Coach for Australian Sailing and mentor to young and talented sailors, Brady Lowe shares a few quick tips on working within the rules.

Tips sailors should take on board from Brady Lowe are:

1.    When you’re in a boat on boat protest situation you’re already in the wrong place. Brady recommends finding the “path of least resistance” by sailing a race that avoids tangles with other boats and the damage to a series score that penalty turns, or worse, a DSQ, can bring to bear.

2.    If you are going to learn a rule and understand it deeply, make it rule 18 which is about mark-room. The rule appears complex on the surface, but reading the Cases and appeal decisions can help sailors grasp the nuances of what their rights and obligations are in the zone and at the mark.

3.    Understand how ‘the room’ works. Being able to respond to protests, seek redress or ask for re-openings is an important skill that sailors really need to understand. Not knowing how the procedural rules work, what the protest committee is doing next and being prepared to ask ‘the right questions’, can really make the difference between successful outcomes and getting the wrong end of the stick. You don’t need to be Matlock but this is an important and normal part of the sport.

The Racing Rules of Sailing can be found at https://www.sailingresources.org.au/class-assoc/racing-rules/

The World Sailing Case Book can be downloaded at https://www.sailing.org/documents/caseandcall/case-book.php

Appeal decisions can be read at https://www.sailingresources.org.au/class-assoc/protest-appeals/

By Glen Stanaway https://www.sailing.org.au/about/ourstaff/