanings of words and terms are now tabulated for greater clarity. Appearing for the first time is the term Technical Committee, reflecting the enhanced recognition in later rules of the Inspection and Measurement functions.


The notation ‘[DP]’ means that the penalty for breaking a rule, as defined, can be less than disqualification if the protest committee so decides. (The notation does not appear against any racing rule, where any standard option of a discretionary penalty is fully stated – the rule where the notation might be used will normally be a clause in the notice of race or the sailing instructions, as a policy decision of the organizing authority or the race committee.)


The six World Sailing codes that interact with the racing rules are tabulated.


DEFINITIONS There is now a definition Conflict of Interest that replaces the definition Interested Party, and the concept now includes ‘perception’ of an inability to be impartial for a personal or financial reason.


The definition Party now includes: • a technical committee when it is exercising its new right to protest directly • a person presenting an allegation under rule 69, Misconduct • a ‘Support Person’ who is the subject of a hearing.


The definition Rule now includes the World Sailing Regulations comprising the Betting and Anti-Corruption Code and the Disciplinary Code. The identification of a national authority prescription as a rule foresees that when national authorities permit their prescriptions to be changed (some do not), rule 88.2 now says that the change can be made in the notice of race as well as in the sailing instructions


Now that the racing rules grant themselves enhanced powers to act against misbehaviour by supporters of competitors, there is a new wide-ranging definition Support Person.


FUNDAMENTAL RULES Rule 2, Fair Sailing


It is no longer compulsory for a protest committee to give a non-excludable penalty (DNE) when rule 2 is found to have been broken. Instead, a conventional excludable disqualification (DSQ) can be given, as if it were for a breach of any other rule.


Rule 3, Acceptance of the Rules


This now binds Support Persons to accept the rules, and competitors and owners are deemed to agree that their Support Persons are aware of the rules and are bound by them. There is a new over-arching obligation on the person in charge of a boat to ensure that the crew and the boat’s owner are aware of their responsibilities under this rule.


6 RYA The Racing Rules Explained


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