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Text of Message:	Fred, Most of this makes simple sense when written down like this in a clear and logical matter; the challenge comes in the interpretation of what the rule implies in terms of practical application e.g. the other skipper may know the rule but will they apply it correctly in the current situation? Here are a couple of examples that spring to mind with regard to application: 1/ You may be on starboard tack when approached by another boat on port tack which does not appear to be taking avoiding action. You yell "Starboard" to them and they look across to you, but take no obvious action. What do you do next, stand-on because you have right of way, or take avoiding action? 2/ You are on port tack, approaching a boat on starboard tack, and you think that you will just cross to their rear. As you close on them you see them become agitated and start yelling "starboard" at you. You still think you will clear, but are you obliged to indicate your expected non-collision to meet their comfort level, otherwise you are at risk of having forced them to change course. 3/ (remembering a recently race!...) You are all bunched at the start when the wind dies and there is a strong tide. While all boats are being carried by the tide you are slowly closing on a "leeward" boat. What are your responsibilties to avoid a collisions and what are the other boats? I guess the point I'm trying to make above is that knowing and understanding is one thing, consistent and correct interpretation is another!
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Replying to:	The Rules of Sailing Many of the bigger club conduct ‘Information Nights’ on the “Rules” in an effort to educate and keep their members up to date with the latest changes. Our club is too small for this so I purpose that we use this open forum discussion tool to achieve the same result from the comfort of your own home. To get the ball rolling I’ve started a thread titled the “Rules of Sailing” in the hope that this will generate a vigorous discussion There are rules that apply when you are sailing a boat, just as there are rules for driving a car on a public road. However, you must have a licence to drive a car and before you receive the licence, you must pass a knowledge test on the Rules of the Road. The major difference between driving a car and sailing a boat is that you are not required to have a licence to sail a boat and therefore you are not required to undergo any knowledge test. Therefore there is no guarantee that either you or the skipper of another boat, that you might encounter, knows what rules apply. A good example of this situation is when a person hires a houseboat on the Hawkesbury River they are not required to be licensed and are only given basic instructions on the operation of the houseboat. To my knowledge they are not given any instructions on the general rules of boating, nor are they given any knowledge test on these rules. An exception to this is when you are the skipper of any vessel under motor and are travelling at a speed greater than 10 knots, then you are required to hold a boating licence and pass a knowledge test on the boating rules. So what does this all mean to you? Well at the very least you should be aware of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (IRPCS for short) as set out in the NSW Maritime Boating Handbook. There is a link to the NSW Maritime site on the member’s page that will take you straight to the boating handbook. It is of paramount importance to remember that the “Rules & Regulations” set out in this handbook apply to ALL boats at ALL times and are the only ones that will be considered should you be unfortunate enough to have a ‘reportable incident’ whilst boating. Secondly, while you are participating in any racing conducted by the Hawkesbury River Sailing Club, you are required to sail your boat in accordance with the Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS for short) as prescribed by Yachting Australia. Our Club has two copies of these rules and they are available to be borrowed at any time for reference. Another important thing to remember is that these “rules” support the IRPCS rules but can never supersede them. Whilst adding to the safety aspect of racing, their main purpose is to provide a method of dispute resolution between two boats where one of the boats feels his tactical position in a race was jeopardised by an infringement of a racing rule on the part of the other boat. They are only applicable to boats racing in the same fleet and have no bearing on boats not racing or any other boats in the area. Another big difference between the IRPCS and the Racing Rules of Sailing is that the IRPCS are enforceable by law whereas the RRS have no legal implications, however practically every sailing club adopts them as the rules for their club racing program. Thirdly, there are the club’s local rules, which come in the form of the HRSC Sailing Instructions. These are meant to cover ‘local’ conditions and things that are specific to the Club. Once again these rules apply to boats racing in the HRSC fleet. A copy of these sailing instructions is available as a PDF document on the Member’s page. Disclaimer: The comments above are my opinions only and put up promote a healthy discussion on what I feel is a very important topic. Hopefully it will prompt others, who may have a greater knowledge of the subject to step forward and give an opinion. Certainly I hope it will help all of us get a better understanding of ‘The Rules’ governing our great sport of sailing.