RYAN KIRK PROTEST

[sabre_admin]

A few people have queried me for the actions I took in a protest against me by Ryan Kirk at the Nationals at Cleveland. The facts of the case were that I could see Ryan coming from behind in a big puff of wind heading for the inside between me and the mark, having entered the two boat length circle i called buoy room but did not really consider what other options Ryan had. As a result Ryan hit the mark did a 360 then protested me when he returned to the beach. Fortunately for me his witness agreed with my version of events that I was well inside the circle when I was overlapped. Well I have been queried by many that if I was so sure of my position why I did not protest Ryan. Well to be honest I was surprised to be protested and at the time I just put it down to a quick misjudgement on Ryan’s part, no damage was done and lets get on with the racing. It was also past experience that when you decide to protest your concentration on sailing the rest of the race is distracted. Yeah ok in a pure sailing terms I got it wrong -there i said it- but it gets down to in 1986 when I switched from Middle distance running to Sabres I was in the top ten 800 metre runners in the state, but even though I was at the back of the fleet I was having a ball, track and field had become a bore, guess I will chuck in sabres when like middle distance running is just is not any fun anymore

[lamarstrehlow74]

Hi Peter
I don’t know either yourself or Ryan personally so i feel able to comment from a distance. There is nothing in the rules which says you have to protest even when you are sure you were in the right. By your account it sounds like you weren’t disadvantaged at the time of incident so it seems I would be with you in not worrying to protest especially as the other party accepted fault by taking a penalty for hitting the mark at time of incident.
Hope you continue to see the fun side of sailing.
Cheers
matt
1697
Zahir.

[syreetanajera]

I agree with Zahir in that as Ryan took a penalty for what he did, you had no reason to lodge a protest. However on the matter of there being:

“nothing in the rules which says you have to protest even when you are sure you were in the right”

Rule 60.1 says:

A boat may

(a) protest another boat, but not for an alleged breach of a rule of
Part 2 unless she was involved in or saw the incident;

This means that if someone else sees an incident where no penalty is taken or protest lodged by one of the parties involved, then the third-pary may lodge a protest. The implication of this is that if you are in the right you must state your intent to protest at the time if the offending boat does not take a penalty or retire. If you don’t do this you risk being dragged into a protest anyway.

As an aside, in the incident as described, if Ryan is heading to pass inside you it would not be you calling for bouy room, but him. You would be calling “No bouy room” once the 2-boat-length distance was reached. This is often worth calling, even if a boat hasn’t asked for bouy room as it clarifies the situation.

Andrew.

[sabre_admin]

Like to thank those people for the interest they have taken in this protest I value all your comments – by the way i actually did call no buoy room not buoy room- I did not know Ryan a young enthusiastic queensland sabre sailor prior to the incident , unlike many protest where the protest leads to estrangement beteen the parties for the rest of the regatta we became friends wishing each other well before each race

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