Rule 49, Crew Position; Lifelines
Rule 55.3(a), Setting and Sheeting Sails: Sheeting Sails

A competitor may hold a sheet outboard.

Question

Is it permissible for a competitor to hold the sheet of a headsail or spinnaker outboard?

Answer

Rule 55.3 states ‘No sail shall be sheeted over or through any device that exerts outward pressure on a sheet . . . .’ No part of a person’s body is a ‘device’. It is therefore permissible for a competitor to hold a sheet outboard, provided that rule 49 is complied with.

GBR 1962/41