Rule 90.2(c), Race Committee; Sailing Instructions; Scoring: Sailing Instructions
A competitor is entitled to look exclusively to written sailing instructions and to any written amendments for all details relating to sailing the course.
Summary of the Facts
The sailing instructions included, among other things, the following:
1. All races will be sailed under The Racing Rules of Sailing except as modified
below.
2. A briefing will be held in the clubroom 60 minutes before the start of the
first race each day.
3. Shortened Course will be signalled by two guns and raising of flag S and
the class flag. Boats in that class will round the mark about to be rounded
by the leading boat and go straight to the finishing line. This changes the
meaning of flag S in the Race Signals.
At one of the briefings, the race officer attempted to clarify the phrase ‘go
straight to the finishing line’ in item 3 by stating that when the course
was shortened, all boats should cross the finishing line in a windward direction.
This would ensure that all classes, some of which might be finishing from different
marks, would finish in the same direction even if that were not the direction
of the course from the mark at which the course was shortened.
Subsequently, a race was shortened. Six boats, which had not attended the briefing,
followed the written sailing instructions, were recorded as not finishing, and
sought redress. The boats alleged that the race committee had improperly changed
the definition Finish and had failed to follow the requirements of rule 90.2(c).
The protest committee upheld their requests for redress on the grounds they
had cited.
The race committee appealed to the national authority, asserting that the briefing
sessions were a numbered part of the sailing instructions, all competitors should
have attended, and the briefings constituted a procedure for giving oral instructions.
Also, it argued that the sailing instructions were not changed but merely clarified
by the race officer as to what the words ‘go straight to the finishing
line’ meant.
Decision
Appeal dismissed. The remarks of the race officer amounted to more than mere
clarification. This is borne out by the fact that the boats that did not attend
the briefing acted as they did. Competitors are entitled to look exclusively
to the sailing instructions and to any amendments for all particulars of the
course. Rule 90.2(c) requires changes to the sailing instructions to be in writing.
However, under no circumstance can sailing instructions change the definition
Finish or the definition of any other term defined in Definitions (see rule
86).
RYA 1975/3