Have you ever found yourself in the protest room at a World Championship? In this episode, the Pretty Sailing team breaks down our very first protest at the 2026 J/80 Worlds!
It all started with a tense moment on the start line. While trying to avoid a boat coming up from behind, an overlap was established that forced our bow up and over the line, resulting in our transom touching the other boat’s bow. Thankfully there was no damage, and we immediately flew our red protest flag and filed our case online later.
But who was really at fault? We dive deep into the Racing Rules of Sailing, comparing Rule 11 (leeward boat right of way) with the rule everyone forgets: Rule 15. Rule 15 dictates that a boat acquiring right of way must initially give the other boat room to keep clear.
Featuring a tabletop breakdown of sailboat pivot points, a look into the arbitration process where a 34-point penalty can be reduced to just 7 points, and a fantastic display of regatta sportsmanship (drinks were on us!).
Video of a debrief of our collision with Nexum during the Alcaidesa Marina Series race:
Chapters:
00:00 – The Start Line Collision & Flying the Protest Flag
00:44 – Replay: What Actually Happened
02:05 – Tabletop Breakdown: Rule 11 vs. Rule 15
03:22 – Filing the Protest & Understanding the Point Penalties
04:40 – Inside the Arbitration Room with Monty Spindler
06:46 – The Verdict, Buying Drinks, and the Best Energy Prize!
#J80Worlds #SailingProtest #Rule15 #Rule11 #RacingRulesOfSailing #SailboatRacing #RegattaLife #PrettySailing #J80 #SailingTips #ProtestRoom #WorldChampionship
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You are all miss interpretating the rules. And you should know when to loge a protest well before you go sailing.
the comment at 2.27 is incorrect the green boat does not have an overlap at this point, the red boat does not have to change coarse,
I can see so many thing wrong here, stop worrying about calling out rule names on the water and just sail your boat without running into others.
Interested in your use of „right of way“. In colregs this term doesn‘t exist. The term used is „stand on vessel“. Are the sailing rules different, or is this just shorthand usage in the racing community?
Not room and opportunity? All he had to say once the overlap and yelling started was "room and opportunity" and there would not have been a protest. It actually works.
Rule 15 is breached in most overlap from behind protests. Drives me crazy. Know your rules…most think they've learned the rules from casual group talk.
And did you file for regress? After the protest for the additional points for being over early that you wouldn't have had?
I don’t race but sail in sometimes busy waters, always interested in col regs. It seems a detail was alluded to but not pursued, down wind boat knowing the lack of space and taking advantage to force a protest, not very sporting.
room, not time
The most important crewman on a racing sailboat is the lawyer.
excellent presentation and learning experience for all
Boat 30 broker RRS 15. No doubts.
Strange ruling by the RC. As I understand it there was a collision (though a soft one). Boats are not allowed in the rules to touch each other, and hence both should be disqualified. This happened to me at another world championship. Boats turning radius – pivot points and other explanations are not part of the rules.
I pleasure sail in a narrow estuary where an active yacht club hosts multiple races concurrently almost every weekend. They take up the entire width of the estuary and demand their right of way over people trying to motor past or those trying to simply sail past to get to the open bay. You are forced into impossible situations as several boats converge upon you. It's bloody infuriating, especially to a non racer. It all seems so petty and hostile. So much 'karening' and self-importance.
I’m surprised that withdrawal of the protest was an option. I understood that a third boat could protest you if they witnessed you the victim failing to protest an infringement!
I would have thought to be fair on the rest of the fleet that the rules should be applied.
Nothing new. It's called 'wiggle room',
This is exactly why I refuse to participate in "regattas" ever again. Screw these tools. I'm interested in FUN and safe sailing, and don't mind sharing the water with others, but not aggressive nitpickers who will just run me down because, "WE HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY!" Jerks! I'd rather be in the water with actual sharks, than a room full of these "lawyers"!
I've rarely seen such a clearly presented case, with video footage, models, and tracking. Rules 15 and 16 are incredibly important. It's an underlying principle of safe sailing that you never "box in" another boat – you must give her somewhere to go. And in the present case, this includes the leeward boat giving the weather boat enough room to put her helm down so she can luff up. No matter what the stakes, it's about considerate sailing.
Nice coverage. Fyi, almost as an extension of this rule, is the situation where the right of way (row) boat hits the give way boat ( gwb). Imagine a clear port and starboard upwind: the gwb thinks he will make it then arrives at yhe "Uh oh!" point where he realises he cant. Now he cant duck or tack without infringing the row boat. The onus now moves to the row boat to keep clear by ducking or tacking. If he continues and t bones the other, he is at fault. The gwb can exonerate himself by turns ( subject to damage) but so must the row boat. Useful to know if that situation arises but sensible racers are better to hail " hold your course" and duck rather than make a port boat crash tack etc and slow you down. By all means ask for "beers in the the bar".!
If bearing away quickly brings your stern into contact with the overlapping boat – is that you at fault (for bearing away too quickly) – or the overlapping boat not giving you time/space to get clear (in that period after they have overlapped)?
Excellent story. Excellent result. I wish both teams fair winds🌬️
Also if this pushed you over the start on a black flag you could come back below the line and restart and as long as you win your protest you would not be BFD.
Well done and thanks for bringing us along! Dealing with committee is always a scary time.
If the hearing had been reversed, you noticed that you had exonerated your self by completing a tack and a gybe when returning to the starting line.
Nice one. Didn't know this applies at a start line.
There are often a few overconfident 'bullies' that may elbow their way in between more careful boats, that may be caught by a protest like this. Got to be pretty sure though…
When going into the protest room, you can be right 100% of the time and only win 50% of the time. In how you articulate the series of events, the details really do matter. Almost always best to stay out of the room.