World Sailing would like to draw your attention to recent developments with the Racing Rules of Sailing, including important decisions made at the 2017 Annual Conference.

This information is being circulated to all MNAs, World Sailing Classes and World Sailing Race Officials.

MNAs are requested to ensure it is sent to all relevant contacts with their countries, including race officials without an international qualification.

Urgent Rule Changes

Having reviewed the implementation of the new rules concerning support persons in the 2017 – 2020 Racing Rules of Sailing, World Sailing has made a number of urgent rule changes following feedback from MNAs and race officials.

These urgent rule changes affect the following rules: Definition , rules and . There is also a new rule .

These rule changes will come into effect on 1 January 2018.

In Definitions, change (e) to:
(e) a support person subject to a hearing under rule (d) or ; any boat that person supports; a person appointed to present an allegation under rule (d).

Change rule to:
63.1 Requirement for a Hearing
A boat or competitor shall not be penalized without a protest hearing, except as provided in rules , , , (d), (b), , , and . A decision on redress shall not be made without a hearing. The protest committee shall hear all protests and requests for redress that have been delivered to the race office unless it allows a protest or request to be withdrawn.

Add new rule :
63.9 Hearings under Rule (d) – Support Persons
If the protest committee decides to call a hearing under rule (d), it shall promptly follow the procedures in rules , , and , except that the information given to the parties shall be details of the alleged breach and a person may be appointed by the protest committee to present the allegation.

Change rule to:
64.4 Decisions Concerning Support Persons

1. When the protest committee decides that a support person who is a party to a hearing under rule (d) or has broken a rule, it may
   1. issue a warning,
   2. exclude the person from the event or venue or remove any privileges or benefits, or
   3. take other action within its jurisdiction as provided by the rules.
2. The protest committee may also penalize a boat that is a party to a hearing under rule (d) or for the breach of a rule by a support person by changing the boat’s score in a single race, up to and including DSQ, when the protest committee decides that
   1. the boat may have gained a competitive advantage as the result of the breach by the support person, or
   2. the support person committed a further breach after the protest committee warned the boat in writing, following a previous hearing, that a penalty may be imposed.