To increase understanding of racing rules

World Sailing has released The Case Book for 2025-2028 (click here). The Case Book complements The Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS), providing details on the application of the RRS to around 140 scenarios. The principal aims of the Cases are to clarify an important meaning in a rule or to increase the understanding of a complex rule.

Here are some cases:

CASE 50
When a protest committee finds that in a port-starboard incident S did not change course and that there was not a genuine and reasonable apprehension of collision on the part of S, it should dismiss her protest. When the committee finds that S did change course and that there was reasonable doubt that P could have crossed ahead of S if S had not changed course, then P should be disqualified.

CASE 134
A boat’s proper course at any moment depends on the existing conditions. Some of those conditions are the wind strength and direction, the pattern of gusts and lulls in the wind, the waves, the current, and the physical characteristics of the boat’s hull and equipment, including the sails she is using.