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23 March 2007

RYA Rules Disputes Training

RULES DISPUTES

How can we improve rules observance in racing?

How can we improve rules knowledge?

How can we resolve protests more quickly?

The RYA has addressed this with a new Rules Disputes procedure, explained in a leaflet at: www.rya.org.uk/KnowledgeBase/racingrules/bestpractices.htm

The main elements are as follows:

· There is a new 20% place penalty – the Exoneration Penalty – which can be accepted after coming ashore

· When no protest is being lodged, a competitor can ask for an Advisory Hearing with a Rules Advisor that formalises the type of discussion that often occurs anyway after racing, arising from which a boat might agree to take an Exoneration Penalty

· When a protest is being lodged for an uncomplicated incident, it is decided promptly by RYA Arbitration run by a single Rules Advisor, whose power to penalize is limited to offering an Exoneration Penalty. If this is accepted, it resolves the matter, if not it goes to a full protest hearing with the normal possibility of disqualification.

· The RYA protest form on the RYA Website has been modified to deal with Arbitration.

To bring this into force:

· It must be provided for in the Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions

· The Club or event must have one or more Rules Advisors ready to handle rules disputes after racing

To help this process, the RYA offers a day’s training at a local venue for potential Rules Advisors. This is not a formal qualification, and the decision as to who shall be a Club’s Rules Advisor(s) is purely for the Club. The course is aimed at (a) the process of running an advisory hearing or an arbitration hearing, and (b) the techniques of ‘finding facts’ – establishing what happened. It cannot hope to teach the rules themselves, although there is plenty of practical work to get experience of applying the rules to the facts.

The ideal arrangement is a course at one club attended by members of local clubs – between 10 and 20 people is a good figure to work for. The expenses of the presenter are met by the RYA. A screen and Powerpoint projector are needed, but the latter may be available on loan from the RYA.

Courses in our area will be run or arranged by our Regional Rules Advisor, who is Terence Brownrigg. If there is sufficient demand, a course will be run at the Royal Northern & Clyde Yacht Club, Rhu, on Saturday 14th April.

Registration will be from 1000 to 1030 and the course should finish about 1600. The fee for the course, which will include coffee and tea breaks and a soup and sandwich lunch, is £25. If you wish to attend, please email terence@rncyc.com prior to Wednesday 11th April.

The course will only be run if there is a minimum of 12 people. No formal qualification is essential, but a reasonable knowledge of the Racing Rules is necessary. It is appreciated that this is short notice but it will still give clubs time to include this new RYA initiative in their 2007 Sailing Instructions.