U Flag and Black Flag starts and World Sailing case 140 - an issue for Radio Sailing

[John Ball]

The latest World Sailing Case book contains a new case Case 140 which covers an incident on the start line when 30.3 or 30.4 are in effect. However the wording of Appendix E 3.7 prevents radio sailing from applying the benefits covered in Case 140.

I have written a summary of the situation attached, together with a solution which the regatta organiser may apply to fix the problem.

Watching the Youtube feeds for the North American Continental Championship regatta, I noticed that the Black Flag was used for some starts, so this may be timely.

John

Appendix E3.7 and Case 140.pdf

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[Fred Rocha USA 33]

Hi John, thank you for sharing your intentions

So, after reading your proposal

Boat Y fails to keep clear and fault X. X is now on the course side. Race officer, clearly identify X and under RRS E3.7 X shall leave the course, but X decides to "take advantage of Case 140." and sail the course.

Please note Y is being protested by X under RRS12. Y has paid his penalty turn and maybe exonerated. X must win his protest under RRS 2 and or RRS 69 to justify his action of sailing the course to be reward with redress, otherwise his score now instead UFD or BFD shall be DNE

X request redress. Redress should be disallowed because there were not Race Committee error by identifying UFD and or BFD's boats

Not sure what is the ADVANTAGE or the benefits OF CASE 140 and why we want to modify RRS E3.7


Thank you once again

[John Ball]

Hi Fred,
This discussion is not about redress. It is about what is fair and giving the ability to a protest committee to direct the RC to rescore a boat in a race given a set of circumstances. It is a suggestion to the Organising Authority of an event to use their NOR/SI to modify the wording of E3.7.

This started after the 2025-2028 Case Book was published and it contained a new case, Case 140. This case provides an example where a boat is forced over the start line when R 30.3 or 30.4 are in effect. When I read this case, I wrote a question on the judges/umpires forum asking if it could be applied to radio sailing which modifies those rules as worded in Appendix E 3.7. The discussion is here.

https://www.racingrulesofsailing.org/po ... d-case-140

The answer was NO – E3.7 says that having been notified, the boat must leave the sailing area. So while there may be circumstances in Case 140 to exonerate the boat, it would still break E3.7 by not leaving the course. So bottom line – Case 140 cannot be applied to radio sailing with the current wording of E3.7.

I took this to the Racing Rules Committee of the IRSA to see if there is a way to correct the situation. As a result, that committee has recommended a proposal to World Sailing to modify the wording of E3.7 to delete the phrase about leaving the course. However, if accepted, this would not appear in the RRS until the next edition in 2029. As E3.7 is a rule that may be altered as long as it is done via the NOR/SI for an event, the benefit of the proposed change may be available immediately.

In my comments above I used the word ‘fair’. Under R 43.1(a) a boat may be exonerated for breaking a rule if forced by another boat who was breaking a rule. In an example in Case 140 a boat is forced to break R30.3 or 30.4 by another boat pushing them over the line, breaking R12. The RC, seeing the boat over line must score the boat BFD or UFD as appropriate. Case 140 outlines the steps the boat must do to be able to be exonerated and be scored for their finish position. The steps include protesting the offender, and in order to sail the course, return to the preside start of the line and start correctly. Even if the offending boat took a penalty, the protestor must file their protest. The PC must find that the other boat broke a rule and penalise the offender (possibly nullified if she took penalty turns), that she sailed the course as required by R 28, and direct the PC to rescore the race with her actual finish position. Appendix E3.7 is unfair to the affected boat as takes away the ability to apply R 43.

Hope this helps.

John