ILCA and the start.
What do we look for?
1. Sculling
2. Crabbing
3. Rock
4. Roll
5. Body pumping after start (not considered here)
6. Luff and bear way.
1. Sculling.
This is a repeated movement of the helm that is either forceful or that propels the boat forward or prevents it from moving astern.
a. Either side of the centre to propel forwards. PROHIBITED
b. To one side to get to close hauled (on either tack) ALLOWED
c. Continuing from above to below close-hauled, either to get to the start position to rock or to pass behind the next boat. PROHIBITED.
2. Crabbing
a. Backing the sail with offset sculling PROHIBITED
b. Backing the sail no sculling. ALLOWED.
c. Leaning on the boom to back the sail to crab, ALLOWED
In the above, you will initially see the centreboard raised. At the end of the crabbing, the centreboard is slammed down to push the bow back so no sculling is required. ALLOWED. The question is, if this fails, how soon will sculling be allowed and not considered offset sculling?
3. Rock
a. There is no such thing as one allowed rock at the start. Most boats in the “Trigger” probably break the rule.
b. We as judges have to be consistent and only penalise when we have facts not suppositions. As we generally approach from behind at the start, we cannot be sure if the boat accelerates or later slows. We cannot, therefore, penalise. This does allow the “trigger” generally, but if we were looking sideways, not ahead, we could possibly see a breach. Would this be fair, though?
c. What we can do is count, so if we see a second rock, this is a roll, and it's prohibited, we penalise.
7. Luff and bear away
This is especially common in Optis and boats with a large rudder, not so much in the ILCA. The boat gets to head to wind or even passes it to tack and close the gap to windward. It then skulls back to close hauled on starboard ALLOWED.
It then puts the helm down (not forcefully) to go back to head to wind, then skulls back to a close-hauled course. And repeats. ALLOWED.
The luff is not sculling, as it is not forceful, and the guidance allows sculling to close-hauled this applies even if repeated..
Not covered.
1. Body pumping
2. Repeatedly changing course when there are no waves, which to me is rolling, and I penalise.
For another day. Mike Butterfield IU IJ IRO GBR
Many thanks for this useful guide. I would suit is valid for other similar classes such as Europe and Topper?
> We as judges have to be consistent and only penalise when we have facts not suppositions. ... We cannot, therefore, penalise.
> This does allow the “trigger” generally,
This is a problem though isn't it. If there's illegal propulsion that is widely coached and cannot be enforced then the rules are a mess. Especially as if any set of judges were to position themselves to enforce the rule and probably DSQ half the fleet it would probably be resented rather than welcomed.
This inconsistency makes training young sailors a bit difficult, sometimes. At a recent match-race regatta conducted in Thistles (The Larry Klein Regatta at MBYC), a High School sailor competing against adults, who won every race and the regatta, nearly got DSQed in his last race because his team gybed around the last mark and came out with a ridiculous amount of speed. My co-umpire in the boat was reaching for he flag, but decided it wouldn't affect anything. He was already so far out in front. It might have been better for him to take the DSQ in the long run.
Is it because the boat accelerates temporarily to a speed that's than baseline upwind speed, or something else?