Often, we focus our rules discussions only on Part 2 of the rules – “When Boats Meet.”  This winter, I plan to explore the rules of Part 3 – “Conduct of a Race.”  They may appear to only matter to the Race Committee, but they have significant importance to the racing sailor too.  

– Steve Harris, US Sailing National Race Officer

Rule 32 – Shortening or Abandoning After the Start

There is a lot of stuff in Rule 32.  While shortening a course (eliminating one or more legs) and abandoning are similar, and definitely done for similar reasons, in practice, the two are quite different in how they work on the race course.

Keep in mind, most of the rules in Part 3 are tools that the race committee can use to keep races fair, safe, and easy to manage.  Rule 32 is very valuable in that sense.

Let’s look at the text of the rule…

NOTE – Rule 32 only applies after the start.  Rule 27.3 allows the race committee to abandon before the start for any reason.

 32.1

“After the starting signal, the race committee may shorten the course (display flag S with two sounds) or abandon the race (display flag N, N over H, or N over A, with three sounds)

1. because of foul weather,
2. because of insufficient wind making it unlikely that any boat will finish within the race time limit,
3. because a mark is missing or out of position, or
4. for any other reason directly affecting the safety or fairness of the competition,

In addition, the race committee may shorten the course so that other scheduled races can be sailed, or abandon the race because of an error in the starting procedure. However, after one boat has started, sailed the course and finished within the race time limit, if any, the race committee shall not abandon the race without considering the consequences for all boats in the race or series.”

 32.2

“If the race committee signals a shortened course (displays flag S with two sounds), the finishing line shall be,

1. at a rounding mark, between the mark and a staff displaying flag S;
2. a line the course requires boats to cross; or
3. at a gate, between the gate marks.”

We’ll look only at the abandoning part of the rule this week and dive into shortening the course in the next post.

“… the race committee may…  abandon the race (display flag N, N over H, or N over A, with three sounds)”

Let’s start with how an abandonment is signaled. 

If we look at the “Race Signals” section of the Racing Rules of Sailing, we find that Flag N is used to signal that the race is abandoned.  

The N Flag always goes up with three sound signals.

In fact, it is the only signal with three sounds.  As the name, abandonment, suggests, the race is over.  For whatever reason, the race committee has decided to end the race.

Although the sound signal is always the same, we have three options on the visual signal.

By itself, the N-Flag means the race is abandoned and the race committee intends to resail the race. – return to the starting area.

If N is displayed over the H-Flag, the race is abandoned and boats are to return to shore for further signals.

If N is displayed over the A-Flag, the race is abandoned and there will be no more racing today.

Rule 32.1 provides us reasons that the Race Committee is permitted to Abandon a race…

“… 1. because of foul weather, …”

This is primarily for safety considerations.  Foul weather might be an approaching storm, but it also could include high winds or sea state.  Either way, if conditions are not favorable, certainly if they are not safe, the race committee may abandon the race.  

There is frequently some debate on when, and under what conditions the race committee should or even must abandon a race.  Note that the rule is permissive, not prescriptive.  The racing rules provide no guidance or direction on conditions.  It is always the skipper’s responsibility to decide whether or not to sail.

Rule 3

“The responsibility for a boat’s decision to participate in a race or to continue racing is hers alone.”

That noted, there are limits to what is reasonable based on a number of factors – type of boats sailing, experience/age of the competitors, etc.  Some one-design classes have very specific upper wind limits and other restrictions in their class rules that provide guidance on this matter.  Other times, there is little or none.

“… 2.  because of insufficient wind making it unlikely that any boat will finish within the race time limit,…”

Often, but not always, a time limit written into the Sailing Instructions.  Usually, this is a time limit for the first boat to sail the course and finish.  When that is the case, absent other scoring provisions in the SIs, the race committee’s only choice at the expiration of that time limit is to abandon the race (RRS 35).

Here is when the shortening part of Rule 32 provides a convenient option, which we will discuss in next week’s post.

Note that the rules don’t prescribe that the time limit must expire before the race committee can abandon.  The use of the word unlikely gives them the leeway to do so earlier than the time limit if, in their judgment, they determine it to be the best option.

“… 3.  because a mark is missing or out of position, or…”

In all honestly, this is a horribly unfortunate reason to have to abandon a race.  The rules provide the race committee with options to replace a missing or out of position mark.  However, we all know that things don’t always go the way we plan.  There are times, that problems simply cannot be corrected.  Given the race committee permission to abandon in this situation, while unfortunate, gives the opportunity to regroup, reset, and try again.

“… 4.  for any other reason directly affecting the safety or fairness of the competition.”

There are those that might view this part of the rule as very nebulous and (unnecessarily?) generous to the race committee.  I’m not sure I would disagree.  However, the rules cannot possibly anticipate every situation that may arise.  Tying their hands, so to speak, by not allowing them to use their best judgment would likely make a bad situation worse overall rather than help correct it.
So… what are examples of reasons that might “directly affect the safety or fairness?”

• An error in the starting procedure
  • Normally, in this situation, if the race hadn’t started, a postponment would be in order.  If the race had started, a general recall would be best.
  • However, if it had been more than a few seconds since the start, an abandonment is likely the more appropriate option.
• A significant windshift that favors some, but not all, of the fleet – particularly on the first windward leg.
  • It’s easy to dismiss windshifts as “just part of sailboat racing.”  However, doing so can also introduce chance as a significant factor, rather than skill
• An obstruction in the course
  • This is certainly an area of  degree of how much it affects fairness or safety.
  • Does a disabled powerboat in the course affect the fairness of the competition?  Possibly.
  • Does a capsized boat affect the fairness?  Does it affect safety?
• Traffic
  • In areas with active ports and shipping channels, traffic, particularly commercial traffic can introduce significant safety concerns.
  • While this type of traffic is typically scheduled and, therefore can be anticipated, things don’t always go according to schedule.
• What else?  The list is probably endless.  What is important is that the race committee is considering these and other possibilities and are prepared to act appropriately.  Safety and Fairness are PRIMARY responsibilities of the RC.

What do I do if the RC signals an abandonment?

Obviously, stop racing and, depending on what exact abandonment signal was given (N, N over A, or N over H) either return to the starting area or to shore.  

Stopping racing is not, however, your only consideration.  Most race committees attempt to use all the tools at their disposal to “save a race” – shortening, changing the length of a leg, etc.  Abandonment is often used as a last resort, and as such, often due to safety concerns.  Watch the weather!  Look around the course!  If you have one, monitor your VHF radio!  Is there a safety concern to be aware of and possibly act on?

That brings up another rule, new in the 2021-2024 rulebook…

Rule 37 – Search & Rescue Instructions

“When the race committee displays flag V with one sound, all boats and official and support vessels shall, if possible, monitor the race committee communication channel for search and rescue instructions”

This is new in the most recent rulebook, but it reflects a renewed focus on safety both on the part of World Sailing and its member National Authorities (e.g., US Sailing).  Likely, it is more directed towards “big boat” sailing where VHF radios are standard, often required, equipment and they are more likely to be sailing in challenging conditions.  Still worth pointing out here as abandonments are often related to safety concerns.

We plan on holding a “Mini” Safety at Sea Seminar at the Club later this winter focused on safety and safety procedures.  It’s always good to think ahead about these things.

Finally… there’s this to consider…

“… However, after one boat has started, sailed the course and finished within the race time limit, if any, the race committee shall not abandon the race without considering the consequences for all boats in the race or series.”

Again, this seems very vague and nebulous.  It’s likely intended to be so as well.  The Racing Rules of Sailing give Race Committees a wide latitude in decision making – one simply cannot anticipate every possible situation that might occur on a race course.  It seems like the rule should read something like this… “after one boat has sailed the course and finished within the race time limit, if any, the race committee shall not abandon the race.”  On the surface, that seems to be more “fair.”  (I’m not 100% sure, but I believe in (much) older versions of the rules, it may have been that way.  The problem, however, is that it ties the race committee’s hands and forces any questions, etc. to go to the Protest Committee and a Redress Hearing – not always the most expeditious option – should the RC still choose to abandon a race after some boats have finished.

Consider the following examples:

Late in a race, after some boats have “started, sailed the course, and finished within the time limit,”  a strong storm blows in over the racing area.  Perhaps it was an unexpected pop-up, or it was anticipated, but arrived early.  It doesn’t really matter.  The RC determines that it is unsafe to continue racing for those still on the course and abandons.

I would think most of us agree that this would be a proper action of the RC, even if it is unfortunate for those who have already finished.

After a race in which there was a significant, permanent wind shift (60°+), the Race Committee “second guesses” their decision to let the race continue.  They decided that that fact, along with their inaction to preserve the race by changing a leg, or shortening the course, made the race inherently unfair and abandons the race after the fact.

The RC is perfectly within their authority in doing so.  The rule only requires them to consider the consequences… it doesn’t proscribe any specific action that they may or may not take based on that consideration. 

That said, the better course of action for the Race Committee may have been to “wait and see.”  If the competitors have an issue with the fairness of the race, they are permitted under Rule 62.1 to request redress based on an “improper action or omission” by the race committee.  If the competitors don’t request redress, but the PRO still feels strongly about the race turning out to be unfair, he or she is permitted under Rule 60.2 to request redress on behalf of the competitors.

While it may seem like a “cop-out” to say “let the Protest Committee make the decision and take the heat,” it also may be the more prudent choice.  RC’s aren’t always perfect, and good RC’s know that and are willing to admit (or at least consider other viewpoints) when they have perhaps made a mistake.

These are just two examples (purposely a bit obvious as to the proper action.)  There are a lot of “gray areas” in making the decision to abandon after the finish.  The US Sailing Race Management Handbook offers the following advice to race committees:

“Because of the significance of a race committee’s decision to abandon a race in which one (or more) competitor has finished, the only justifiable reason for taking such action is safety considerations.”

As there are exceptions to any rule, there are certainly exceptions to this advice as well.  But, safety is quite obviously a good reason to abandon a race after some boats have finished.  Abandoning after all boats have finished likely should be a function of the Protest Committee such that the determination of “fairness” and “consequences” is not left to just one person (the PRO), but rather several people who have the knowledge, expertise, and judgment to make a well-informed (even if unpopular) decision.

Next Week – The rest of Rule 32; Shortening Course after the Start…

Often, we focus our rules discussions only on Part 2 of the rules – “When Boats Meet.”  This winter, I plan to explore the rules of Part 3 – “Conduct of a Race.”  They may appear to only matter to the Race Committee, but they have significant importance to the racing sailor too.  

– Steve Harris, US Sailing National Race Officer

Rule 28 – Sailing the Race

   28.1

“A boat shall start, sail the course, and then finish . While doing so, she may leave on either side a mark that does not begin, bound or end the leg she is sailing. After finishing she need not cross the finishing line completely.”

   28.2

“A boat may correct any errors in sailing the course, provided she has not crossed the finishing line to finish.”

This seems simple enough, right?

Well, not exactly.  Before we dig into the text of the rule, in order to fully understand this rule (and the many nuances to it) we also need a good understanding of the definitions of start, finish, and sail the course.  The definition of rule provided in the Racing Rules of Sailing is pretty broad – “The rules in this book, including the Definitions, Race Signals, Introduction, preambles and the rules of relevant appendices, but not titles…”  (Yes – the definition of rule defines that the definitions are also rules.  Don’t spend too much brain power on that one – it just is what it is.)

Let’s start with those definitions and then break this rule down too…

Start

 A boat starts when, her hull having been entirely on the pre-start side of the starting line at or after her starting signal, and having complied with rule 30.1 if it applies, any part of her hull crosses the starting line from the pre-start side of the course side

This one, we discussed in detail in the post on Rule 29 – Recalls. 
If you need to review, CLICK HERE.

Finish

A boat finishes when, after starting, any part of her hull crosses the finishing line from the course side. However, she has not finished if after crossing the finishing line she

1. takes a penalty under rule 44.2,
2. corrects an error in sailing the course made at the line, or;
3. continues to sail the course.

As with seemingly everything else in the racing rules, there are a few interesting nuances here.  Numbers 2 & 3 under this definition particularly apply to how Rule 28 works.  Essentially, to finish, one crosses the finish line from the course side .  But this definition also allows for correcting errors in sailing the course… more on that as we look closer at the rule.

Sail the Course

A boat sails the course provided that a string representing her track from the time she begins to approach the starting line from its prestart side to start until she finishes, when drawn taut,

1. passes each mark of the course for the race on the required side and in the correct order,
2. touches each mark designated in the sailing instructions to be a rounding mark, and
3. passes between the marks of a gate from the direction of the course from the previous mark.

This is commonly called the “string rule” and I’ll refer to it that way in our discussion of Rule 29.

We’ll Start at the Beginning and Break Down Rule 28.1

“A boat shall start, sail the course, and then finish…”

Makes sense, right?

The course will be published in the Sailing Instructions and should be clear as to course configuration, mark descriptions, and on which side marks are to be left.  The RRS requires this under J2.1:

(4) the course(s) to be sailed, or a list of marks from which the course will be selected and, if relevant, how courses will be signalled;
(5) descriptions of marks, including starting and finishing marks, stating the order in which marks are to be passed and the side on which each is to be left and identifying all rounding marks (see rule 28.2);

A typical course, that we use at BLYC may be illustrated like this…

Click Here for the Course Descriptions for the 2022 SOS series.

“…While doing so, she may leave on either side a mark that does not begin, bound or end the leg she is sailing…”

This part may be confusing…

Reworded and simplified, if there is a mark that isn’t part of the leg on which you’re sailing, ignore it.  

In our “Course C” illustrated above, we see this.  On the first windward leg (from the start to mark 1), Mark 2 does not “begin, bound, or end the leg”  you’re sailing on.  You can leave it on either side… For that matter, you can run it over (Please don’t run over our marks though.  They’re not indestructible and they’re expensive to replace.)

“…After finishing she need not cross the finishing line completely.”

Simply put, you only need to “break the plane” of the finishing line in order to finish.  If we look back at the definition of finish, it tells us “A boat finishes when, after starting, any part of her hull crosses the finishing line from the course side.“

But, why then, don’t you have to cross completely?  There are situations where doing so may not be desirable.  For example, the finish line may be very near to an obstruction – a headland, a commercial shipping channel, etc.  It may be that there is a strong current pushing you down-course.  You don’t want to risk drifting back into the mark and touching it after finishing.  It may be better to break the plane, drift back below the line and bear off.  I am aware of one situation in particular where racing on the Niagara River in Buffalo, the finish line is sometimes downstream.  Going any farther north than necessary is not advisable – there is a rather precipitous drop ahead!  (and a sailboat is not a barrel)

Sometimes, we make mistakes…. 28.2

“A boat may correct any errors in sailing the course, provided she has not crossed the finishing line to finish.”

One great thing about the Racing Rules of Sailing is that that it provides many opportunities to correct errors.

Let’s look at another one of our standard BLYC courses.

Let’s assume, for the sake of explanation, that you are racing on Course H, but you initially miss that signal from the Race Committee.  You assume that you’re racing on Course C (as above).  Instead of sailing from Mark 1 to Mark 2 as instructed, you “skip” Mark 2, sail directly to Mark 3 and round it.  You have broken RRS 28.1

But, RRS 28.2 allows you to correct that error.  In order to do, let’s go back and look at the definition of Sail the Course – AKA the “String Rule.”

Sail the Course

A boat sails the course provided that a string representing her track from the time she begins to approach the starting line from its prestart side to start until she finishes, when drawn taut,

1. passes each mark of the course for the race on the required side and in the correct order,
2. touches each mark designated in the sailing instructions to be a rounding mark, and
3. passes between the marks of a gate from the direction of the course from the previous mark.

Imagine that, as you sail the course, you are trailing a “string” behind you.  This string lies in the water and shows the track your boat has taken. 

You have omitted Mark 2 in our example and that string, when pulled taut would not “pass” Mark 2 “on the required side” (1) nor would it “touch” that mark (2). 

But, you can correct that error!  Simply “unwind” the string.

But… think about how you need to do that.  You can’t simply sail over to Mark 2, leave it on the required side, and sail to Mark 3.  If you did that, you wouldn’t have rounded the marks in the correct order. 

However, if you sail back around Mark 3 – in the opposite direction – you can “unwind” the string and then sail to Mark 2, round it properly, and continue to race – rounding Mark 3 again, of course.

If you now pull that “string” taut, you’ve rounded the marks, in the correct order, leaving them on the required side, and have met the requirements of Rule 28 and the definition of Sail the Course.

You sailed a lot of extra distance, but you have properly corrected the error.

This is just but one example…

There are all kinds of “what-ifs” that we could discuss, but we’d likely get very far off “in the weeds.”  Simply put – if you miss a mark of the course, THINK about how you have to “unwind” the string to comply with 28.2.  There are a number of World Sailing Cases that deal with Rule 28.  I’ll include those at the end of this post for those who may be interested in digging deeper.

But… then there’s this somewhat confusing exception in the definition of Finish to consider too…

“… However, she has not finished if after crossing the finishing line she

1. takes a penalty under rule 44.2,

2. corrects an error in sailing the course made at the line, or;

3. continues to sail the course.”

This has a definite (and significant) impact on Rule 28.  That said, for the sake of brevity, I think it may better be a discussion for a later post.

Next Week – Rule 32; Shortening or Abandoning After the Start

World Sailing Cases that apply to RRS 28….

• Case 90
• Case 106
• Case 112
• Case 128