APPENDIX B - WINDSURFING COMPETITION RULES

Windsurfing competition shall be sailed under The Racing Rules of Sailing as changed by this appendix. The term ‘boat’ elsewhere in the racing rules means ‘board’ or ‘boat’ as appropriate. A windsurfing event can include one or more of the following disciplines or their formats:

In expression competition a board’s performance is judged on skill and variety rather than speed and is organized using elimination series. Either wave performance or freestyle competition is organized, depending on the wave conditions at the venue. In speed
competition, a ‘round’ consists of one or more speed runs in which the boards take turns sailing the course at intervals. In the racing discipline a marathon race is a race scheduled to last more than one hour.

In slalom racing or expression competition, ‘heat’ means one
elimination contest, a ‘round’ consists of one or more heats, and an elimination series consists of a maximum of four rounds.

B1 DEFINITIONS

B1.1 The following additional definitions apply:

Beach Start When the starting line is on the beach, or so close to the beach that the competitor must stand in the water to start, the start is a beach start.

Capsized A board is capsized when her sail or the competitor is in the water.

B1.2 The following definitions apply only to expression competition:

Coming In and Going Out A board sailing in the same direction as the incoming surf is coming in. A board sailing in the direction
opposite to the incoming surf is going out.

Jumping A board is jumping when she takes off at the top of a wave while going out.

Overtaking A board is overtaking from the moment she gains an overlap from clear astern until the moment she is clear ahead of the overtaken board.

Possession The first board sailing shoreward immediately in front of a wave has possession of that wave. However, when it is impossible to determine which board is first the windward board has
possession.

Recovering A board is recovering from the time her sail or, when water-starting, the competitor is out of the water until she has
steerage way.

Surfing A board is surfing when she is on or immediately in front of a wave while coming in.

Transition A board changing tacks, or taking off while coming in, or one that is not surfing, jumping, capsized or recovering is in
transition.

B2 RULES FOR ALL COMPETITION

B2.1 Changes to the Rules of Part 4

(a) Rule 42 is changed to ‘A board shall be propelled only by the action of the wind on the sail, by the action of the water on the hull and by the unassisted actions of the competitor.’

(b) Add to rule 43.1(a): ‘However, a competitor may wear a drinking container that shall have a capacity of at least one litre and weigh no more than 1.5 kilograms when full.’

(c) Rule 44.2 is changed so that two turns are replaced by one 360° turn with no requirement for tacks or gybes.

(d) Rules 44.3 and 44.4(a) are deleted.

(e) Add to rule 47.1: ‘except as stated in rule 41.2’. (See rule B4.4.) Rule 47.2 is deleted.

B2.2 Entry and Qualification

Add to rule 78.1: ‘When so prescribed by the ISAF, a numbered and dated device on a board and her centreboard, fin and rig shall serve as her measurement certificate.’

B2.3 Event Organization

(a) The last sentence of rule 89.2(c) is deleted.

(b) Add new rule 89.2(d): ‘Oral instructions may be given only if the procedure is stated in the sailing instructions.’

B2.4 Identification on Sails

(a) Add to rule G1.1(a): ‘The insignia shall not refer to anything other than the manufacturer or class and shall not consist of more than two letters and three numbers or an abstract design.’

(b) Rules G1.3(a), G1.3(c), G1.3(d) and G1.3(e) are changed to

The class insignia shall be displayed once on each side of the sail in the area above a line projected at right angles from a point on the luff of the sail one-third of the
distance from the head to the wishbone. The national
letters and sail numbers shall be in the central third of that part of the sail above the wishbone, clearly separated from any advertising, and placed at different heights on the
two sides of the sail, those on the starboard side being
uppermost.

B3 RULES FOR RACING COMPETITION

B3.1 When Boards Meet

(a) Rule 13 becomes rule 13.1. Add new rule 13.2:

A board gybing shall keep clear of other boards. During that time rules 10, 11 and 12 do not apply. If two boards are subject to this rule at the same time, the one on the other’s port side or the one astern shall keep clear.

(b) Rules 17, 18.2(b), 18.2(c) and 18.3 are deleted.

(c) Rule 21 becomes rule 21.1. Add new rule 21.2: ‘A capsized board shall not take an action that hinders another board.’

(d) Add new rule 22.3: ‘A board shall not sail in the course area defined in the sailing instructions when races are taking place except in her own race.’

(e) Add new rule 23:

23 SAIL OUT OF THE WATER WHEN STARTING

When approaching the starting line to start, a board shall have her sail out of the water and in a normal position,
except when accidentally capsized.

B3.2 Starting Races

The sailing instructions shall specify one of these starting systems.

(a) system 1

See rule 26, Starting Races.

(b) system 2

Races shall be started by using the following signals. Times shall be taken from the visual signals; the absence of a sound signal shall be disregarded.

Signal	Flag and sound	Minutes before starting signal
Attention	Class flag or heat number	5
	Attention signal removed	4
Warning	Red flag; 1 sound	3
	Red flag removed	2
Preparatory	Yellow flag; 1 sound	1
	Yellow flag removed	1/2
Starting	Green flag; 1 sound	0

(c) system 3 (for beach starts)

(1) Before her start each board in a heat or class shall draw a number for her station on the starting line. The stations shall be numbered so that station 1 is the most windward one.

(2) After boards have been called to take their positions, the race committee shall make the preparatory signal by
displaying a red flag with one sound. The starting signal shall be made, at any time after the preparatory signal, by
removing the red flag with one sound.

(3) After the starting signal each board shall take the shortest route from her starting station to her windsurfing position in the water (with both of the competitor’s feet on the board).

B3.3 Other Rules for the Conduct of a Race

(a) Add new rule 29.3:

29.3 Recall for a Slalom Race

(a) When at a board’s starting signal for a slalom race or heat any part of her hull, crew or equipment is on the course side of the starting line, the race committee shall signal a general recall.

(b) If the race committee acts under rule 29.3(a) and the board is identified, she shall be disqualified without a hearing, even if the race or heat is postponed or abandoned. The race committee shall hail or display her sail number, and she shall leave the course
area immediately. If the race or heat is restarted or
resailed, she shall not sail in it.

(b) Change rule 31 to ‘A board may touch a mark but shall not hold on to it.’

B4 RULES FOR EXPRESSION COMPETITION

B4.1 Right-of-Way Rules

These rules replace all rules of Part 2.

(a) coming in and going out

A board coming in shall keep clear of a board going out. When two boards are going out or coming in while on the same wave, or when neither is going out or coming in, the board on port tack shall keep clear of the one on starboard tack.

(b) boards on the same wave, coming in

When two or more boards are on a wave coming in, a board that does not have possession shall keep clear.

(c) clear astern, clear ahead and overtaking

A board clear astern and not on a wave shall keep clear of a board clear ahead. An overtaking board that is not on a wave shall keep clear.

(d) transition

A board in transition shall keep clear of one that is not. When two boards are in transition at the same time, the one on the other’s port side or the one astern shall keep clear.

B4.2 Starting and Ending Heats

Heats shall be started and ended by using the following signals:

(a) starting a heat

Each flag shall be removed when the next flag is displayed.

Signal	Flag and sound	Minutes before starting signal
Attention	Heat number	3
Warning	Red flag; 1 sound	2
Preparatory	Yellow flag; 1 sound	1
Starting	Green flag; 1 sound	0

(b) ending a heat

Signal	Flag and sound	Minutes before ending signal
End warning	Green flag removed; 1 sound	1
Ending	Red flag; 1 sound	0

B4.3 Registration of Sails; Course Area; Heat Duration

(a) Boards shall register with the race committee the colours and other particulars of their sails, or their identification according to another method stated in the sailing instructions, no later than the starting signal for the heat two heats before their own.

(b) The course area shall be defined in the sailing instructions and posted on the official notice board not later than 30 minutes
before the starting signal for the first heat. A board shall be scored only while sailing in the course area.

(c) Any change in heat duration shall be announced by the race committee not later than fifteen minutes before the starting
signal for the first heat in the next round.

B4.4 Outside Help

Rule 41 becomes rule 41.1. Add new rule 41.2:

An assistant may provide replacement equipment to a board but shall keep clear of other boards competing. A board whose assistant fails to keep clear shall be penalized. The penalty shall be at the discretion of the protest committee.

B5 ELIMINATION SERIES FOR SLALOM RACING AND EXPRESSION COMPETITION

Rules B5.1–B5.5 apply to slalom racing or expression competition organized by using elimination series in which boards compete in heats.

B5.1 Elimination Series Procedure

(a) Competition shall take the form of one or more elimination series. Each of them shall consist of either a maximum of four rounds in a single elimination series where only a number of the best scorers advance, or a maximum of ten rounds in a
double elimination series where boards have more than one
opportunity to advance.

(b) Boards shall sail one against another in pairs, or in groups determined by the elimination ladder. The selected form of competition shall not be changed while a round remains
uncompleted.

B5.2 Seeding and Ranking Lists

(a) When a seeding or ranking list is used to establish the heats of the first round, places 1–8 (four heats) or 1–16 (eight heats) shall be distributed evenly among the heats.

(b) For a subsequent elimination series, if any, boards shall be reassigned to new heats according to a seeding list based on the current overall standings.

(c) The organizing authority’s seeding decisions are final and are not grounds for a request for redress.

B5.3 Heat Schedule

The schedule of heats shall be posted on the official notice board not later than 30 minutes before the starting signal for the first heat.

B5.4 Advancement and Byes

(a) In slalom racing and freestyle competition, the boards in each heat to advance to the next round shall be announced by the race committee not later than 30 minutes before the starting signal for the first heat. The number advancing may be changed by the protest committee as a result of a redress
decision.

(b) In expression competition, any first-round byes shall be
assigned to the highest-seeded boards.

(c) In wave performance competition, only the winner of each heat shall advance to the next round.

(d) In freestyle competition, boards shall advance to the next round as follows: from an eight-board heat, the best four advance, and the winner will sail against the fourth and the second against the third; from a four-board heat, the best two advance and will sail against each other.

B5.5 Finals

(a) The final shall consist of a maximum of three races. The race committee shall announce the number of races to be sailed in the final not later than five minutes before the warning signal for the first final race.

(b) A runners-up final may be sailed after the final. All boards
in the semifinal heats that failed to qualify for the final may
compete in it.

B6 RULES FOR SPEED COMPETITION

B6.1 General Rules

All rules of Part 2 are replaced by relevant parts of this rule.

(a) beach and water starting

A board shall not beach start or water start on the course or in the starting area, except to sail off the course to avoid boards that are starting or racing.

(b) leaving the course area

A board leaving the course area shall keep clear of boards racing.

(c) course control

When the race committee points an orange flag at a board, she shall immediately leave the course area.

(d) returning to the starting area

A board returning to the starting area shall keep clear of the course.

(e) run; round

The maximum number of runs to be made by each board in a round shall be announced by the race committee not later than 30 minutes before the starting signal for the first round.

(f) duration of a round

The duration of a round shall be announced by the race
committee not later than 30 minutes before the starting signal for the next round.

(g) conditions for establishing a record

The minimum distance for a world record is 500 metres. Other records may be established over shorter distances. The course shall be defined by posts and transits ashore or by buoys afloat. Transits shall not converge.

B6.2 Starting System for Speed Competition

Rounds shall be started and ended by using the following signals. Each flag shall be removed when the next flag is displayed.

(a) starting a round

Signal	Flag	Meaning
Stand-by	Red flag	Course closed
Course closed	AP and red flag	Course closed; will open shortly
Preparatory	Yellow flag	Course will open in 5 minutes
Starting	Green flag	Course is open

(b) ending a round

Signal	Flag	Meaning
End warning	Green and yellow flag	Course will be closed in 5 minutes
Extension	Green flag and L	Current round extended by 15 minutes
Round ended	Red flag and L	A new round will be started shortly

B6.3 Penalties

(a) If a board fails to comply with a warning by the race committee, she may be cautioned and her sail number shall be posted on a notice board near the finishing line.

(b) If a board is cautioned a second time during the same round, she shall be suspended by the race committee from the remainder of the round and her sail number shall be posted on the
official notice board.

(c) A board observed in the course area while suspended shall be disqualified from the competition without a hearing and none of her previous times or results shall be valid.

(d) Any breach of the verification rules may result in a suspension from the competition for any period.

B6.4 Verification

(a) An observer appointed by the World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC) shall be present and verify run times and speeds at world record attempts. The race committee shall
verify run times and speeds at other record attempts.

(b) A competitor shall not enter the timing control area or discuss any timing matter directly with the timing organization. Any timing question shall be directed to the race committee.

B7 PROTESTS, REDRESS, HEARINGS AND APPEALS

B7.1 (a) Add after the third sentence of rule 61.1(a): ‘She shall inform the race committee of her intention to protest immediately after she finishes or retires.’

(b) Rule 61.2 is retitled rule 61.2(a), Course and Marathon Racing. Add new rule 61.2(b):

slalom racing and other disciplines

A protest shall be made orally immediately following the heat in which the incident occurred.

B7.2 Add new rule 62.1(e): ‘a board that failed to keep clear and retired or was penalized.’

B7.3 In rule 62.2, after ‘writing’ add: ‘except in an elimination series’.

B7.4 Rule 63.2 becomes rule 63.2(a). Add new rule 63.2(b): ‘In an elimination series, the protest committee may hear a protest on the beach or water immediately after the heat.’

B7.5 Begin rule 65.2 with the addition ‘Except in an elimination series’.

B7.6 Rule 67 is deleted.

B7.7 Add new rule 70.6: ‘Appeals are not permitted in slalom racing and expression competition.’

B8 SCORING

B8.1 Overall Scores

If an event includes more than one discipline or format the sailing instructions shall state how the overall score is to be calculated.

B8.2 Series Scores

Rule A2 is changed to

Each board’s series score shall be the total of her race, elimination series or speed round scores with the number of her worst scores excluded as follows:

Course races, speed rounds	Slalom and expression elimination series	Number excluded
1–3	1–2	0
4–6	3–4	1
7–10	5–7	2
11–15	8 or more	3
16 or more		4

If a board has two or more equal worst scores, the score(s) for the race(s) sailed earliest in the series shall be excluded. The board with the lowest series score wins and others shall be ranked accordingly. Rules B8.5, B8.6 and B8.7 contain exceptions to this rule.

B8.3 Scoring Systems

(a) Rule A4 is retitled ‘Low Point and Alternative Systems’ and its preamble is deleted. Rule A4.1 is changed to

Each board starting and finishing and not thereafter
retiring, being penalized or given redress shall be scored points as follows:

Finishing place	Low Point System	Alternative System
First	1	0.7
Second	2	2
Third	3	3
Each place thereafter	Add 1 point	Add 1 point

(b) Add to the end of the first sentence of rule A4.2: ‘or, in an elimination series, the number of boards in that heat’.

B8.4 Uncompleted Heat

When a heat cannot be completed, the points for the unscored places shall be added together and divided by the number of places in that heat. The resulting number of points, to the nearest tenth of a point (0.05 to be rounded upward), shall be given to each board entered in the heat.

B8.5 Scoring a Final Series in Slalom

(a) If three final races are completed, a board’s series score in the final shall be the total of her race scores excluding her worst score. Otherwise her series score shall be the total of her race scores.

(b) A board that did not start, did not finish, retired after finishing or was disqualified from a final race shall be scored points equal to the total number of boards entered in the final.

B8.6 Expression Competition Scoring

(a) Expression competition shall be scored by a panel of three judges. However, the panel may have a greater odd number of members, and there may be two such panels. Each judge shall give points for each manoeuvre based on the scale stated in the sailing instructions.

(b) The criteria of scoring shall be decided by the race committee and announced on the official notice board not later than 30 minutes before the starting signal for the first heat.

(c) A board’s heat standing shall be determined by adding together the points given by each judge. The board with the highest score wins and others shall be ranked accordingly.

(d) Both semifinal heats shall have been sailed for an elimination series to be valid.

(e) Except for members of the race committee responsible for scoring the event, only competitors in the heat shall be allowed to see judges’ score sheets for the heat. Each score sheet shall bear the full name of the judge.

(f) Scoring decisions of the judges shall not be grounds for a request for redress by a board.

B8.7 Speed Competition

The speeds of a board’s fastest two runs in a round shall be averaged to determine her standing in that round. The board with the highest average wins and others shall be ranked accordingly.

B8.8 Series Ties

(a) racing and speed competition

Rule A8 is changed as follows for racing and speed competition:

(1) Add new rule A8.1: ‘If there is a series score tie between two or more boards, it shall be broken in favour of the board(s) with the best single excluded race score(s).’

(2) Rule A8.1 becomes rule A8.2. Its beginning ‘If there is a series score tie’ is changed to ‘If a tie remains’ and its last sentence is changed to ‘These scores shall be used even if some of them are excluded scores.’

(3) Rule A8.2 becomes rule A8.3 and its beginning ‘If a tie remains’ is changed to ‘If a tie still remains’.

(b) expression competition

Rule A8 is changed as follows for expression competition:

(1) In a heat, if there is a tie in the total points given by one
or more judges, it shall be broken in favour of the board with the higher single score in the priority category. If the
categories are weighted equally, in wave performance competition the tie shall be broken in favour of the board with the higher single score in wave riding, and in freestyle competition in favour of the board with the higher score for overall impression. If a tie remains, in wave
performance competition it shall be broken in favour of the board with the higher single score in the category without priority, and in freestyle competition it shall stand as the final result.

(2) If there is a tie in the series score, it shall be broken in
favour of the board that scored better more times than the other board. All scores shall be used even if some of them are excluded scores.

(3) If a tie still remains, the heat shall be resailed. If this is not possible, the tie shall stand as the final result.