Protest flag setup.

JRacer · Aug 9, 2018

Yes, that is workable. Protest as little as possible - other things to do after the races than spend time in the room! My experiences: Most times, ethical competitors will acknowledge your call out and do their penalty. Protest to the room generally only necessary when the facts or rules are up in the air and neither skipper wants to acknowledge the foul and accept a penalty until the interpretation is cleared up. I always had mine on the backstay and could easily reach it and pull it from the helm. If the other guy takes his penalty, you generally don't need to leave the flag flying - unless the SI's say you do. I always made a point either way of informing the RC when we finished that the flag is up and details or that we had a protest and the information on the competitor that took his penalty - avoids other boats taking issue with a potential foul and unfiled protest later on. Suggest you look at the RRS section on protests.

Parsons · Aug 9, 2018

It's all in the Rules - Part 5 PROTESTS, REDRESS, HEARINGS, MISCONDUCT AND APPEALS
61.1 Informing the Protestee (a) A boat intending to protest shall inform the other boat at the first reasonable opportunity. When her protest will concern an incident in the racing area that she was involved in or saw, she shall hail ‘Protest’ and conspicuously display a red flag at the first reasonable opportunity for each. She shall display the flag until she is no longer racing. However, (1) if the other boat is beyond hailing distance, the protesting boat need not hail but she shall inform the other boat at the first reasonable opportunity; (2) if the hull length of the protesting boat is less than 6 metres, she need not display a red flag; (3) if the incident was an error by the other boat in sailing the course, she need not hail or display a red flag but she shall inform the other boat either before or at the first reasonable opportunity after the other boat finishes;

Since you're over 6 meters (19 feet or so), you will need to display a flag until you stop racing, regardless of the action of the other boat. I've been on a boat that had their protest questioned, but not disqualified, because they hailed and shouted and radioed, but did not have a flag on board. That pull-out one looks cool, and probably could be mounted anywhere. Rules don't say you need to have a flag of a certain size or type, and the boat I described above now uses a red handkerchief with a clothes pin in silent protest of the silliness of the rule!

http://www.sailing.org/tools/documents/WorldSailingRRS20172020new-[24067].pdf

Meriachee · Aug 9, 2018

The pull out one has been displayed on the mooring when there is no more beer. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem to get the desired reaction.

cb32863 · Aug 10, 2018

I have that exact pull out flag tied to my back stay. Will do just fine.

Jackdaw · Aug 10, 2018

We’ve used that flag for years. You can see it below our class flag in the pic below. The key it to mount it somewhere where you deploy it without delay.

You have to remember that the only people that want to be in the the protest room less than you are the protest committee. Due to this, the first thing that happens in a protest hearing is checking the validity of the protest. RSS say you must display the flag ‘at the first reasonable opportunity ’. Go down stairs to rummage for it? You get dismissed without a hearing.

Our club used to hear almost 100 protests a year. That’s a lot. We changed our SIs to allow for 1 turn for a section2 violations away from marks or starts. USsailing actually recommends this. Hearings dropped 80%.

We pull ours if we see the other boat clear. I know the RSS says leave it up. But it gives our RC one less thing to do at the finish (asking us about the protest). Lets the other boat know we saw them clear, and it gets us ready for another close encounter! ;^)

Protest flag setup.

glaufman

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JRacer

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Parsons

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glaufman

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Meriachee

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cb32863

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Jackdaw

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glaufman

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