Where would we be without rules?

by Butch Ulmer, UK Sailmakers
Sailboat racing is a self-policing sport. We don’t have referees or umpires so we’ve got to do the job ourselves. In order to do that, you must have a good knowledge of the rules. If someone is “bending the rules”, it’s because someone else is letting him or her get away with it.

I have spent a fair amount of time sailing with and against “weekend warriors” and I have not found the rules to be too complicated for them. Rather I suggest that they are racing for enjoyment and are reluctant to spend time on a subject that bores them. The only time they get excited about the rules is after they have been bounced out of a race by the Protest Committee.

The rules are complicated because they have to be. The situations that arise are often complicated. If you doubt that, spend some time reading the Appeals.

The Rule Book is not a very interesting read. I have often suggested that sailors keep it on their bedside table in case they’re having trouble getting to sleep. Five minutes with it and you’re gone.

On the other hand, Dave Perry’s books and the Appeals & Cases can keep you going well into the night while teaching some invaluable lessons. Sailors who spend the time do understand the rules. I have seen the light go on in their eyes during a seminar once they got what I’d been trying to explain.

The rules are the rules of our game! Imperfect? Yes! Complicated? Yes? Necessary? Absolutely. If you are going to spend the time to race a sailboat, you have to spend the time to learn the rules.

When I provide a rules seminar, here is the advice I close with:

Butch’s Regatta Rules:
1. Learn the Racing Rules
• Read the rules of Part 2 before the regatta begins
• Sail by the rules and insist that others do as well

2. Avoid Getting Protested
• Tack or duck early
• Always give room
• Avoid contact
• Do turns when in doubt

3. Stay out of the Protest Room
• Half of those who go into a hearing don’t like the outcome. Those are bad odds!