To keep racing after receiving assistance

The Racing Rules of Sailing Forum offers an opportunity for experts to voice opinion on situations. In a post by Anthony Pelletier, he found himself as the chase boat driver when a competitor capsized near the windward mark.

“Under the existing conditions, they were not necessarily in any danger,” he reported. “I stayed close to see they required assistance. The team did call for assistance, which I provided. They decided to retire for the day and I towed them in.

“My question involves my decision to wait. My assumption was that rendering help would require the team to retire from the race. I wanted to give them the opportunity to self rescue and stay in the race.”

Rule 41 states that a competitor shall not receive help from any outside source, except for
• Help for a crew member who is ill, injured or in danger
• After a collision, help from the crew of the other vessel to get clear
• Help in the form of information freely available to all boats
• Unsolicited information from a disinterested source, which may be another boat in the same race

While the summer event was held in sunny Southern California, International Race Officer, Umpire, and Judge Mark Townsend noted how “A person in the water should always be considered in danger. Nothing good is going to happen if you start considering water temperature, water depth, wave height, proximity to shipping channels, or other factors to determine if a person in the water is in danger.”

It was also noted that US Sailing had clarified this issue (within the USA) via Appeal 127 in 2024 which states that “When people are in the water, the possibility of injury, harm or death exists. Therefore, it should be considered that they are ‘in danger’ until it is obvious that they are not.”

To read the full appeal, click here.