Forum: The Racing Rules of Sailing
new definition of "finish" and time limits
Aldo Balelli
Nationality: Italy
Certifications:
- National Race Officer
- National Judge
0
Hallo everybody.
Finally the boat, to "finish", must have "started". Today a time limit for the race does not have to take into consideration boats that do not comply with the definition of "start".
One headhache more for the RC.
More complicated, for my point of view, is the followings:
SI: ""boats arriving 20 minutes after the first boat arrives will be scored DNF without a hearing"" , very common in Laser races, and not only, as well as the use of the Black flag.
Black flag have two type of infraction: a) boats that were in the notorious triangle, but they were on the pre-start side of the starting line at the start, and b) boats that simply started too early.
Both are BFDs, but a) they comply with the definition of "start", while b) they do not.
Conclusion: i understand that RC, at the start, must note wether the BFDs are a) or b) type, in order to define the poor DNFs correctly.
As per new definition of "finish", if the first boat that cross the finishing line is a BFD/b, she does not "finish", and she's no good for the 20 minute counting. BFD/a, they do.
i'm right?
Thanks
Finally the boat, to "finish", must have "started". Today a time limit for the race does not have to take into consideration boats that do not comply with the definition of "start".
One headhache more for the RC.
More complicated, for my point of view, is the followings:
SI: ""boats arriving 20 minutes after the first boat arrives will be scored DNF without a hearing"" , very common in Laser races, and not only, as well as the use of the Black flag.
Black flag have two type of infraction: a) boats that were in the notorious triangle, but they were on the pre-start side of the starting line at the start, and b) boats that simply started too early.
Both are BFDs, but a) they comply with the definition of "start", while b) they do not.
Conclusion: i understand that RC, at the start, must note wether the BFDs are a) or b) type, in order to define the poor DNFs correctly.
As per new definition of "finish", if the first boat that cross the finishing line is a BFD/b, she does not "finish", and she's no good for the 20 minute counting. BFD/a, they do.
i'm right?
Thanks
Comments
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Hallo everybody.
Thanks for pointing this change out. I don't think I've seen it mentioned in the RRS 2021 changes commentaries before.
We might be having a little English language difficulty here.
I think Aldo means to say 'boats finishing 20 minutes after the first boat finishes will be scored DNF without a hearing.'
This has the difficulty that it does not deal with boats that do not finish at all.
Appendix LE has some better language for this
Boats failing to finish within _____ after the first boat sails the course and finishes will be scored Did Not Finish without a hearing. This changes RRS 35, A4 and A5
The condition for the provision to opearate is 'NOT FINISH' within or before a time, not 'FINISH' after a time.
I agree with Aldo's identification of the problem.
The type (a) breach can occur when boats reach down the course side of the starting line before the 1 minute signal, intending to dip back to the pre-start side just before the 1 minute signal, and don't quite make it. They will end up entirely on the pre-start side of the starting line just after the 1 minute signal (so part of the boat will have been in the triangle during the last minute), but by the time the starting signal they will have been entirely on the pre-start side and will then start in accordance with the definition.
In the type (b) breach, the boat will not have been entirely on the pre-start at her starting signal and will not have started in accordance with the definition.
There is a third situation, where a boat is on the course side of the starting line or its extensions, but still outside the triangle, during the 1 minute period, and does not return, cross the starting line and start in accordance with the definition. boats in this situation are OCS.
Yes, I agree.
Does the Appendix LE wording solve the problem.
A boat that has not started, cannot finish, so she fails to finish.
Yes, that leaves the race committee with the requirement to identify the type of BFD, either BFD and OCS, or BFD and NOT OCS.
Don't see any neat way of getting around that.