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Contender
Scuttlebutt Poll:
Should the Racing Rules of Sailing provide for Redress?

Racing Rules of Sailing
(March 3-4, 2009) How unique is sailing that its rules provide for Redress - in essence a do-over to correct something that went wrong? A car racer is out of the race when a competitor causes the crash. The same thing happens in sailing, but Redress helps the victim. The winning run at a baseball game is ruled out due to the blown call by the umpire. For the boat called OCS when evidence proves otherwise, Redress rectifies the mistake.

Sailboat racing does not operate in a controlled environment, and certainly does not have instant reply. Mistakes happen by competitors and race officials, and Redress is there to clean up the mess. However, determining situations that qualify for redress, and providing adequate compensation for qualified situations, is not an exact science.

Here is how the Redress rule is written:

62.1 - A request for redress or a protest committee’s decision to consider redress shall be based on a claim or possibility that a boat’s score in a race or series has, through no fault of her own, been made significantly worse by:
    (a) an improper action or omission of the race committee, protest committee or organizing authority, but not by a protest committee decision when the boat was a party to the hearing;
    (b) injury or physical damage because of the action of a boat that was breaking a rule of Part 2 or of a vessel not racing that was required to keep clear;
    (c) giving help (except to herself or her crew) in compliance with rule 1.1; or
    (d) a boat against which a penalty has been imposed under rule 2 or disciplinary action has been taken under rule 69.1(b).
62.2 - The request shall be in writing and be delivered to the race office no later than the protest time limit or two hours after the incident, whichever is later. The protest committee shall extend the time if there is good reason to do so. No red flag is required.


So, when we asked the 'buttheads whether the Racing Rules of Sailing should provide for Redress, here was the reply...

  • Yes - 72.60%

  • No - 27.40%



  • Click here to read voter comments.

    Click here to post your comments.

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