Can we choose rules to ignore?

by Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt Sailing News
To enter a race under the Racing Rules of Sailing (rule 75), the boat must be entered by:

(a) a member of a club or other organization affiliated to a World Sailing member national authority,
(b) such a club or organization, or
(c) a member of a World Sailing member national authority.

After competing for over sixty years, every entry form I’ve filled out has asked for this information. Scuttlebutt Sailing Club was created in 2001 to facilitate this requirement, yet I see results where this condition is not met.

I get that it would be an onerous task for the event host to vet that each entry is actually a member of the club they enter under, but when they don’t list any club, well, how hard is that?

The 2024 US WingFoil Championship was the latest event in the calendar of US Sailing Championships, and the latest to lack oversight. As co-host, I would hope that US Sailing, as the National Governing Body for the sport of sailing, would verify that each entry fulfills this basic obligation of the Racing Rules of Sailing.

In fairness, there is a culture in board classes to list sponsors on the entry form which provides exposure in the results. That’s what four of the top ten did, with no mention of a club that meets the rule. Perhaps this rule is not necessary, but can we choose what rules to follow and what rules to ignore? Thoughts…

UPDATE: As the US WingFoil Championship was a US Sailing Championship, the Notice of Race required all competitors to be members of US Sailing, thus fulfilling the RRS requirement. We assume that was vetted at time of entry, though we remain curious why some competitors did not list any affiliation on their entry form.

UPDATE #2: “Many Wingfoil participants do not sail at a traditional club or sailing organization, and we should take the opportunity to welcome them into competitive sailing with open arms,” reports John Pearce, US Sailing Youth Racing Manager. “While yacht club membership or organizational affiliation is encouraged, it is not a requirement for competitors in our sport, if RRS 75 is satisfied by other means. This allows multiple pathways to participation, as we at US Sailing aspire to continue to create a more accessible and inclusive sport.”

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