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Rules Seminar Packs Corinthian YC

Saturday had to be one of the nicest days of this young year, yet about 90 of the Bay’s most ardent racers chose to spend it in the Corinthian YC ballroom — with every window shade drawn, and not a beer in sight. What would possess them to do that? A North U. Racing Rules of Sailing Seminar led by Brad Dellenbaugh.

With a revised set of the Racing Rules of Sailing having gone into effect on January 1, we felt that it was a perfect chance to brush up on the basics as well as get a more in-depth understanding of the changes in this edition. We were pleasantly surprised to arrive and find so many people at the event — it quickly became evident that there was a cross-section of Bay Area sailing represented in the audience, with fleet members from BAMA, WBRA, OYRA, J/105, Melges 24, and IRC fleets among others. Given the range of questions Dellenbaugh fielded, it was apparent that there was also a cross-section of experience levels, from globe-girdling hired guns like Huntington Beach’s Mark Ivey, to Big Boat Series division winners like Richmond YC’s Brad Copper, to people who sail local club events only. This was really encouraging — better rules knowledge leads to better and safer sailing, and it’s not the sole province of grand-prix and Olympic sailors

There aren’t many people who can actually be called ‘rules gurus’, but Dellenbaugh, who served as the chief umpire for the 2007 America’s Cup, fits in that category. But to say that the current sailing director of the New York YC, ‘wrote the book’ on the racing rules would be wrong — he actually illustrated Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing Through 2012.

Now you may be wondering what’s the point of attending a seminar like this. After all, you can learn the rules just by reading them in the rule book, right? Yes. . . but in this setting, you actually get a chance to better explore the tactical implications of the rules changes to them. If you have the opportunity to attend one, seize it — you won’t be disappointed.

We don’t have enough space to go into what we learned on Saturday, but thankfully, there are some free resources that go into the changes for 2009-2012. First up, Dave Perry, author for Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing Through 2012 has an explanation at www.sailingscuttlebutt.com. And over at www.sailgroove.com, there are explanations and rules teaching tips. Take the time to check this stuff out because, while it seems the revisions aren’t very big, there are some "game-changers," and you don’t want to be caught quoting obsolete rules either on the race course or in the protest room, as Max Ebb did in the January issue of Latitude.

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