The Racing Rules of Sailing includes two main sections.
The first, Parts 1–7, contains rules that affect all competitors. The second,
Appendices A–P, provides details of rules, rules that apply to
particular kinds of racing, and rules that affect only a small number of competitors
or officials.
Revision The racing rules are revised and published
every four years by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF), the international
authority for the sport. This edition becomes effective on 1 January 2009 except
that for an event beginning in 2008 the date may be postponed by the notice
of race and sailing instructions.
Marginal markings indicate important changes to Parts 1–7 and the Definitions
of the 2005–2008 edition. No changes are contemplated before 2013, but
any changes determined to be urgent before then will be announced through national
authorities and posted on the ISAF website (www.sailing.org).
ISAF Codes The ISAF Eligibility, Advertising, Anti-Doping
and Sailor Classification Codes (Regulations 19, 20, 21 and 22) are referred
to in the definition Rule but are not included in this book because they can
be changed at any time. The most recent versions of the codes are available
on the ISAF website; new versions will be announced through national authorities.
Cases and Calls The ISAF publishes interpretations of
the racing rules in The Case Book for 2009–2012 and recognizes them as
authoritative interpretations and explanations of the rules. It also publishes
The Call Book for Match Racing for 2009–2012 and The Call Book for Team
Racing for 2009–2012, and it recognizes them as authoritative only for
umpired match or team racing. These publica-tions are available on the ISAF
website.
Terminology A term used in the sense stated in the Definitions
is printed in italics or, in preambles, in bold italics (for example, racing
and racing). ‘Racing rule’ means a rule in The Racing Rules of Sailing.
‘Boat’ means a sailboat and the crew on board. ‘Race committee’
includes any person or committee performing a race committee function. A ‘change’
to a rule includes an addition to it or deletion of all or part of it. ‘National
authority’ means an ISAF member national authority. Other words and terms
are used in the sense ordinarily understood in nautical or general use.
Appendices When the rules of an appendix apply, they take precedence over any conflicting rules in Parts 1–7 and the Definitions. Each appendix is identified by a letter. A reference to a rule in an appendix will contain the letter and the rule number (for example, ‘rule A1’). There is no Appendix I or O.
Changes to the Rules The prescriptions of a national authority, class rules or the sailing instructions may change a racing rule only as permitted in rule 86.
Changes to National Authority Prescriptions A national authority may restrict changes to its prescriptions as pro-vided in rule 88.2.