Every four years, always after the Olympic Games, the Racing Rules of Sailing are revised by the World Sailing Federation. This set of rules is used by almost all regatta organisers and is sometimes adapted to special requirements. It is therefore part of the basic equipment and basic knowledge for everyone who wants to take part in regattas.
These books are important:
This set of rules has just been published for the 2025 to 2028 cycle. There are only a few changes to the previous version, but those paragraphs that serve to avoid collisions, i.e. so-called right of way rules, have been tightened or adapted. This section is also the most important for regatta sailors, as ignorance of the content of the right of way rules can quickly lead to disqualification or even collisions.
Here are the most important changes, summarised by Bryan Willis in his book "The Racing Rules of Sailing":
Avoid contact
Rule 14 (Avoiding contact) has been extended to include not only avoiding contact with another boat, but also avoiding contact between two other boats or between a boat and an object.
The rule still begins with "If reasonably possible..." so that the right of way boat is exonerated if there is contact but no damage or injury.
Room to turn
The call "Room to turn" and the response "Turn"
If a boat sailing high downwind (or above) approaches an obstacle (e.g. a shore or shoal) and needs to tack but cannot tack without obstructing another boat, usually one that is on the windward side, it may request room to tack. The called boat must then either give way or tack immediately (or ask a third boat for room to tack). This is one of the few situations in which a boat is forced to do something in response to a call.
According to the new rules, the calling boat must use the words "room to tack". This is a rule change. The called boat must use the words "Tack" if it decides not to tack.
The requirement that the called boat must shout the words "tack" if it decides not to tack remains unchanged, but the requirement that the calling boat requiring the space must use the words "space to tack" is new.
Finish line - direction of the finish line
Previously, a boat had to cross the finish line coming from the course side, even if the sailing instructions stipulated that the boats had to finish in the other direction (because "finishing" was a defined term and the sailing instructions were not allowed to change the definitions). Under the new rules, the sailing instructions can specify from which direction the boats must sail to the finish. This is probably of little interest to dinghy sailors on their up-and-down courses, but now you can stick to the sailing instructions without some smart aleck coming in from a different direction to everyone else claiming that the only legitimate way to finish is from the last mark, no matter what the sailing instructions say. In ocean racing, after rounding a headland, you can safely cross the line from the direction indicated in the sailing instructions.
Redefinition of railway mark space
The new definition brings the order of the requirements into the chronological order in which they occur at the mark: First the boat sails "close to the mark" (if that is her proper course), then she rounds or passes the mark on the proper side, and finally the boat leaves the mark astern after rounding or passing it. It is clarified that the boat that has done all three things in this order without interference has been given "mark room".
And if a boat leaves the mark astern before rounding or passing it because it is necessary for sailing the course, it is still entitled to mark room. This can happen, for example, if there is a strong counter-current and the boat that is entitled to track mark space has to sail well past the track mark before it can round it by gybing. During this manoeuvre, the boat is entitled to track mark space.
Sailing the course
To "sail the course" means to start, sail the course and cross the finish line.
It follows that a boat that is on the course side of the start line at the start but continues to sail and finishes has not sailed the course.
Right of way boat at an obstacle
Obstacles have a side, even a round obstacle such as a buoy that marks the edge of a dredged fairway. Such a buoy has a canal side and a land side. In the old wording of rule 19.2(a) it was not clear whether the word "side" referred to the side of the right of way boat or the side of the obstruction. The change to the first sentence of rule 19.2(a) clarifies that the term 'side' in rule 19.2 refers to the side of a boat and not the side of the obstruction.
The new second sentence of rule 19.2(a) clarifies that a right of way boat may choose on which side she wishes to pass an obstruction, but that she must make the decision and course alteration in such a way that the other boat has room to keep clear.
This change formalises the current interpretation of rule 19 and avoids the situation where both boats can be exonerated under rule 43. Before the change, if a right-of-way boat chose which side to pass an obstruction and took the space she was entitled to, she was exonerated under rule 43.1(b) if she broke rule 16. At the same time, the boat that had to keep clear could be exonerated if the right of way boat's sudden and rapid change of course did not allow her to keep clear.
The amendment removes the possibility of exonerating the right of way boat because an offence against rule 19.2(a) is not listed in rule 43.1(b).
Flag "N"
Signals used by the Race Committee: It is now clarified that the flag "N" (alone or together with "H" or "A") refers only to races in progress and not to finished races. The Race Committee may abandon completed races, but this will be done by a separate action that does not require a signal on the water.
