Forum: The Racing Rules of Sailing
Redress for how many races??
P
Niko KotsatosCertifications:
- Judge In Training
0
In the 4th race of a 6 race regatta, Boats A and B make contact and the Boat A helm gets hit in the head and claims being stunned and mentally foggy. Boat A finishes the race and Boat B RAF's, acknowledging breaking a non-exonerated rule vs Boat A. Boat A does not race in the next 2 races. Boat A receives redress for the race during which they were hit in the head.
Q1: Should/could Boat A have also requested redress from the remaining races?
Q2: What questions should be asked by the jury to determine whether the redress is appropriate for races 5 and 6?
Q1: Should/could Boat A have also requested redress from the remaining races?
Q2: What questions should be asked by the jury to determine whether the redress is appropriate for races 5 and 6?
Comments
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RRS 60.1(b) A boat may request redress.
Whether she is entitled to redress and if so what the redress should be is a different question.
RRS 62.1(b) says
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 ... injury or physical damage because of the action of a boat that was breaking a rule of Part 2 and took an appropriate penalty or was penalized
A boat that is prevented from finishing a race by injury or damage caused by another boat in accordance with that rule will usually be given redress.
In this case Boat A finished Race 4, but did not finish Races 5 and 6.
The question the protest committee needs to resolve is whether the injury to the boat's skipper prevented her from competing in Races 5 and 6.
If it was possible for Boat A to compete in Races 5 and 6 but she chose not to, then her DNC scores in those races are through fault of her own and she is not entitled to redress.
If Boat A had raced in Races 5 and 6, then the protest committee would be able to compare her performance in those races with her performance in Races 1, 2, 3, and 4, and form a conclusion whether her performance was significantly worse: if it was, she may be entitled to redress, but if it wasn't, her place or score has not been made significantly worse and she is not entitled to redress.
The protest committee may consider the frank severity of the injury: if the skipper staggers into the protest hearing, head swathed in bloodstained bandages, and bumping into furniture, he or she may be entitled to either an Oscar or redress. The skipper may be able to producce medical evidence, or a certificate stating the degree of impairment.
The fact that Boat A finished Race 4 does not necessarily prove that she could have competed in Races 5 and 6. It may be that the skipper, after finishing, received medical treatment and advice not to race in those races.
The inability of the skipper to race may or may not be reason enough to preveent the boat from racing. In a small dinghy to absence of the skipper may be quite sufficient reason for not racing while in a larger keelboat, it may reasonably expected that replacement crew can be found and the boat remains capable of racing.
So with this in mind you cannot have redress for three races in a six race series.
It depends on if the criteria for redress are met and the later missed races were because of the injury.
Assuming the were:-
Either redress for two races, including the race of the accident
Or
Count the score on accident day and give redress for two races based on races 1 to 3.
Mike
Reading the question of injury, the first one I would ask is "Do the helmsman seek medical help?" Most of us, at least in Canada, have taken the a concussion protocol course. "I feel fogy" does not cut it in my book except to say "You had better seek medical help!". Medical assessment stating concussed is another matter. My approach would be to count "3" and RDG 4 & 5.
Doc