Learning the RRS

[BelleSerene]

What's the best source to learn the Racing Rules of Sailing please?

If I had the time I could make a study of it, and I can see there'd be beauty in how the rules fit together. But I don't. So where to turn?

 

[wotayottie]

There are a number of self help sites on the www, but learning the rules is like learning colregs - a boring exercise in legalistic gobbledegook where there is no real alternative but hard study.

Memorise one rule per day, every day

 

[VicS]

What's the best source to learn the Racing Rules of Sailing please?

If I had the time I could make a study of it, and I can see there'd be beauty in how the rules fit together. But I don't. So where to turn?

I suppose start by downloading the rules from the ISAF website

 

[john_morris_uk]

The standard text for many professional seafarers is 'A Seamans Guide to the Rule of the Road'. It's a graduated learning process chapter by chapter. Read it through and you will learn the lot..

 

[awol]

Once you have downloaded, read and understood the rules, and don't go for an old copy, they change every 4 years, then there are a variety of books on their application. One free source was the sailmakers "UK Halsey" with their rules quiz though this no longer appears to be free - they do have a blog on the rules which might do more to put you off.
As for beauty, it is in the eye of the beholder. The rules start from the basic priorities of starboard over port, windward over leeward and inside boat at a mark and then try to close all the loopholes. They can be used as a sword or as a shield and I prefer not to sail with those who espouse the former.

 

[st599]

The standard text for many professional seafarers is 'A Seamans Guide to the Rule of the Road'. It's a graduated learning process chapter by chapter. Read it through and you will learn the lot..

wrong rules.

 

[st599]

Go on an RYA Club Race Officer course.

 

[TangaraToo]

For a quick intro try here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWHf42toTkU

 

[nickd]

In would recommend The-Rules-Book-Complete-2013-2016 by Eric Twinname and Bryan Willis
A full set of rules but with each one explained with a series of diagrams

 

[john_morris_uk]

wrong rules.

My apologies. I am trying to read this off my phone and I didn't notice he wanted the racing rules. I'm in the corner doing press-ups.

 

[BelleSerene]

The standard text for many professional seafarers is 'A Seamans Guide to the Rule of the Road'. It's a graduated learning process chapter by chapter. Read it through and you will learn the lot..

Thank you John. I think thought that that's a guide to the colregs. If you start racing by the colregs alone you'll get into all sorts of trouble.

 

[Yacht Yogi]

Just reading them won't be enough for you to put them into practice in a race. You need to get out there and see what they look like from the water and boat-to-boat not a stationary plan view on a piece of paper. There are many collisions each year in places like the Round The Island race and local round-the-cans where a skipper makes the wrong decision in a quickly developing situation. You should try to go out with the race committee to watch starts and finishes and to understand the course. You could go out on other peoples boats to see what they're doing. The traditional way is to learn in dinghies where the boat-on-boat situations come thick and fast and the consequences of a mistake are not too serious.

I really hope I don't meet you out racing if you've only read about it in a book and don't know how to apply it in a hurry and get it right (nearly) every time!

Other than that...have fun!

C

 

[BelleSerene]

Just reading them won't be enough for you to put them into practice in a race... I really hope I don't meet you out racing if you've only read about it in a book and don't know how to apply it in a hurry and get it right (nearly) every time!

Other than that...have fun!

C

Thanks! Don't worry, you won't: I have far more experience practising it for real than reading about it in any book! But I'm very aware of what I don't know, hence my question.

 

[wooslehunter]

Take it a bit at a time.

Learn about port-starboard & windward-leeward. This is basic IRPCS stuff. Now learn the basics of starts & mark rounding.

Now go racing & don't mix it. Starts are the most busy so hang back a bit & watch the others. See port tacked boats tack or dip starboard tacked boats. Yachts will often tack fast onto starboard to force a port tacked one to avoid. See leeward boats luff windward ones. Once you've seen how boats will agressively defend or attack, then you'll be a bit more prepared to expect it to happen to you when you do start to mix it.

Watch what happens at marks, how overlaps develop & cause boats ahead to give way or not.

If you see something strange, look it up later & try to see which rule applies. Don't assume everyone knows the rules. Some will try to push a rule that doesn't apply.

Bear in mind the IRPCS always apply. Just because you're racing, you have no special rights over non racing boats.

Have fun.

 

[stephenh]

Years ago the Island Saing Club in Cowes used to have copies of the Racing Rules , tied with a pieces of string so that they couldn't be taken away, in each of their lavatories ( m + f) - I haven't been there for a long time, do they still do this ?

You could follow their example.........