Originally Posted by mbounds
Originally Posted by brucat
The key definition is At the mark, since anything before that is approaching, and after that is leaving.

Maybe Eric or Matt can find a reference, but I know that this has been discussed quite a bit at ISAF and US Sailing, and has been a topic at several seminars I've attended over the past year or two. I think there was an official call or interpretation issued recently, I just can't put a finger on it.

This one is easy for me, since I was on the protest committee that decided it. It's US Sailing Appeal 105 here.

That one little protest hearing at the 2010 JY15 Regional Championships has ticked off so many boxes it's uncanny. Appealed to the Detroit River Yachting Association (upheld), appealed to US Sailing (upheld), included in the US Sailing Appeals Book (because it defined a significant concept) and it's a hair's breadth from being included in the ISAF Case Book (approved by the ISAF Rules Committee and only needs approval from the Council). It's been featured in Sailing World and a photo of the hearing was used to illustrate another one of Dick Rose's articles in Sailing World.
[Linked Image]

And yeah, it's a marvelous photo of the reason you rarely see me without a hat.


You're welcome for the softball, Matt. The hat would probably help to also hide that look on your face of, "Seriously, do you still not get it?"

While this case is probably the one that will be the best example to document; the discussion is obviously broader, or this wouldn't even see the light of day at ISAF. It's amazing to me that anyone needs a definition of "at the mark."

Just goes to show how some people prefer to twist the rules to gain any advantage (in this case, the earlier they could be considered "at the mark," the sooner they could have sailed a proper course, which I presume they felt was enter wide, exit close).


Originally Posted by mbounds
...The funny thing was, UM8 left the mark with UM10 in her dirty air and beat UM10 in the race and the regatta. (The leeward mark they rounded was the last mark before finishing.) UM8 protested "as a matter of principle" and was convinced we had made an error in dismissing the protest - to the extent that she appealed the decision twice.

What's funny about that? As Tom would say, UM8 didn't need to bother showing up when the sportsmanship award was given...

Mike