This will make it easier for all of you to know, understand, and apply the rules correctly. It also provides one more reason to keep your membership to USSA just when we need every reason we can find.


SCUTTLEBUTT 2610 - June 4, 2008 (www.sailingscuttlebutt.com)

Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is published each weekday with the support of its sponsors.


COMING OUT OF THE DARK
Dave Perry is one of the good guys. His long list of sailing accomplishments is worthy of sufficient cred, but it is his rules knowledge that really leaves the competition behind. Every four years there is a new ISAF Rule Book, which is then followed by one of many books that Dave has authored, "Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing". It should come as no surprise then that Dave is an advocate for making the information surrounding rules more available, and one area that he feels has come up short in the past is in the Appeals department.

But not anymore. Dave is the chairman of the US SAILING Appeals Committee, and for the past couple years, one of the things he's been trying to do (with much support) is get the Appeals Book out of the dark corners and into
broad daylight (read free on-line), so people (competitors and officials) can read the appeals and learn from them, and so everyone is even more on the same page for the betterment of the sport.

That time has come. No longer a deep dark secret, the Appeals Book is now readable online (free for US SAILING members). The Appeals are decisions of the US SAILING Appeals Committee, and the Cases are decisions of national
authorities from around the world published by ISAF. Typically, protest committees conform their decisions to the Appeals and Cases when the facts are similar, which makes them invaluable to know and use. -- Link:
http://www.ussailing.org/appeals