Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS) by Mike Noone

US Sailing, the governing body for the sport of sailing in the US, provides all its members with a copy of the latest ISAF "Racing Rules of Sailing" (RRS) with prescriptions specific to racing sailboats in the US. Nockamixon Sail Club is an Organizational Member of US Sailing, and many of our Club members are also Individual Members of US Sailing.

We encourage membership in US Sailing and charge lower entry fees to Club events for US Sailing Members.

Flying Scot sailors are also encouraged to join the Flying Scot Sailing Association (FSSA) which is the governing body for all sanctioned events organized for the benefit of all Flying Scot One-Design Class sailors. Membership in FSSA is required for entry into any sanctioned event.

Learning and Understanding the Rules of the Sport of Sailboat Racing – Books and DVD’s that can help

One of the benefits of membership in US Sailing is that you receive a copy of the official “Racing Rules of Sailing” that are issued by the International Sailing Federation, ISAF, and approved, with some minor revisions, by US Sailing for use by all sailors in the US. Unfortunately, the “official” Rule book reads like a typical legal document and is often a confusing, and very uninteresting (boring), document to read. Fortunately, several books are available to explain what the rules mean, and why they apply to specific situations. There are also two great sources of Rules learning available on DVD and these are discussed after the “book” review.

The “Rules Understanding” books help the competitive sailor to understand and enjoy the sport without having to be a legal scholar, or having to learn the “official” text by heart. Every serious racer should have at least one of these books to help them to obtain a good working knowledge of what the rules are designed to do, why they are written the way they are, and how to apply them to the racecourse to make racing a more enjoyable and satisfying experience. To quote Paul Elvstrom “Winning is no victory if, in doing so, you lose the respect of your competitors.”

There are four major books which are used throughout the world to help sailors understand the rules and to better enjoy the sport. In the US, the most popular book is “Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing” by Dave Perry, published by US Sailing. In Europe, and much of the rest of the world, the book by Paul Elvstrom, “Paul Elvstrom Explains the Racing Rules of Sailing” is the “Bible” of sailing explanations. In England, and many areas of British influence, two books, “The Rules Book” by Eric Twiname, currently edited by Bryan Willis and “The Rules in Practice” by Bryan Willis are the most popular and are perhaps the easiest to read and understand. Any of these books will help the typical club racer, and, if you aspire to higher levels of sailing, you may want to own all of them. Also, the ISAF and US Sailing have books of “Case Examples” of official interpretations of the rules which are useful as references but not good for general rules learning.

All four books include the full text of the “official” rules, and Elvstrom’s book also contains several of the ISAF “case studies” to help with the interpretations. Elvstrom also includes four small colored plastic boats, and two “marks” with a template to help illustrate the incident and to accurately draw the situation on a protest form, in preparation for a protest hearing. Elvstrom is also unique in having “red” numbers in the margin of the official rules to lead you to the exact page where that specific rule is explained. He also has all the signal flags in color, and other features that cause it to be the “Bible” for most of the sailing world. Some people think Elvstrom is still a bit too technical, and prefer the numerous simpler illustrations in the British books.

Eric Twiname was the first to illustrate the rules in simple “comic strip” diagrams in British sailing magazines in the 70’s, and converted his articles into a book in 1977. The book is revised every four years (as are all the others) as the rules are revised after each Olympics. This is probably the best book for the average sailor to use to learn the rules. Twiname has a system to indicate the level of importance of each rule by use of 1, 2, or 3 boats as markers in the margin by each rule and explanation. If you are a typical weekend sailor, you only need to study those situations marked with 1 boat. If you aim for the National Level you would study those marked with 3 boats. This allows you to skip some parts depending on your competitive level.

Bryan Willis was on the ISAF committee that first wrote the international sailing rules, and continues today as the British representative on the ISAF committee, and serves as International Judge at Olympic and Americas Cup events. His book “The rules in Practice” is partly modeled on Twiname’s “comic strip” approach, with simple, clear diagrams, and very clear explanations. The book is organized in the order that a sailor would go around the racecourse. First, rules at the Start, them those that apply on the windward leg, then the “Mark Rounding” rules, then the rules that apply on the off-wind legs, then the finish. This logic makes the book, and the rules, easy to follow. For this reason alone, the Willis book comes out as “Number One” for the sailor who wants to take the easiest and simplest route to a better understanding of the rules. One small deficiency, the signal flags are not in color—but NSC provides a signal flag card to all members so that is not a reason to ignore this great little book. This book is published by Fernhurst Books as part of the “Sail to Win” series.
Dave Perry’s book is the thickest, most verbose, of the four books! However, if you have time to read it all, you will find very good explanations of the reasons for the particular rules, and a good analysis of how a sailor can employ “rules knowledge” to improve his success on the racecourse. This book is becoming the “Bible” in the US but is not nearly so easy to use as the Willis book. Dave has illustrations by Brad Dellenbaugh to show rules situations like those in the Twiname and Willis books, and he attempts some humor with “fishes” and “heads” of sailors in the margins to mark specific points or questions.

Any sailor would benefit greatly by having any one of these books in his library, and some “rules nuts” have all of them! However, for ease of use, simplicity of text, and quality of illustrations, the “Rules in Practice” by Bryan Willis is highly recommended for anyone serious about improving their rules knowledge. It is available locally through Borders Bookstore, or through most of the sailing equipment stores and catalogs.

If DVD’s turn you on more that book reading, then you are in luck!! There are two great sources of rules learning available on DVD. The DVD format allows for animation of the situations as boats become involved in “rules incidents” – you can replay the incidents and form your own opinions of the rules that apply, and then move on to study the expert interpretations, and explanations, of those incidents. The best DVD is “Learn the Racing Rules” by Dave Dellenbaugh. There are two discs – Part 1: Basic Right of Way Rules, and Part 2: Rules at Marks and Obstructions. This production is sponsored by US Sailing and North sails, and is modestly described as the best way to learn the rules!!

The second great DVD is “Real Time Racing Rules” issued by UK-Halsey Sailmakers, and features animations of racing “incidents and situations” that are frequently encountered in the real world of sailboat racing. This DVD is continually updated by UK-Halsey via their web site. As new situations are encountered, they produce a new animation and show the link on their web site – and they will send e-mails to you if you sign up on the site. Check it out at: ukhalsey.com.

Whether you read the books, or watch the DVD’s, or both, I’m sure that you will find that your enjoyment of the sailboat racing game will be greatly enhanced by your better understanding of the “Rules of the Game.” Our sport of sailboat racing is “self-policing” and it is an obligation of every participant to understand and comply with the rules. Sportsmanship is not a rule that can be violated, and compliance with the rules is the essence of sportsmanship. The more you understand the rules, the more you will enjoy the game, and the more satisfaction you will achieve from your performance while playing the game of sailboat racing.

(Review presented by Mike Noone, Flying Scot # 4568).

For beginning racers, an excellent resource is "Getting Started in Sailboat Racing" by Adam Cort & Richard Stearns. This relatively short volume breaks down a sailboat race into manageable pieces, discussing entry-level tactics and rules application for each piece such as starting, windward legs, downwind legs, and finishing. The authors keep it fairly simple and provide the correct level of detail to safely complete a race and even have some success on the racecourse, without going into a level of complexity that would overwhelm beginning racers. There is also a nice section on sail trim. This book is available at Border's and also online at Amazon.com.
(Review presented by Greg Morrison, Flying Scot # 3351)