2022 Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions
Updates and changes to the Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS) have followed the normal four year cycle and RRS 2021 – 2024 are now in force and available from the RYA shop or World Sailing website. One of the changes is a significantly increased emphasis on the importance of the Notice of Race (NoR) and this, perhaps, needs a bit of explanation.
RRS 25.1 states that “The notice of race shall be made available to each boat that enters an event before she enters”. The thinking being that the NoR should give all necessary information about the event (this can be a single race, open meeting, championship or a Club series) to enable sailors to make an informed decision about entering the event. The RYA are suggesting that the NoR forms the basis of a contract between the organising authority and the competitor.
As a result, the BSC 2021 Season NoR has been re-written which, in turn, has required a review of the Sailing Instructions. It should be remembered that all sailing races regardless of the class or size of boat, nature of the event or location are governed by the RRS and whilst these can be confusing at best, all sailors should have a basic knowledge of the essential rules. The NoR and SI’s concentrate on event specific information, local requirements or any changes to the RRS where allowed.
All members who intend to sail are strongly advised to read both documents before registering their boat for the 2022 season.
Notice of Race