APPENDIX E - RADIO SAILING RACING RULES

Add to the definition Conflict of Interest:

However, an observer does not have a conflict of interest solely by being a competitor.

In the definition Zone the distance is changed to four hull lengths.

Add new definition:

Disabled A boat is disabled while she is unable to continue in the heat.

The Terminology paragraph of the Introduction is changed so that:

• (a) ‘Boat’ means a sailboat that is subject to the rules, controlled by radio signals and has no crew. However, in the rules of Part 1 and Part 5, rule E6 and the definitions Party and Protest, ‘boat’ includes the competitor controlling her.
• (b) ‘Competitor’ means the person designated to control a boat using radio signals.
• (c) In the racing rules, but not in its appendices, replace the noun ‘race’ with ‘heat’. In Appendix E a race consists of one or more heats and is completed when the last heat in the race is completed.

• (a) Rule 1.2 is deleted.
• (b) Hails under rules 20.1 and 20.3 shall include the sail number of the hailing boat followed by ‘Room to tack’.
• (c) Rule 22 is changed to: ‘If possible, a boat shall avoid a boat that is disabled.’
• (d) Rule 90.2(c) is changed to:
  Changes to the sailing instructions may be communicated orally to all affected competitors before the warning signal of the relevant race or heat. When appropriate, changes shall be confirmed in writing.

• (a) A hail shall be made and repeated as appropriate so that the competitors to whom the hail is directed might reasonably be expected to hear it.
• (b) When a rule requires a boat to hail or respond, the hail shall be made by the competitor controlling the boat.
• (c) The individual digits of a boat’s sail number shall be hailed; for example ‘one five’, not ‘fifteen’.

A competitor shall not give tactical or strategic advice to a competitor controlling a boat that is racing.

A competitor whose boat loses radio control shall promptly hail ‘(The boat’s sail number) out of control’ and the boat shall retire.

If a transmitter aerial is longer than 200mm when extended, the extremity shall be adequately protected.

Transmission of radio signals that cause interference with the control of other boats is prohibited. A competitor that has broken this rule shall not race again until permitted to do so by the race committee.

Unless the sailing instructions specify a control area, it shall be unrestricted. Competitors shall be in this area when controlling boats that are racing, except briefly to handle and then release or relaunch the boat.

Unless the sailing instructions specify a launching area and its use, it shall be unrestricted.

When the sailing instructions require a course board to be displayed, it shall be located in or adjacent to the control area.

• (a) Rule 26 is changed to:
  Heats shall be started using warning, preparatory and starting signals at one-minute intervals. During the minute before the starting signal, additional sound or oral signals shall be made at ten-second intervals, and during the final ten seconds at one-second intervals. Each signal shall be timed from the beginning of its sound.
• (b) The starting and finishing lines shall be between the course sides of the starting and finishing marks.

Rule 29.1 is changed to:

When at a boat’s starting signal any part of her hull is on the course side of the starting line or when she must comply with rule 30.1, the race committee shall promptly hail ‘Recall (sail numbers)’. If rule 30.3 or 30.4 applies this rule does not.

Rule 29.2 is changed to:

When at the starting signal the race committee is unable to identify boats that are on the course side of the starting line or to which rule 30 applies, or there has been an error in the starting procedure, the race committee may hail ‘General recall’ and make two loud sounds. The warning signal for a new start will normally be made shortly thereafter.

When the race committee informs a boat that she has broken rule 30.3 or 30.4, the boat shall immediately leave the course area.

• (a) Rules 30.2 and 33 are deleted.
• (b) All race committee signals shall be made orally or by other sounds. No visual signals are required unless specified in the sailing instructions.
• (c) Courses shall not be shortened.
• (d) Rule 32.1(a) is changed to: ‘because of foul weather or thunderstorms,’.

The race committee may make or permit reasonable arrangements to assist disabled competitors to compete on as equal terms as possible. A boat or the competitor controlling her that receives any such assistance, including help from a support person, does not break rule 41.

Rules 40, 44.3, 45, 48, 49, 50, 52, 54, 55 and 56 are deleted.

Rule 41 is changed to:

A boat or the competitor controlling her shall not receive help from any outside source, except

• (a) help needed as a direct result of a competitor becoming ill, injured or in danger;
• (b) when the boat is entangled with another boat, help from the other competitor;
• (c) when the boat is disabled or in danger, help from the race committee;
• (d) help in the form of information freely available to all competitors;
• (e) unsolicited information from a disinterested source. A competitor is not a disinterested source unless acting as an observer.

Rule 44.1 is changed to:

A boat may take a One-Turn Penalty when she may have broken one or more rules of Part 2, or rule 31, in an incident while racing. However,

• (a) when she may have broken a rule of Part 2 and rule 31 in the same incident she need not take the penalty for breaking rule 31;
• (b) if the boat gained an advantage in the heat or race by her breach despite taking a penalty, her penalty shall be additional One-Turn Penalties until her advantage is lost;
• (c) if the boat caused serious damage, or as a result of breaking a rule of Part 2 she caused another boat to become disabled and retire, her penalty shall be to retire.

Rule 46 is changed to: ‘The member or organization that entered the boat shall designate the competitor. See rule 75.’

Rule 60.4(a)(2) is changed to:

• (a) A protest is invalid
  • (2) if it is from a boat that alleges a breach of a rule of Part 2, 3 or 4, but was not scheduled to sail in the heat where the incident occurred, or

Add new rule 60.4(a)(4):

• (a) A protest is invalid
  • (4) if it is from a boat or competitor and alleges a breach of rule E2 or E3.7.

When a committee learns that a competitor may have broken a rule, it may protest the boat controlled by that competitor.

Rule 60.2(a)(1) is changed to:

• (1) If the protestor is a boat, she shall inform the other boat at the first reasonable opportunity by hailing ‘(Her own sail number) protest (the sail number of the other boat)’.

The boat protesting or requesting redress about an incident while racing shall inform the race committee as soon as reasonably possible after finishing or retiring.

A protest, request for redress or request for reopening shall be delivered to the race committee no later than ten minutes after the last boat in the heat finishes or after the relevant incident, whichever is later.

Rules 61.4(b)(2) and 61.4(b)(3) are changed to:

• (2) injury, physical damage or becoming disabled because of the action of a boat that was breaking a rule of Part 2 and took an appropriate penalty or was penalized,
• (3) injury, physical damage or becoming disabled because of the action of a vessel not racing that was required to keep clear or is determined to be at fault under the IRPCAS or a government right-of-way rule.

Add new rule 61.4(b)(6):

• (6) external radio interference acknowledged by the race committee.

Add to rule 61.4(c):

If a boat is given redress because she was damaged, her redress shall include reasonable time, but not more than 30 minutes, to make repairs before her next heat.

In rule 63.1(a)(4) ‘the representatives of boats shall have been on board’ is changed to ‘the representative of each boat shall be the competitor designated to control her’.

Add new rule 63.4(f):

• (f) When the protest concerns an alleged breach of a rule of Part 2, 3 or 4, any witness shall have been in the control area at the time of the incident. A witness who is a competitor, and who was not acting as an observer, must also have been scheduled to race in the relevant heat.

Rule G1 applies to every boat of a class administered or recognized by World Sailing or by the International Radio Sailing Association (IRSA).

• (a) Unless her class rules state otherwise, a boat of a World Sailing or IRSA Class shall comply with rule G1 and shall carry:
  • (1) on her mainsail, her class insignia and national letters (if required).
  • (2) on all sails, her sail number.
• (b) Sails shall comply with rule E8 at world and continental championships. At other events, they shall comply with these rules or the rules applicable at the time of their initial certification.

At IRSA world and continental championships and events described as international events in their notices of race, a boat shall carry national letters from the table in Appendix G, rule G1 denoting:

• (a) when entered under rule 75(a), the boat’s national authority, or
• (b) the competitor’s country of residence, or
• (c) the national authority of the owner or competitor.

Note: An up-to-date version of the National Sail Letters table is available on the World Sailing website.

• (a) The sail number shall be the last two digits of:
  • (1) the hull registration number, or
  • (2) the competitor’s or the owner’s personal number allotted by the relevant issuing authority.
• (b) A single digit hull number or personal number shall be preceded by a zero.
• (c) If there is conflict between sail numbers, or if a sail number may be misread, the race committee shall require that the sail numbers of one or more boats be changed to numeric alternatives.

• (a) National letters and sail numbers shall be in capital letters and Arabic numerals, clearly legible and of the same colour. The colour shall contrast with the colour of the body of the sail. Commercially available typefaces giving the same or better legibility than Helvetica are acceptable. Digital fonts are not acceptable.
• (b) The height and spacing of letters and numbers shall be as follows:

• (a) Class insignia, sail numbers and national letters shall be positioned

  • (1) on both sides of the sail;
  • (2) with those on the starboard side uppermost;
  • (3) approximately horizontally;
  • (4) with space for a prefix ‘1’ in front of the sail number; and
  • (5) with no less than 40 mm vertical spacing between lines of numbers and letters on opposite sides of the sail.

  However, symmetrical or reversed class insignia may be positioned back to back.

• (b) Symmetrical or reversed class insignia shall be on the mainsail, above a line perpendicular to the luff through the three-quarter leech point, and may be positioned back-to-back. Otherwise, the vertical spacing shall be no less than 20 mm.

• (c) On a mainsail, sail numbers shall be positioned

  • (1) below class insignia;
  • (2) above the line perpendicular to the luff through the quarter leech point;
  • (3) above national letters.

Where the size of the sail prevents compliance with rule G1.4 or G1.5, they shall be amended as follows and in the following order of precedence:

• (a) sail numbers may extend below the specified line;
• (b) vertical spacing may be reduced to no less than 20 mm:
  • (1) first between sail numbers and national letters, and
  • (2) then between national letters;
• (c) height of national letters may be reduced to no less than 40 mm or shall be omitted;
• (d) vertical spacing of sail numbers may be reduced to no less than 20 mm;
• (e) height of sail numbers shall be reduced to less than 90 mm, but no less than 80 mm, or shall be omitted except on the largest sail.

Other boats shall comply with rule E8 unless the rules regarding the allotment, carrying and size of insignia, letters and numbers are changed by their national authority or class association. Such changed rules shall, when practicable, conform to the above requirements.