the new RRS for 2025-2028

[John Ball]

I have updated all the articles on my web site for the new RRS that come into effect on Jan 1st 2025.

https://sites.google.com/site/johnsrcsailingrulesandtactics/

I have added a new item to the Appendix for short items at the bottom of the  home page - R18.2 or R 18.3 at the windward mark. This item looks more closely at when to apply 18.2 or 18.3 and the effect of the significant change in 18.3 for windward port roundings.

John

[Guzzilazz]

John,

Your "Appendix" is a real help, thanks for contributing this!

 

[Mike Ure]

In radio sailing R18.2,!8.3 in the 21 /24 rules have resulted in poor compliance, and great difficulty in determining whether  there was compliance and by whom.

Parallax, loss of sight of boat behind other competitors, together with " did the starboard boat have to actually luff or did it bear away",usually means that the Starboard boats avoid arguing the point  by luffing  around the tacked boat.

In top level fleets multiple boats will arrive at the first mark within a couple of boat lengths. This is not just a problem at Club level. Look at the recent IOM world's on Youtube. The problem became so bad that it was rectified only by changing the top mark from a mark and spreader to a gate, and these were the worlds best radio sailors. Half the number of boats at the mark at the same time, better able to observe what is happening, and problem solved.  

The change of rules will exacerbate the situation for radio sailing. Either the windward mark will be a gate as standard or tactical sailing will be about arriving a the windward mark, over stood and on starboard. The result one way tracks, limited passing lanes, and even more emphasis on the start.

I am not complaining about the rule change, in fact if you are aboard the boat you are sailing it is a good change. I am pointing out what I believe will be the ramifications for Radio sailing. Gates rule.

Mike Ure

 

[Gordon W Davies]

IRSA Racing Rules Committee had a long discussion on 18.3.

The old rule does not really work in radio sailing for many reasons. The new rule does not resolve these issues.There is a simple fix, that I doubt would be acceptable - adopt the High Speed Sailing rule. In this rule at a port hand windward mark the boat arriving on port is entitled to mark room!

Having decided that giving mark-room to port tackers would be a step too far we came up with a  proposal:

Rule 18.3 is changed to:
If a boat in the zone of a mark to be left to port passes head to wind from port to starboard tack, she shall give mark-room to a boat that has been both on starboard tack and not subject to rule 13 since entering the zone.
When this rule applies between boats, rule 18.2 does not apply between them.

The idea is that the port tack boat has a far greater obligation to 'get out of the way of the starboard tacker (with an exception for boats that have tacked onto starboard in the zone).

This proposal got put to one side by WS on the grounds that there was a new Rule 18 on the way.

I should also point out that any issue is exacerbated when the race committee lays marks too far from the control area. This is especially the case when sailing from right to left ( as seen from the control area) as starboard tackers cannot judge the layline accurately at a distance.

Edited December 11, 2024 by Gordon W Davies

[John Ball]

World Sailing has issued a number of changes and error corrections to the RRS 2025-2028.

The main items that I noted are a return to the previous wording for Obstruction, now back to sailing the course

Definitions, Proper Course
Change the definition to:
Proper Course A course a boat would choose in order to sail the course
as quickly as possible in the absence of the other boats referred to in the
rule using the term. A boat has no proper course before her starting
signal.

The other change is a name change for Umpired sailing, which will require updating of any NOR/SI that reference this document.

Appendix E Preamble and Online Rules Documents
In the Appendix E preamble, change ‘A Test Rule for Umpired Radio
Sailing’ to ‘Development Rules for Umpired Radio Sailing’. In Online
Rules Documents, change ‘Test Rule for Umpired Radio Sailing’ to
‘Development Rules for Umpired Radio Sailing’.

John

RRS-2025-Changes-and-Corrections.pdf

[Mike Ure]

On 12/12/2024 at 02:56, Gordon W Davies said:

IRSA Racing Rules Committee had a long discussion on 18.3.

The old rule does not really work in radio sailing for many reasons. The new rule does not resolve these issues.There is a simple fix, that I doubt would be acceptable - adopt the High Speed Sailing rule. In this rule at a port hand windward mark the boat arriving on port is entitled to mark room!

Having decided that giving mark-room to port tackers would be a step too far we came up with a  proposal:

Rule 18.3 is changed to:
If a boat in the zone of a mark to be left to port passes head to wind from port to starboard tack, she shall give mark-room to a boat that has been both on starboard tack and not subject to rule 13 since entering the zone.
When this rule applies between boats, rule 18.2 does not apply between them.

The idea is that the port tack boat has a far greater obligation to 'get out of the way of the starboard tacker (with an exception for boats that have tacked onto starboard in the zone).

This proposal got put to one side by WS on the grounds that there was a new Rule 18 on the way.

I should also point out that any issue is exacerbated when the race committee lays marks too far from the control area. This is especially the case when sailing from right to left ( as seen from the control area) as starboard tackers cannot judge the layline accurately at a distance.

I am intrigued by your comment about the "high speed sailing rule" at port rounded marks and, after consideration, believe it does merit serious consideration for radio sailing.  I am wondering exactly what it means.

1. A port boat tacks under a stb. boat, achieves full sail, and is then allowed to luff the starboard in order to get around the mark. ( in practice in club sailing this is what happens)

Or 2. A port tack boat can call for buoy room and force a stb. boat to luff or tack . 

I believe option 1 should be acceptable as that, in practice, is what happens in Radio sailing. 

Mike Ure