Section P - Protests and Penalties

RS CALL P8

Rule E5.1(c), Observers
Rule E6.4, Informing the Race Committee
Rule E6.5, Time Limits

Unless otherwise specified in the sailing instructions, for the purposes of RRS E5.1(c), RRS E6.4 and RRS E6.5, ‘race committee’ refers to any person performing a race committee function.

Question

In RRS E6.4 a boat intending to protest or request redress about an incident in the racing area or control area shall inform the race committee as soon as possible after finishing or retiring.

In RRS E6.5 a protest, request for redress or request for reopening shall be delivered to the race committee.

In RRS E5.1(c) observers shall report to the race committee all unresolved incidents, and any failure to 'sail the course' as defined.

Who are the race committee?

Answer 1

In the Racing Rules of Sailing the term 'race committee ' means 'the race committee appointed under rule 89.2(c) and any other person or committee performing a race committee function' (see 'Terminology').

Race committee functions include all aspects of managing, running and scoring of racing. This includes, for instance: race officer and assistants; recording officers and secretaries; mark layers and patrol boat operators; beach master or marshalling officer; heat board managers; scorer and assistants.

Unless otherwise specified in the sailing instructions, for the purposes of RRS E5.1(c), RRS E6.4 and RRS E6.5, ‘race committee’ refers to any person performing one of these functions.

It is recommended that the sailing instructions state a precise location at which the race committee can be found. A place is definitive, a person might be anywhere. Failure to do so may be considered an omission of the race committee (as rule 62.1(a)) if, for example, a protest is found out of time and the competitor alleges that it was correctly delivered to an assistant in the office.

New call January 2021