An experiment to reimagine racing

The sport of sailing likes to make improvements, but better isn’t always best. Change is often led by those at the elite end of competition, but are these “advances” at the detriment of the entry level? Champion competitor Mike Zani has eased up his racing schedule, which has given space on how best to move the sport forward:

What happens when you toss the Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS) out the window? Our remote control (RC) Laser fleet decided to find out. We ran a series of ten races where we abandoned the traditional right-of-way rules in favor of a “Low Rules” approach. The results were fascinating—not just for RC racing but for sailboat racing in general.

The “Low Rules” Format
While we eliminated the RRS, we kept a few essential guidelines in place:
• You must start behind the line.
• You must round all marks on the correct side and in the correct order.
• You must adhere to the fleet’s rules of dock decorum.
• You must follow the race committee’s instructions.

Why RC Lasers?
RC Lasers are uniquely suited to this experiment. Unlike full-sized boats, where ignoring right-of-way rules could lead to costly damage and serious injury, RC Lasers offer a durable and relatively inexpensive platform. Many other RC boat classes—such as the IOM and DF95—are either too fragile or too expensive for this kind of racing. This made the RC Laser the perfect test platform for a low-rules environment.

How Did It Go?
Contrary to expectations, our low-rules racing did not devolve into a chaotic demolition derby. Here’s what we observed:
• Fewer collisions than anticipated – While contact did occur, it wasn’t significantly different from our traditional racing.
• More mutual avoidance – Without pre-defined right-of-way rules, most boats maneuvered dynamically to avoid each other.
• Healthier communication – Instead of one-sided arguments about rules violations, dock talk focused on mutual avoidance and race tactics.
• Awkward moments at tight crossings – In close encounters, boats sometimes both altered their course in an attempt to avoid each other, leading to a “sidewalk dance” effect.
• Diverse strategic approaches – Some sailors used the lack of rules to be more aggressive, while others maintained a more conservative approach—mirroring attitudes seen in traditional rule-based racing.
• Mixed feedback, but mostly positive – Over post-race beers, about two-thirds of participants saw the format as a positive change, while one-third were less enthusiastic—but no one was fundamentally opposed to it.

Tactical & Strategic Implications
Without right-of-way rules, race dynamics shifted in intriguing ways:
• The most powerful position determined control – Instead of rigid right-of-way rules, positioning dictated who had control of a situation. Examples:
• Leeward mark roundings – Boats with a marginal inside overlap were often ignored by the outside boats.
• Port tack gained power at the windward mark – In port-rounding situations, port-tack boats could muscle their way inside at a mark, creating an advantage that mirrored tactical maneuvers seen in NASCAR, roller derby, and hockey.
• Port tack starts are way more viable – Our pin end of the line was favored for the majority of the day and with no penalty for port-tack starts, some starts had over 50% of the fleet starting on port tack.
• Entanglement remained a natural deterrent – RC sailors know that any collision risks entanglement, often leading to both boats typically scoring a DNF. This provided a built-in incentive to avoid reckless sailing.

Broader Implications for Sailing
One of the biggest takeaways from this experiment is that the Racing Rules of Sailing can be a major barrier to entry. The complexity of the rules, the intimidation factor for beginners, and the burden of protests all discourage new racers from joining the sport. A simplified set of racing guidelines could make sailboat racing more accessible and enjoyable for newcomers.

Traditionalists might argue that rules create order and fairness, but our test suggests that sailors naturally develop an intuitive sense of right and wrong on the racecourse. By reducing the reliance on rigid rules and legalistic protests, we could create a more welcoming, competitive, and enjoyable racing environment.

Given the potential for attracting new racers, we plan to continue our low-rules racing experiment. Who knows? This might just become our new standard.

If you’re intrigued, we encourage other fleets—both RC and full-sized—to explore alternative racing formats. After all, sometimes breaking the rules (responsibly) is the best way to move a sport forward.

Mike Zani is the Webmaster for the Wicked Tired Thumbs RC Sailing Club in Rhode Island.