Use of engine due to lateness getting to start line.

[lw395]

I guess you can sum up the above responses by saying that the decision all depends on the seriousness of the racing. If it's an open IRC fleet then rules is rules. If it's a family friendly race for a fleet of NHC bilge Keeler's then it's all about letting everyone have a good time and woe betide the one miserable git who takes such issues seriously and has the nerve to put in a protest.

Not necessarily.
If you are running races where you foresee people failing to make the start on time, then you might consider putting something in the NoR and/or SIs to make it clear what is acceptable.
That is very different from one competitor being late and deciding it's OK for him to motor to the starting box.

Even if it's just the club RNLI beer race, it's better if anybody who is late getting near the line knows where they stand. If you've got more than one boat being late, you need to be sure of treating them equally.

 

[TLouth7]

On what grounds would you have sought redress? If the SIs said a 5-4-1 sequence then I'd be on the VHF when they did something different. If the SIs laid out a ten minute sequence then there's no cause for complaint. If I hadn't read the SIs...

I agree that calling the RO up is a better course of action than seeking redress afterwards, as they can just postpone (as a way of exiting the sequence) and do it again as per the SIs. I guess my reluctance to call them up stemmed from the fact that I am acutely aware that these are volunteers who I don't want to call out, and also a slight doubt on my part as to the SIs (until I can get home, check the SIs and post indignantly on forums).

I guess you can sum up the above responses by saying that the decision all depends on the seriousness of the racing. If it's an open IRC fleet then rules is rules. If it's a family friendly race for a fleet of NHC bilge Keeler's then it's all about letting everyone have a good time and woe betide the one miserable git who takes such issues seriously and has the nerve to put in a protest.

I think in casual racing there is often more of an expectation that rule-breakers will retire rather than go to protest committee, at least in clear cut cases. As a counterpoint to the idea that casual racers don't protest, we have an annual race here on the East Coast that uses pubs as marks* (so about as casual as it gets) with a proud history of protests, to the point that a reasonable proportion of the income comes from protest fees. On the other hand these have historically been unilaterally decided by the RO, and escalating to a protest hearing would probably be frowned upon.

*Fox's Two Rivers (on the 4th of August this year) - http://www.fmyc.org.uk/

 

[Deepankar Choudhury]

RRS apply from the Prep signal, usually at 4 minutes before the start, preventing use of engines from that time.

So what if somebody has not arrived at the start area, due to technical problems which take some time to resolve, then motor from their base eg a marina, to the start line and cross very much later than the fleet.

Should they:
- be ruled Did Not Start (if the race committee happen to spot them)
- Retire without starting, go home early.
- complete the course, and not declare their finish, effectively retiring.
- await a protest from other competitors.

Anything other than the above?

If you want to compete, first switch off the motor 4 moments before the beginning and cruise to the place to begin. If the motor is on after that, they don't begin the competition.
Very simple.your problem is solved.