Basic Sailboat Racing Rules

[Tim C350 April IV]

Saw this in Scuttlebutt today and thought it was well worth sharing:

"If we want to encourage new people to try racing, we have to nurture them along by keeping it as simple as possible. A project we've been working on this winter for a Friday evening social JAM fleet here in Milwaukee, WI is creating a "Basic Rules that Every Racer Should Know" document. It covers only the most basic terms and situations and was created to encourage a bit of confidence in anyone thinking about trying their first race. It uses plain language descriptions, simple diagrams, and is designed to make sure anyone willing to try racing can have fun and be safe. We are requiring every skipper to read and sign it this season before racing. It's far from perfect, but it's a good start and I'm sure it will be refined as we go along.

Think of it this way. If a novice racer unknowingly gets into a situation that leads a veteran racer to rightfully start shouting rules at him, do you think they are coming back for another race? My guess is no. Nobody wants to feel embarrassed by their lack of knowledge. It should be the responsibility of all social fleet organizers to offer a little basic rules knowledge to anyone willing to try racing. Remember the first time you played baseball? I'm sure your Little League coach pointed towards first base and told you to run after the first time you hit the ball. I'm also sure he didn't reference rule A, appendix B of the baseball rule book. - K.I.S.S.."

Here is the 'Basic Rules that Every Racer Should Know' document: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0309

I printed a copy and intend to bring it down to the boat to at least have something to point at when I'm explaining to my Friday Night "Beer and Sailboat Racing Crew" why that boat isn't going to hit us.......

Good Luck!
Tim Brogan
April IV C350 #68
Seattle

 

[Maine Sail]

The one..

The one that always get us is the rabbit start as it seems all clubs do it somewhat differently?

During the summer race season rabbits are not an issue, because we have a committee boat, but as the fall season starts we sometimes don't have a committee boat and a forced to rabbit start..

Those are a well laid out set of rules..

 

[Ron20324]

I always thought sailboat races should have a LeMans start- with sails down.

 

[Andy1237]

Lemans start-sails AND anchor down. I know a club that did a two day fun race with an overnight anchorage. The 2nd start was from anchors down-sails could be up or down-depending on how well you set the anchor the night before. Usually a very interesting start to a fun day.

 

[Tim R.]

Great idea Tim. We are always trying to get new blood. We do this by having new skippers crew on an experienced boat so they can see how relaxed we are. We have 2 throw-outs for the season so they can still join and be competitive. There is always some yelling on the water but we all meet for dinner afterwards to exchange ideas and strategies. Every crew takes turns feeding the fleet each week.

A related question: If I am going downwind but 5° off the wind with the wind coming over my port side and my main sail(wing on wing) full off the port side am I on P or S tack?

 

[Joe23455]

Racing

Tim, thank you for the informatin, I am interested in giving racing a go this
summer, and I love simple explanations.

 

[Nereussailor]

Tim, If the wind is coming over your port side, and your main sail is off the starboard side, you're on a port tack, it doesn't make a difference if you're going upwind or downwind, and the headsail doesn't figure into the equation.

 

[Alan]

Tim, to answer your question. Sailing with your boom on port with the breeze 5* off your port quarter means you are sailing on Starboard tack and sailing 'by the lee'. The tack you are on is purely a function of which side your boom is on, nothing else.

 

[Tim R.]

Thanks guys. I knew the answer to this but the wording in the rules talks about which way the wind is blowing relative to the boat and this confuses many newbies. My crew knows when sailing WoW to set main to port(starboard tack). We also set the main to port(and hold it there) when the wind dies so if we drift near another boat it may force them to start the engine and move out of our way.

Also be aware that the rules have changed this year.

 

[Dan Johnson]

By "Rabbit Start"...

are you guys referring to taking your handicap time at the start of a race over a point-to-point course?

 

[Tim R.]

Nope. A rabbit start is a technique used to start a race when no committee boat is available to act as one end of the line and also enforce the starting rules. A government mark is usually used for the one end of the rabbit start and a participant volunteer is the rabiit that forms the start line while sailing.

 

[higgs]

Good link, Tim. Thank you.

 

[Paul J. Rusyniak]

Tim...

That is a nice link - THANKS!!!

I'm not a racer but frequently have to sail near or through an active course to get out of or back into our marina. I just wait for a clearing and get through as quickly as possible.

If I'm flying our National Ensign, do the racers take this as a sign that I'm not a racer?

Paul

 

[Nereussailor]

I found this, maybe this will explain it a little clearer.

The "rules of the road" for ships and boats declare that when the courses of two sailing vessels converge, the vessel on port tack must give way to a vessel on starboard tack . For this purpose, port and starboard tack include any position with the wind to that side, whether moving upwind or downwind. If a vessel is fore-and-aft-rigged, the actual wind position is overridden by the position of the boom (the mainsail boom in a vessel with multiple masts), which is assumed to be on the side opposite the wind, even if the vessel is running straight downwind or is in the act of tacking; that is, if the boom is to port the vessel is on starboard tack, and vice versa. There are exceptions to the requirement to give way: in particular, if the vessel on port tack does not have sea-room to tack or maneuver out of the way.

 

[Maine Sail]

When I...

A related question: If I am going downwind but 5° off the wind with the wind coming over my port side and my main sail(wing on wing) full off the port side am I on P or S tack?

When I first read this I was thinking, "Tim knows the answer to this as we flip the boom to our advantage often".

Now I realize he was bringing this up as a good conversation piece and point of clarification. This can be tricky if you are not totally versed on the rules but the boom location is the deciding factor above actual wind location. This is likely because the boom location is far easier to see and read, and take stand on/stand off status from.

Here's a tougher one:

On a Schooner which boom determines port or stbd tack if they are running down wind with both booms wing/wing?

 

[Tim C350 April IV]

Paul J - I'd be fairly certain that flying your flag isn't going to clue anyone in that you aren't involved in the racing. Better course of action is to either avoid the area if possible or practical, or make early and obvious movements that show that while you intend to transit the area, you also don't want to interfere with boats racing.

Good Luck!
Tim Brogan
April IV C350 #68
Seattle

 

[SceptreSailor]

Thanks for the Link, it is awesome!

 

[Richard Bryer]

Flying an ensign should alert racers to the fact that you are not racing- it does in our corner of the lake anyway.
Typically off shore racers will be flying a code flag or a number pennant to indicate their start but no ensign or other flag. On our weekday night around the cans races we don't fly any flag. An ensign is always taken as a sign that the boat is a cruiser.

 

[Ron20324]

In the Annapolis harbor, the river, and the bay, there can be 5 different races going on at the same time. And then there's the visiting minesweepers and submarines to avoid. On one cruise we observed the guided missles and wondered about a terrorist hijack. One guy said, not to worry- the missles were pointed at Baltimore.

 

[Todd Smith]

Steal their air

Just remember to cross them as close as possible upwind.