Posted by: JimLange  read more »

This is part two of the Submissions to be decided on at the ISAF Annual conference in November in Madrid, Spain. All submission this time are about the Racing Rules en Calls. Submission 146-08 Pumping the Sails to clarify the rules regarding the number of times you may pull the sails and how Submission 147-08 To clarify the interpretation in Rule 89.1 of a class association Submission 148-08 Changing rule 50.4 to give a more practical distinction between a Headsail and a Spinnaker (Headsail Definition) Submission 149-08 Windsurfing; Housekeeping changes in Appendix B and introduction of other courses Submission 151-08 RRS, New Case; Discussion of the terms original race, rescheduled race, restarted race and resailed race , the application of rules 30.2, 30.3 and 36 to races that are restarted or resailed. Submission 152-08 RRS, New Case; When a boat sails the wrong course, another boat may decide to protest her when the course error is made, or when she finishes or at any time in-between. She must then be informed of the intention to protest at the first reasonable opportunity. Submission 153-08 RRS, New Case; It is a proper action of the race committee to penalize a boat for breaking rule 30.2 or disqualify her for breaking rule 30.3, even if, before a starting sequence was begun, the race was postponed or if, during another attempted start of the same race, a postponement or abandonment was signaled before the starting signal. Submission 154-08 RRS, Amendment to Case 78; When a boat is protested for positioning herself in a tactically controlling position over another boat and then slowing that boats progress so that other boats pass both of them, she must, to avoid being penalized for breaking rule 2, satisfy the protest committee that her controlling tactic had a reasonable chance of benefiting her series result. However, if she intentionally breaks a rule to increase the likelihood of the tactic succeeding, she also breaks rule 2. The last submission is an amendment and adding to case 78. In 2005, Submission 154-05 was submitted proposing a substantial revision in Case 78. The Racing Rules Committee recommended to Council that the submission be deferred and that the Case Book Working Party resubmit it with revised wording, including an added statement to the effect that the protest committee must be satisfied that the tactics of a boat had a reasonable chance of benefiting her series score. Council accepted the committees recommendation. This submission is made in response to that recommendation. The case has been expanded to cover some of the issues covered in ISAF Q&A 07-008. The Medal Races in Qingdao have put this case back on the front page. I hope it will not take another three years to get it in the Call book. The final part in this series of posts about submission, will be about Match Race and Team Race calls. Scheduled posting is next Tuesday. .  read more »

I’m looking south toward the Narrows from a 23rd floor in Battery Park City while fog tries to squeeze under the VZ Bridge. One day last year down by the Narrows without my camera, I watched a container ship disappear into a fog bank like this. If I’d had the camera, I could have posted [...]

The extraordinary political chaos and financial meltdown yesterday got me thinking about two scenes from the film "Master and Commander".

The first is not in a storm as you might expect but in the comfort of the rear cabin as Captain Jack Aubrey entertains his senior offices to dinner. He poses a puzzle to his friend and ship's surgeon Dr Stephen Maturin.  read more »

Most of us sail in and out of our home port with little concern about the depth of water, more worried about avoiding commercial shipping and fishing boats. What happens when we go cruising along an unfamiliar coastline, where the entrance to our selected haven is protected by a bar?

Another of the before and after pictures I'm so fond of.

The top image shows the platform after the corner was crushed by the Humber Star.

The bottom shows it after the new woodwork was completed last weekend.

I know it's taken months to get this done, but the weather and all sorts of factors has caused no end of delays.

Now though, I'll be able to fetch water and work alongside again.  read more »

Motor cruiser delivery skipper fined for navigation error in Dover Straits