In the report on the 2023 Vic Sabre State Championships, it was highlighted how sailing rules were regularly broken during the event. Reasons ranged from ignorance of the rules through to the ‘win at all costs’ approach, assuming that competitors wouldn’t bother protesting. Naturally this happens most often in big fleets, particularly in crowded situations such as starts and mark rounding.
It was decided to ask one of our most experienced sailors, Gary McLennan, to discuss the way the rules work, particularly as they relate to Sabres. Gary has kindly recorded a series of videos, each focusing on specific aspects of a race. The seven videos plus an introduction can be found here or can be accessed individually following the links below:
- Introduction
- Starting Rules 1
- Starting Rules 2
- Starting Rules summarised
- Upwind legs
- End of upwind legs and mark rounding
- Reaching and mark rounding
- Downwind legs and mark rounding
Watching these is a great way to spend some time over the winter days. Don’t forget to drive them home during practice and racing.