SAILING RULES

Saling rules:

  1. SAFETY 1.1 Helping Those in Danger A boat, competitor or support person shall give all possible help to any person or vessel in danger. 1.2 Life-Saving Equipment and Personal Flotation Devices A boat shall carry adequate life-saving equipment for all persons on board, including one item ready for immediate use, unless her class rules make some other provision. Each competitor is individually responsible for wearing a personal flotation device adequate for the conditions.

  2. FAIR SAILING A boat and her owner shall compete in compliance with recognized principles of sportsmanship and fair play. A boat may be penalized under this rule only if it is clearly established that these principles Part 1 FUNDAMENTAL RULES 14 have been violated. The penalty shall be a disqualification that is not excludable.

  3. DECISION TO RACE The responsibility for a boat’s decision to participate in a race or to continue racing is hers alone.

  4. ACCEPTANCE OF THE RULES 4.1 (a) By participating or intending to participate in an event conducted under the rules, each competitor and boat owner agrees to accept the rules. (b) A support person by providing support, or a parent or guardian by permitting their child to enter an event, agrees to accept the rules. 4.2 Each competitor and boat owner agrees, on behalf of their support persons, that such support persons are bound by the rules. 4.3 Acceptance of the rules includes agreement (a) to be governed by the rules; (b) to accept the penalties imposed and other action taken under the rules, subject to the appeal and review procedures provided in them, as the final determination of any matter arising under the rules; (c) with respect to any such determination, not to resort to any court of law or tribunal not provided for in the rules; and (d) by each competitor and boat owner to ensure that their support persons are aware of the rules. 4.4 The person in charge of each boat shall ensure that all competitors in the crew and the boat’s owner are aware of their responsibilities under this rule. 4.5 This rule may be changed by a prescription of the national authority of the venue.

  5. RULES GOVERNING ORGANIZING AUTHORITIES AND OFFICIALS Part 1 FUNDAMENTAL RULES 15 The organizing authority, a committee and other race officials shall be governed by the rules in the conduct and judging of the event. 6 WORLD SAILING REGULATIONS 6.1 Each competitor, boat owner and support person shall comply with the World Sailing Regulations that have been designated by World Sailing as having the status of a rule. These regulations as of 30 June 2024 are the World Sailing: ● Advertising Code ● Anti-Doping Code ● Code of Ethics ● Eligibility Code ● Sailor Categorization Code 6.2 The rules of Part 5 do not apply unless protests are permitted in the Regulation alleged to have been broken

  1. ON OPPOSITE TACKS When boats are on opposite tacks, a port-tack boat shall keep clear of a starboard-tack boat.

  2. ON THE SAME TACK, OVERLAPPED When boats are on the same tack and overlapped, a windward boat shall keep clear of a leeward boat.

  3. ON THE SAME TACK, NOT OVERLAPPED When boats are on the same tack and not overlapped, a boat clear astern shall keep clear of a boat clear ahead.

  4. WHILE TACKING After a boat passes head to wind, she shall keep clear of other boats until she is on a close-hauled course. During that time rules 10, 11 and 12 do not apply. If two boats are subject to this rule at the same Part 2 WHEN BOATS MEET 17 time, the one on the other’s port side or the one astern shall keep clear. SECTION B GENERAL LIMITATIONS

  5. AVOIDING CONTACT If reasonably possible, a boat shall (a) avoid contact with another boat, (b) not cause contact between boats, and (c) not cause contact between a boat and an object that should be avoided. However, a right-of-way boat, or one sailing within the room or mark-room to which she is entitled, need not act to avoid contact until it is clear that the other boat is not keeping clear or giving room or mark-room.

  6. ACQUIRING RIGHT OF WAY When a boat acquires right of way, she shall initially give the other boat room to keep clear, unless she acquires right of way because of the other boat’s actions.

  7. CHANGING COURSE 16.1 When a right-of-way boat changes course, she shall give the other boat room to keep clear. 16.2 In addition, on a beat to windward when a port-tack boat is keeping clear by sailing to pass to leeward of a starboard-tack boat, the starboard-tack boat shall not bear away if as a result the port-tack boat must change course immediately to continue keeping clear.

  8. ON THE SAME TACK; PROPER COURSE If a boat clear astern becomes overlapped within two of her hull lengths to leeward of a boat on the same tack, she shall not sail above her proper course while they remain on the same tack and overlapped within that distance, unless in doing so she promptly sails astern of the other boat.

  9. When Rule 18 Applies (a) Rule 18 applies between boats when they are required to leave a mark on the same side and at least one of them is in the zone. However, it does not apply (1) between boats on opposite tacks on a beat to windward, (2) between boats on opposite tacks when the proper course at the mark for one but not both of them is to tack, (3) between a boat approaching a mark and one leaving it, or (4) if the mark is a continuing obstruction, in which case rule 19 applies. (b) Rule 18 no longer applies between boats when mark-room has been given. 18.2 Giving Mark-Room (a) When the first of two boats reaches the zone, (1) if the boats are overlapped, the outside boat at that moment shall give the inside boat mark-room; (2) if the boats are not overlapped, the boat that has not reached the zone at that moment shall give the other boat mark-room. When a boat is required to give mark-room by this rule, she shall continue to do so for as long as this rule applies, even if later an overlap is broken or a new overlap begins. (b) Rule 18.2(a) no longer applies if the boat entitled to mark-room passes head to wind or leaves the zone. Part 2 WHEN BOATS MEET 19 (c) When rule 18.2(a) does not apply and the boats are overlapped, the outside boat shall give the inside boat mark-room. (d) If a boat obtained an inside overlap from clear astern or by tacking to windward of the other boat and, from the time the overlap began, the outside boat has been unable to give markroom, rules 18.2(a) and 18.2(c) do not apply between them. (e) If there is reasonable doubt that a boat obtained or broke an overlap in time, it shall be presumed that she did not. 18.3 Tacking in the Zone If a boat passes head to wind from port to starboard tack in the zone of a mark to be left to port, rule 18.2 does not apply between her and another boat on starboard tack that is fetching the mark. If the other boat has been on starboard tack since entering the zone, the boat that passed head to wind (a) shall not cause the other boat to sail above close-hauled to avoid contact, and (b) shall give mark-room if the other boat becomes overlapped inside her. 18.4 Gybing in the Zone When an inside overlapped right-of-way boat must gybe at a mark to sail her proper course, until she gybes she shall sail no farther from the mark than needed to sail that course. Rule 18.4 does not apply at a gate mark. 19 ROOM TO PA

  10. ROOM TO PASS AN OBSTRUCTION 19.1 When Rule 19 Applies Rule 19 applies between two boats at an obstruction except when rule 18 applies between them and (a) the obstruction is the mark, or (b) the obstruction is another boat overlapped with each of them. However, at a continuing obstruction, rule 19 always applies and rule 18 does not. 19.2 Giving Room at an Obstruction (a) A right-of-way boat may choose to pass an obstruction on her port or starboard side. If a right-of-way boat changes course Part 2 WHEN BOATS MEET 20 when choosing on which side to pass the obstruction, she shall give the other boat room to keep clear. (b) When the boats are overlapped, the outside boat shall give the inside boat room between her and the obstruction, unless she has been unable to do so from the time the overlap began. (c) While boats are passing a continuing obstruction, if a boat that was clear astern and required to keep clear becomes overlapped between the other boat and the obstruction and, at the moment the overlap begins, there is not room for her to pass between them, (1) she is not entitled to room under rule 19.2(b), and (2) while the boats remain overlapped, she shall keep clear and rules 10 and 11 do not apply.

  11. ROOM TO TACK AT AN OBSTRUCTION 20.1 Hailing A boat may hail for room to tack and avoid a boat on the same tack by hailing ‘Room to tack’. However, she shall not hail unless (a) she is approaching an obstruction and will soon need to make a substantial course change to avoid it safely, and (b) she is sailing close-hauled or above. In addition, she shall not hail if the obstruction is a mark and a boat that is fetching it would be required to change course as a result of the hail. 20.2 Responding (a) After a boat hails, she shall give a hailed boat time to respond. (b) A hailed boat shall respond even if the hail breaks rule 20.1. (c) A hailed boat shall respond either by tacking as soon as possible, or by immediately replying ‘You tack’ and then giving the hailing boat room to tack and avoid her. (d) When a hailed boat responds, the hailing boat shall tack as soon as possible. (e) From the time a boat hails until she has tacked and avoided a hailed boat, rule 18.2 does not apply between them. Part 2 WHEN BOATS MEET 21 20.3 Passing On a Hail to an Additional Boat When a boat has been hailed for room to tack and she intends to respond by tacking, she may hail another boat on the same tack for room to tack and avoid her. She may hail even if her hail does not meet the conditions of rule 20.1. Rule 20.2 applies between her and a boat she hails. 20.4 Additional Requirements for Hails (a) When conditions are such that a hail may not be heard, the boat shall also make a signal that clearly indicates her need for room to tack or her response. (b) The notice of race may specify an alternative communication for a boat to indicate her need for room to tack or her response, and require boats to use it.


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