Provisions for the privacy and safety

Maintaining harmony and inclusion in the sport is vital for participation, and following an incident at the 2023 Etchells World Championship, the Class issued a Code of Conduct to provide clarity for its sailors.

The reaction has been mixed, with World Sailing International Judge John Doerr questioning its effectiveness, though doing nothing by the Class did not seem to be an option either. In this report, a female competitor in the class – who seeks to remain anonymous for all the reasons the Code speaks to – shares her view:

A signed Code of Conduct reinforces that the Class and event organizers are going to actually enforce policies (which surely would include Rule 69). Secondly, people tend to pay much closer attention to things they must sign their name to.

However, the biggest concern here is that neither Rule 69, nor the World Sailing Guidance on Misconduct (from 2017), nor this Code of Conduct, state any provisions for the privacy and safety for those involved.

It is crucial that the person making the report is able to get direct and confidential access to the singular person who needs to know (whether it be a Jury member or an appointed investigator – and ideally that someone is SafeSport trained.)

The contact information for this person should be noted on every Notice of Race and privacy should be guaranteed (or organizations should use a platform like SafeSail.org). Many event organizers don’t even know themselves who that contact person is – making the process more difficult than necessary, and surely no longer private.

Anyone who has taken SafeSport training will understand that there are necessary privacy procedures to ensure that victims will actually feel safe to come forward and not fear the repercussions when everyone in the boat park finds out through the grapevine that an accusation is being made. (We’ve all been in the boat park and heard the rumors of a protest spreading well before anyone actually officially files one).

Privacy may be less of a concern when there’s a protest for a rule infringement on the water, but it is an entirely different ballgame when the allegations are for sexual harassment and carry such a strong social stigma. Note this goes for both the accuser and the accused, who also deserves anonymity until a final judgement has been made by the appropriate official.