Forum: The Racing Rules of Sailing
Becalmed pre-start in match race
Eric Meyn
Nationality: United States
0
Match race. Winds are very light. Boats required to enter the pre-start area between 4 minute and 2 minute signals from the area outside a line 90 degrees to their respective ends of the start line.
One pre-start area has enough winds to move and tack. The other (pin end) has zero wind and that boat is completely stopped and unable to move.
The RC continues the start sequence and allows the race to commence. The port end boat is becalmed for another 2 minutes while the SB end boat sails up the course and runs away with the race.
So the obvious thing to me is that the RC should never have started the race. The real question is, what options does the port end boat have? Redress?
This excerpt of the RRS seems to indicate we could request redress:
62 REDRESS
62.1 A request for redress or a protest committee’s decision to consider
redress shall be based on a claim or possibility that a boat’s score or
place in a race or series has been or may be, through no fault of her
own, made significantly worse by
(a) an improper action or omission of the race committee, protest
committee, organizing authority or technical committee for the
event, but not by a protest committee decision when the boat
was a party to the hearing;
One pre-start area has enough winds to move and tack. The other (pin end) has zero wind and that boat is completely stopped and unable to move.
The RC continues the start sequence and allows the race to commence. The port end boat is becalmed for another 2 minutes while the SB end boat sails up the course and runs away with the race.
So the obvious thing to me is that the RC should never have started the race. The real question is, what options does the port end boat have? Redress?
This excerpt of the RRS seems to indicate we could request redress:
62 REDRESS
62.1 A request for redress or a protest committee’s decision to consider
redress shall be based on a claim or possibility that a boat’s score or
place in a race or series has been or may be, through no fault of her
own, made significantly worse by
(a) an improper action or omission of the race committee, protest
committee, organizing authority or technical committee for the
event, but not by a protest committee decision when the boat
was a party to the hearing;
Comments
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Seems what you describe is a 'circumstance that arose while she was racing' ... so a boat in a match must indicate her desire to request redress at the time by displaying a red flag.
On redress, RRS 32.1 is not changed by Appx C. An RC "may" abandon a race. IMO, the absence of a "shall" in RRS 32.1 means that it is at the discretion of the RC. Therefore, it is not an omission on the part of the RC when they did not "abandon". Nor is it a procedural "error". That is unless there are "conditions" set for the event wherein minimum/maximum wind strengths are indicated for the race. If an RC did not follow such conditions, then that is ann error-claim a boat can make.
Within the confines of RRS 90.3(e) .. (if it is applicable) .. an RC may abandon the race after some or all of the boats have finished, based on their determination of RRS 32.1(d). This is also supported by US100. But note that this does not require a request for redress with the claim that the RC had an error or omission. I think a competitor could take their case directly to the RC and ask them to consider abandoning the race based upon the RC's own information and records.
That said, though its not obvious to me how such request for redress could be successful (in that a PC would direct the RC to abandon the race based on the facts presented), an R4R hearing would be a venue through which a boat could bring forth their information, and request to abandon based on "fairness", in a more formal setting (and where the other interested parties could also provide their input in to the events). Even though not directed to do so by a PC, an RC might decide on their own to abandon the race based on fairness under 32.1(d).
In order to prevent this in the future, suggest that the OA set wind conditions for the event either in a 'conditions' doc or in the NOR or SI.
I'm interested in other's thoughts.
(a) At the preparatory signal, either boat does not make enough progress to be able to fulfil the entry requirements,
(b) In the pre-start, boats are unable to circle and maintain steerage,
The port boat should have immediately flown a red flag and asked for redress.
https://www.racingrulesofsailing.org/cases/1838?page=6