Racing Rules Blog

Butch Ulmer's discussion of the new rules changes

A NOT-SO-GOOD RULE CHANGE

Posted by butch

I am using the illustration below to call attention to one of this year's rule changes.

Consider first that what you see is a starting line with the Committee Boat at the port end. In both the old and new rules, the leeward boat had no right to hail for room to tack because the pertinent rule (19.1 old rules and 20.1 new rules) did/does not apply at a starting mark surrounded by navigable water or at its anchor line. See Rule 19.2  old rules, Preamble to Section C new rules.

Fine for a start! Green can luff head to wind and hope for the best.

Now consider the illustration as depicting a finish line situation. Under the old rules 19.2 went on to say that 19.1 did not apply " at a mark that the hailed boat can fetch". Red is fetching so Green was in a tough spot.  Green was not entitled to room to tack and her hail had no merit. 

This (to my way of thinking) is how it should be! Red is in control and is just going to make it by the Committee Boat's anchor rode. Green should have gybed out while she had the chance. 

Now along come the new rules and while they say Green should not hail in a situation like this, if she does hail, Red must be bound by the hail!

What's wrong with this you ask?

Well it suddenly shifts control of the situation to the boat that sailed into a "coffin corner" and shouldn't have been there in the first place. Second, although the rules are quite clear that Green broke rule 20.3, it places a burden on Red to have to file a protest to protect her finish position. Third, imagine a situation where two or three boats are stacked up to weather of Red and they are all fighting for the lead. Suddenly, they all have to tack because of Green's hail. Might some other protests arise?? Seems quite likely.

Will Green come up with a story to justify her hail? You bet!

This change was included in the new rules in the interest of safety but I'm not buying into it. 

If you can't hail at a starting mark surrounded by navigable water, why can you hail at a finish mark surrounded by navigable water?

I think there are some good changes in the new rules but this wasn't one of them.

Posted on: 1/6/2025 at 8:28 AM
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Comments

Jos Netherlands

Tuesday, January 06, 2026 7:56 PM

Red has to respond and then it will be difficult to prove she could fetch the Cboat. If she doesn't and indeed fetches the Cboat, she's also in trouble because now she has broken rule 20.1 by not responding to green's hail.
We need to have a couple protest about this issue to determine the effect. For now I agree this sure looks like a potential problem with the new rules.

Dick United States

Tuesday, January 13, 2026 4:39 AM

I think not that difficult.

I suspect that it will be clear to the jury, from any diagram the protestor and protestee submit, whether the hailed boat was or was not fetching the mark/obstruction, especially when considering that the hailed boat may luff  head to wind to shoot the line.

If the jury did find that the hailed boat was not fetching the mark/obstruction then would it be possible to DSQ the hailing boat under the 1st sentence of 20.3? Since, if the hailed boat was so far from the layline as not to be fetching the mark then the hailing boat was even further from the layline and there was no danger of a collision with the Cboat as the hailing boat could easily fall off to avoid a collision.

It is unfortunate and maybe unfair that that the hailed boat has to comply with 20.1 But, if there are other starboard and port tack boats to leeward of the hailing boat then there could be a legitimate need for safety for a boat to hail for room to tack. When there is not then perhaps the hailing boat might also be found to break rule 2.

My questions. On the open water two port tack boats, W and L are crossing a starboard tack boat. If the Leeward boat hails for room to tack when he could easily avoid the starboard tack boat by ducking him has he broken the first sentence of 20.3? Is there a conflict with 19.2(a) and the 1st sentence of 20.3? Or does the 1st sentence of 20.3 limit the rights of the ROW boat under 19.2(a)? If L has hailed for tactical reasons, has he broken rule 2?

Dick United States

Tuesday, January 13, 2026 1:48 PM

I must remember to read before I leap.

I have answered all but one of my own questions by reading Butch's blog re any conflict between 19.2(a) and 20.3 and the preamble to Part C, as Butch points out in his blog is the answer to the conflict question.

But what about Rule 2? Has the hailing boat broken rule 2 if safety is not a concern?


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