What about the new High Speed Racing Rules?

The keeper of the rules, World Sailing, has recognized that "high speed sailing" might need some modifications to the RRS.

I'm not sure how many true rules experts we have here, but I know that these new rules or modifications to the rules are mainly for catamarans racing a course.

They aren't easy to find, so I've posted them for your comments.

First a link to the official RRS as they stand.
http://www.sailing.org/tools/documents/WorldSailingRRS20172020-[20946].pdf

This is a document titled
High Speed Test Rules
That lists the proposed new rules and how they might be used by a class or event.

https://www.thebeachcats.com/files/High_Speed_Test_Rules_v2_0/?page=1

Some of these rules you may have heard mentioned during the AC coverage and they have already been used in the Ultimate Sailing events and the GC32 series.

A lot of these rules could simply be "sport catamaran rules", more room at marks etc. These are up for adoption by the Nacra 17 (Olympic) class with the new foiling MKII version.

What do you think?

They are intended for boats that foil. Personally I don't think there is anything wrong with the standard racing rules as far as floating beachcats go. The other note is the high speed rules specify "umpire" in a lot of places, I don't think we want to add that to our regatta management.

I was reading through the new rules and trying to put myself into the position of both the give way boat and the right of way boat, to see how I would deal with each situation, if these rules were enacted. I don't really race a super 'go fast' M32 or a full foiling AC45 so it's a little difficult to see why some of the proposed changes were necessary, other than trying to -not- crash and burn and waste a lot of money on rebuilding the boat.

When I first started racing sailboats, the number 1 rule that has always stuck with me was, "Avoid a collision at all costs" and if you feel you were in the right of way and had to tack/jibe/alter course to avoid a collision, fine, steer clear and then protest that other boat, but always avoid a collision, and then keep racing.

When did it become permissible to allow hitting the 'wrong way' boat?

After watching the past 2 AC series, I can see where these much faster boats need new rules, or perhaps the same rules, but with much larger lead times (remember when Mast Abeam in a 5kt leaner made sense?) than what we have today (2 boat length circle at a mark might need to be 10 lengths) to make coming into a mark at 25-45 kts safe, even if you are on Starboard. WTF do you do if some jackass try's to squeeze in on port when you are coming in hot at those speeds?

Maybe all foilers (and why not ask the Moth guys?) need a new set of parameters to make the old rules safer, when traveling at 3X the wind speed. Should 'hunting' on Starboard be allowed, when if you both bear off you are closing at over 80 knots nose to nose? Or is doing that just going to make the sailors better?

I do know that if they fk it up and collide head on at those speeds, someone is going to get hurt, badly, and that's a pain nobody needs.

I think the added complication on foilers and such is that ability to turn/tack/gybe takes a lot more effort than just tossing the tiller over. So a crash tack/gybe is much more dangerous as noted in several "close" calls in AC semi-finals and finals.

Forcing an error on the other team may cause them to drop off foils and practically stop, giving you no room to duck or drive over without major damage/injury?

That one Youth AC race where the boat banged the final gate is a good example of where some rules and distances need to be looked at.