Who Wears the Zebra Stripes in this Sport?
Imagine it’s game day. Your favorite football team is playing for the championship. You get together with a group of like minded fans at the local sports pub, dressed in your best team regalia. Maybe a jersey with the quarterback’s number and name on the back. Your fanatic neighbor even painted his face in the appropriate colors. The play-by-play and color commentators, presenting to the biggest TV audience of the year, introduce the players, give puffed up reports about what to expect, and interview experts about the conditions and the coaches. Beer, insurance and auto manufacturer advertisements dot the media coverage. Then, just as you get settled in front of the giant screens over the bar, the smell of fried cheese curds, hot wings and beer heavy in the air, the head referee is introduced. “From Smalltown, Anywhere, we have Joe Average. This is his fourth season with the league, it will be his 11th game as a referee, and his first championship.”
You and your fellow fans can’t believe your ears! This event demands the best referee available, not some part-time amateur hack. You shout out, “This is a sham! This Joe character probably hasn’t even read the rule book, let alone tried to apply them in real life!” Your face-painted neighbor says he’s going home because he can’t watch what he knows won’t be a fairly contested match. You stay for a while, but lose interest when the referee misses calls left and right. Players take advantage of the referee’s inexperience, and arguments break out between players. Even the spectators get into it, throwing trash at Joe. The score is called into question, and the commentators begin wondering, “What's Joe thinking?” By the time the first half is over, everybody is unhappy. You take off your jersey and head home without even finishing your hot wings.
Most people won’t tolerate poor officiating in a sport on TV, so why do they accept it in a sport in which they are actually participating? It seems outrageous, but in sailing it happens all the time, and the competitors have nobody to blame but themselves. (Many of them probably know more about the revisions in the football rules than they do about this year’s changes in the sailing rules!)
Sailboat racing is largely an amateur, self regulated sport. In a big fleet, or out in the middle of a large body of water, it’s not practical to have a third party referee for every potential situation. Consequently, the competitors make the calls themselves. The regulating body for sailing knows this, and publishes and updates a comprehensive, yet simple rulebook. As the rules mature, and the sport evolves, the rule writers adapt the definitions and rules so that they are easy to apply. Unfortunately, the referees (the competitors themselves) often don’t take the time to study the rules of the game they are playing. For those interested in growing the sport, this is a big problem.
So how do we fix it?
First, encourage sailors to read the most current version of the Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS). It is revised every four years. It isn’t a big book written in lawyerese. It is just a little handbook, often available online for free. There is an app for every smart device. There are also videos, guide books and learning tools to help. An hour of study every now and then makes a huge difference.
Second, do a little practice on land so the rules are clearly understood out on the water. Sailors have to remember they are playing two roles when they are on the race course. Competitor and Referee. If nobody has a functional understanding of the rules, and the procedure for calling out infractions, self regulation doesn’t work.
Third, recognize that knowledge of the rules makes better competitors. Like a football wide receiver who can keep his feet inbounds while diving to catch a pass, the well-versed sailor can use the rules to improve tactics, avoid common pitfalls, and win more races. The sailor who doesn’t know the rules will be mediocre at best.
Finally, know the Protest procedure and be brave enough to call out infractions. Most infractions aren’t intentional. It isn’t and shouldn’t be personal. It’s part of the sport and it’s playing fair. Yes, going through the Protest process isn’t as much fun as having a cold beverage and telling tales about your day of racing, but it does make better sailors, and it keeps everybody honest. And if you are the one who commits the infraction, and you know it, take your penalty and move on.
Just like a referee throwing a flag in a football game, there is a general procedure for calling a simple rule infraction. Here is an unofficial summary of how it is done:
Competitor A observes Competitor B breaking a rule.
At the first opportunity, Competitor A hails, “Protest!” and displays a red protest flag (if required.) Not a minute later, or after thinking about it for a while. As soon as A can be heard by B, the first word out of A’s mouth has to be, "Protest!” Competitor A does not say “Hey, you owe me turns,” or “You broke the rules.” Think of it as being the same as the football referee throwing a flag. It’s just a declaration that there is a potential rule infraction. (Saying “Protest!” doesn’t lock you into a protest hearing after the race. Just like the football referee saying “Upon further review…” You can drop it anytime. End of Protest.)
Competitor B can respond to the Protest hail or not. Competitor B can take a penalty or not. None of these actions are acknowledgement of a rule infraction, but Competitor B knows there is a potential hearing after the race and can make decisions based on that information.
If Competitor B takes a penalty, and A is satisfied, no further action is required. End of protest.
If Competitor A is not satisfied with how B took a penalty, or B didn’t take a penalty, then in order to continue the Protest, A must notify the Race Committee, and file a written Protest as specified in the sailing instructions. Failing to do either of these will end the Protest.
Competitor A and B should separately review the events, consult the rule book, witnesses or other references, and then present their cases to the Protest Comittee. The Protest Comittee will hear evidence, consult the rule book, and allow or disallow the protest. If A followed the Protest procedure correctly, and B is found to have broken a rule, inadvertently or otherwise, and didn’t take a penalty, B should expect to be disqualified. If B took the penalty on the course, the issue should be dismissed. End of Protest. (If A or B are not happy with the outcome, there is an appeals process, but that’s for another time.)
A and B should shake hands like grown-ups, maybe have a beer and get on with life. It isn’t personal. It’s just the sport.
Get the rules here: https://www.ussailing.org/competition/rules-officiating/the-racing-rules-of-sailing-2021-2024/