Originally published at unrulyracing.com America’s Cup Race Management has released the first draft of the Racing Rules of Sailing for the America’s Cup (RRSAC). I’ve just taken a quick look through and jotted down some notes, which are by no means comprehensive. My first impression is that this document represents a significant change to the ISAF racing rules. These are major changes not minor tweaks. Many of the changes, of course, are geared to racing in high performance catamarans. I wonder w...
It’s Time for the Single Flag System. The “two step” umpire process in team racing is a relic which leads to unnecessary confusion, creates more work for crews in the midst of tight tactical situations, and often forces umpires to “green flag” situations due to an error in procedure even though a boat has broken a rule. This status quo is good for no one. There is an easy alternative, and it has been in use in many places for some time: when there is an incident, a boat hails “protest” and displays a fl...
