What tips on the rules would I give to people with an interest in umpired match and team racing? 

Perhaps the biggest thing to note is the way the rules are used. In fleet racing the rules are generally used as a 'shield' but in team and match racing the rules are more often used as a ‘weapon’ so it is essential you have a better working knowledge of the rules as you can expect other boats to be manoeuvring against you in a more aggressive way in order to try to inflict a penalty on you.

Both team racing and match racing have modified rules, and the specific rules differences can be found in the Racing Rules of Sailing in appendix C for match racing and appendix D for team racing.  There is no excuse these days for not having access to a rule book as they are freely available online on the Australian Sailing website here.

It is therefore important, and indeed is important in all aspects of racing, to ‘read all the rules’

To assist sailors and umpires understand the various interpretations each discipline also has a Call Book. These calls assist in providing consistency in the way rules are applied in common scenarios and are therefore essential reading for both sailors and umpires.

The Call Books for both match racing and team racing can be found on the World Sailing website here.

As match racing and most team racing is umpired sailors also need to be very clear as to how the umpiring system works and how the umpires communicate their decisions and, after getting a decision, what action, if any is required from the boat.  Failure to correctly comply with an umpire’s call will result in a greater penalty!

Those wishing to umpire events also need to be aware of all the rules, tactics and procedures if they are to be able to umpire accurately, fairly and constantly. There are manuals for both disciplines which have been developed over many years and give excellent guidance mainly to officials, but they are also of use to competitors as well.

• Match racing 2021_MR_Manual_Master_V6.0.docx
• Team racing 2021_FINAL_Dec2020.doc

These will be updated from time to time, but both the latest versions will be available on the World Sailing website here.

Moving slightly off topic another piece of advice I would like to give is to take responsibility for your own actions. This applies to both officials and sailors. Officials will keep the respect of the sailors if they are prepared to front up and properly discuss calls and incidents and an apology for an honest mistake should always be accepted.

Likewise for competitors, do not always look to blame the umpire. Winning 4 races out of 11 matches was sufficient to make the quarter finals at the recent World Championship final so while an umpire decision may have cost you a race by what you consider having been a ‘bad’ call bear in mind you have lost the other 6 races by yourself!

John Standley (IJ)
Chair Australian Sailing Rules Specialist Group.