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**Introduction to Sailboat Racing**
Published 2023-06-17; Updated 2023-08-29
The joke definition of a race is "any two sailboats on the same body of water," and it is true enough--most sailors are motivated to trim their sails and squeeze out another knot of boat speed when another boat appears. That core instinct taken to the next level has given us formal sailboat racing.
Racing has many variations. However, whether sailed in professional national boats or motley club sailors on a Wednesday night, all sailboat races are governed by the racing rules of sailing (RRS) produced by World Sailing. These rules are revised every two years, and modified for particular boat classes and events. National variations are also published, for example US Sailing and Sail Canada produce their own specializations. The Rules article explains the RRS in a simplified and friendly way.
Here's a brief guide to how to get started with racing. Keep your expecations low for performance on your first few races and focus on getting comfortable with the process and meeting the other sailors. In your first season, completing several races and making some friends is a great success and it does not matter where you were ranked.
This article is intentionally oversimplified and covers the most common cases at the level you need for your first few races. The numbers in parentheses are the rules from RRS that apply, so that you can look them up to learn more.
Show up early on race day. Ask the committee if they would like help setting up the course, and watch what other sailors are doing.
Before the race, ensure that your boat is in good condition and ready to sail.
Check all safety system and equipment. That includes PFDs, sunscreen, and drinking water. Then brief your crew and make ready to sail but do not raise the sail or cast off. For one-design races that are between identical boats, ensure that your boat is class legal.
Attend the skippers' meeting on shore before the race to register, learn any special rules that the race committee is setting, and what the course is.
You may need to provide the following information about your boat:
- Name and sail number
- Skipper's name
- Number of people aboard
- Handicap PHRF or Portsmouth number (PN) if it is not a one-design race
- Length overall
For some casual race series, there is no meeting and you check in with the committee boat on the water. For particular one-design dinghy classes, the crew will also weigh in and be assigned correction weights for the boat.
If you are confused about the course, be sure to ask someone so that you can learn. But don't panic if it is confusing to remember. You are very unlikely to be in first place while racing as a beginner, so in practice can just follow the other boats when the time comes.
Sail around near the start line and stay behind it. That is downwind of the line.
The start line is usually between an anchored race committee boat and a floating anchored ball called the pin mark. The boat is at the starboard end of the line when you are facing towards the course and the pin is at the port end.
Observe the starting sequence and use it to time your start.
The race starting sequence (rule 26) is as follows:
- Rapid sequence of sound signals blown to get everyone's attention (beep beep beep beep...)
- -5 Minutes: Flag raised and one sound signal. The flag is authoritative and the sound is a courtesy.
- -4 Minutes: Second flag raised and one sound signal.
- -1 Minutes: Second flag lowered and one long sound signal.
- -0 Minutes: First flag lowered and one sound signal.
For your first races, try to cross the line shortly after the start signal and on starboard tack. Try to be near the middle of the line so that you don't have to worry about being squeezed out or figuring out which side is favored.
If there is a bad start and a recall (that is, a do-over governed by rule 29), then the committee will immediately repeat the entire process, beginning with a large number of sound signals.
!!! Warning Starting Penalty (Rule 30) If you crossed the line too early, the committee will make a sound signal and raise a flag (and potentially announce your boat name or number) after the start. If you were over too early, just stay out of everyone's way. Cross back so that your hull is completely on the pre-start side of the line, and then start again. Unless a specific flag is raised, you do not have to circle around the pin or committee boat and are not disqualified.
 Go around the marks (anchored floats) of the course, taking them all on your port side. Do not hit the marks or other boats.
Do not use artificial propulsion such as a motor, paddle, rocking your boat, or sculling with your rudder (rule 42). Beware that there are complex right of way rules at the mark that you do not yet know and conservatively give everyone lots of room.
!!! Warning Rule 31 and Part 2 Penalties If someone in another boat says "protest" or that you "fouled them" (Part 2 penalties), then stay clear of other boats and take a two-turn penalty: tack, immediately gybe, tack again, gybe again, and then continue sailing in the original direction. If you only hit a mark (rule 31), take a one-turn penalty instead.
Keep sailing until you touch the finish line.
You finish when any part of the hull crosses the line. The committee will make a sound signal when you cross. After finishing, stay clear of other boats that are still racing.
If there are a series of short races planned and you are really far behind (not just last place, but 10 minutes behind the second to last boat), consider abandoning that race to get set up in time for the next one.
Finish ranks (scores) are determined by the time at which boats crossed the finish line. If all boats are the same type then this is generally the order in which they finished.
![Tracks from 117 boats in the
2019 Draycote Dash handicap race](draycote.png width=320 attriburl="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7RPpJ0nCW0" attrib="Mozzy Sails")
If the boats are different from each other, then their measured
elapsed times (ET) will be modified based on their handicaps to
produce corrected times (CT) on which the boats are ranked. In some
cases, time penalties and compensation also will be assigned based on rule
infractions. The equations for this are given in the handicap article.
The results will be posted after the race with corrected times. Note that finishing on corrected time ahead of another boat is all that matters; how much a boat was ahead by and its absolute time to complete the course do not affect ranking.
For handicaps of common dinghies, see the single-handed and double-handed dinghy articles.
Except near marks, the main rules for when boats meet are the same as usual navigation between sailboats:
- Port tack keep clear of starboard (rule 10)
- Leeward keep clear of windward (rule 11)
- Astern keep clear of ahead (rule 12)
- Avoid collisions no matter what! (rule 14)
The major difference from normal navigation is that there is not a "stand on" and "give way" vessel. Instead, there is a vessel with the right of way that can change its course freely, and a vessel that must keep clear of it.
Before the skippers' meeting, introduce yourself to other skippers and don't be shy about sharing that you are new to racing. They will probably give you good advice! They will also likely try to avoid you on the water if practical, to give you a little more room to learn the sport without pressure.
If may initially appear that more experienced sailors are hostile towards you on the water. For example, shouting requests and commands at you from another boat (which is "hailing" and in some cases is mandated by the rules), or sailing on near-collision courses. That's the nature of racing and not anger directed at you. It only seems aggressive and personal at first because you don't yet appreciate the rules and strategy governing that situation and stumbled into their way. Think of what the experience might be for someone stepping into a competitive football or basketball game for the first time.
Boats sail very close to each other in races compared to recreational sailing. They are intended to use right of way rules and create near-collision situations to gain advantage. Simply give everyone else room early in your career as you figure things out. You'll quickly learn the rules and how to sail in the pack safely and in a sporting manner.
As you begin to learn the rules, always focus first on being a good competitor and colleague to everyone around you: your crew, the other sailors, the committee, and the support workers. Improving as a sailor is your second priority. Winning is a distant third priority.
Bring lunch for your crew, treat them with patience and respect on the water, and thank them after the race. Especially if they are your family.
Until you are in the position where you are frequently battling for first, second, or third, just follow the rules to avoid collisions. Do not aggressively use rules to disadvantage other boats. There is no point in battling for a low place and making both you and the other boat slow and frustrated. Sail fast and focus on catching up to the leaders.
By the time that you're experienced enough to be battling for a top finish, you'll have learned the etiquite and situations in which it is worthwhile to leverage technicalities and intentionally attack other boats. In the mean time, focus on learning and being the person everyone wants to sail with.
Something I greatly admire about sailboat racing as a sport are that the first three rules focus solely on safety. These are:
- A boat must render any assistance to other vessels in distress (1.1)
- A boat decides for itself whether to race and continue racing (3)
- Avoiding an imminent collision superceeds all other rules governing right of way ("imminent" can be highly subjective beforehand, but if a boat could have avoided a collision and one occurs, that boat is retroactively deemed to be at fault)
Included in the rules for individual races are further safety rules. These concern those governing PFD use, lifelines (49), staying on board (48.2), safe gear weight (50.1), radios and transponders, life rafts, and other emergency equipment.
When another boat appears to be in serious trouble (such as a damaged rig) or is capsized, other racers will ask if they need help as they pass. Boats will also keep track of each other from a distance, not just to monitor the competition, but to ensure that everyone in the race is safe. Unless everything is obviously OK, they will and must offer all assistance.
Serious accidents are rare, especially in small boats. However, in the event of danger there may be only seconds to successfully intervene for a rescue of someone who is unconscious and in the water. Even with committee and safety boats available, the other sailboats in the race are the closest help and the most likely to understand the emergency.
When the sailors of a capsized boat are alright and the race is continuing around them, the capsized boat is classified as an obstruction and everyone must both avoid it and give each other room to do so.
After your first race, watch some races online, sail many more yourself, and get comfortable with the process. Volunteer to help on the race committee. That contributes back as well as giving you an opportunity to learn and observe from a distance, without the pressure of being in the race yourself.
Skim the official rules, but for now don't get dragged into the minutae. After a few days of racing you should understand the basics and start to have questions about situations that arose on the water and rule details. At that point, move on to the rules article to learn more!
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