Forum: The Racing Rules of Sailing

Vendée Globe - Request for redress

Martin Rheaume
Certifications:
  • National Judge
  • Club Race Officer
I have question... being a dinghy sailor I am not knowledgeable at all in outshore sailing. The International Jury of the 2020 Vendée Globe have published their decisions for time compensations awarded to three of the four skippers who were involved in the rescue operation for Kevin Escoffier.  While the number of hours indicate the time they have lost during the rescue operations, loosing 10 hours in  5kt of wind will not have the same impact (distance-wise) as loosing 10 hours in 25kt of winds....      Why is it expressed in time compensations instead of  NM ? Couldn't the jury estimate the lost distance ?      Thanks in advance for the responses. 

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Forum Moderator's Note:  

We usually do not allow questions on the forum which pertain to recent PC decisions/actions, but we felt that the question above was informational and not meant to criticize or question the PC action.  Please keep that in mind as you respond.  

Thanks - Paul and Ang
Created: 20-Dec-16 18:25

Comments

Craig Priniski
Nationality: United States
Certifications:
  • Club Race Officer
2
There's no 100% fair way to calculate exact cost of the rescue, but the race is scored on time so they award a time bonus to give some form of credit for redress, this will be applied at the finish to elapsed time for the race. 
Created: 20-Dec-16 18:45
Clark Chapin
Nationality: United States
Certifications:
  • National Judge
  • Club Race Officer
2
I think that the reason is that the finishing position of each boat is determined by their time to complete the course, not the distance sailed. I don't see how distance could be applied to the results in order to adjust them (if needed).
Created: 20-Dec-16 18:45
Gordon Davies
Nationality: Ireland
Certifications:
  • International Judge
0
I have been on the Jury for several oceanic races. 
The time given in redress will be deducted from each boat's finishing time once they have finished. This means that they may be given a finishing place better than that of a boat that crossed the finishing line ahead of them. This is always difficult to explain to non specialist media and to readers and spectators who are not familiar with the sport of sailing.
For this reason, in many races the SIs allow for protests to be heard remotely while boats are still sailing, and the penalty, expressed as a time, is taken while the boat is still racing. This, so that, as far as possible, the order in which a boat crosses the finish line is her finishing place. 
Created: 20-Dec-16 18:57
Hans Cimutta
Nationality: Germany
Certifications:
  • National Judge
0
I think it’s also difficult to give a competitor a distance as redress. Because you would most likely implement it as finishing a few hundred miles earlier then normal. Which in itself contradicts the race course. Also the wind near the coast is usually less then at sea. So it would also not be a fairer solution. Time can also be adjusted to existing conditions, so in my opinion it is the better medium.
Hans. 
Created: 20-Dec-16 19:25
Tim Hohmann
Nationality: United States
Certifications:
  • Umpire In Training
  • Regional Judge
0
the penalty, expressed as a time, is taken while the boat is still racing.

Gordon, how is that implemented? Are penalized boats (or boats not granted redress) required to heave to for a specified time period?
Created: 20-Dec-16 19:59
Loic Durand Raucher
Nationality: France
Certifications:
  • National Judge
  • National Umpire
0
I would say which ever decision the International Jury makes, it could appear as a bad decision. Not enough, too much, too late, 
They have to consider the effective time lost , the eventual added time lost in loosing a meteo window (during the rescue), the stress felt when looking for a guy (a friend?) potentially about to get lost, the time to re-enter the race, etc.
If you would be able to know one thing and the opposite, or what happens and what would happen if.., then, definitely, you would win the Virtual Vendee Globe.

As a Jury, even as an International Jury, you still have to be very humble about any decision you make.
I'm pretty sure, in this very case, they did so. And tried to make the best decision, with the best arguments.

And, obviously, it's a good thing to make the decision early, and at least before arrival time. As the decision is not changed or influenced by the actual reality of the finishing time.

Keep sailing, and enjoy.
Created: 20-Dec-16 21:08
David Brunskill
Nationality: United Kingdom
Certifications:
  • National Judge
0
Like Gordon Davies I have been on the international jury for numerous offshore and oceanic races and fully support Gordon's comments.  Those interested might like to look at chapter P of the International Judges Manual which sets out the way that offshore and oceanic issues are addressed.  

When we were writing the paragraph on redress for the IJ manual it was clear that we couldn't be dogmatic on how redress should be calculated - there are so many different ways of calculating it and applying it to the results.  But in most cases a time penalty applied during the race gives the race team, press, public and competitors an understandable way of compensating for any redress issue.   

Created: 20-Dec-16 21:11
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