The international sailing federation, World Sailing (WS) is responsible for making the most important decisions in sailing. One of the tasks of World Sailing is to publish the International Sailing Rules, which are reviewed, amended and supplemented every 4 years

The rules are divided into sections, some of which deal with the conduct of crews, while others deal with the work of judges, the procedure for analyzing violations, and appeals. We are especially interested in the sections of the first category, because we use them during the race, when we do not have time to get a book, find a suitable rule and read it mindfully

In general, it is more important for crew members to know how to keep clear from other boats or understand the starting procedure than to know how to appeal, especially in amateur racing. These "field" rules for racing sailors should be studied in advance

The text of the main parts of the RRS are rules that apply to everyone. However, they may be supplemented or modified by specific documents that also constitute a rule and must be followed. Let's find out what these documents are

After the main text of the RRS, the publication also contains appendixes. They mainly contain instructions for special competition formats: match and team competitions, windsurfing races and radio sailing races, as well as some guides for organizing authorities of competitions and special procedures. If they change the rules from the main text of the RRS, they always take precedence over it

Sailboats compete with each other in different ways. Identical (or very similar) boats, i.e. boats of the same class (e.g. Fareast 28R), may compete "by arrivals", i.e. boats are given places in the order in which they finished the race)

The requirements for such sailboats and their crews are specified in the rules of the respective class, issued by the associations. Our instructors will inform you about the specifics of this class if you decide to participate in the races.On the other hand, different boats race against each other in a handicap system that balances the performance of the boats, so the competition is at the expense of the crews' abilities

The organization of the competition is the responsibility of the Organizing Committee, which collects the applications for participation, invites the judges and takes care of the media support and the program on the coast. For example, Wind Rises is the organizer of the Wind Rises Cup and the regatta for beginners and experienced sailors in Dubai. The organizing committee issues its own document with the rules: the Regulations for the Competition. It contains the date and name of the competition, the participating classes and the conditions of participation, as well as other important instructions of the Organizing Committee

The organizing committee hires race judges, some of whom form the race committee and are responsible for the direct conduct of the race. The Race Committee shall issue Sailing Instructions describing the rules for the starting procedure and course of the race, the scoring system, and the special requirements for boats participating only in this event

Judges and competitors must follow the instructions. Read the sailing instructions carefully before you get on the water so that you understand the specifics of the upcoming race and don't get confused at the crucial moment when starting or rounding the marks

The rules mentioned in this article are the basic minimum of any competition, which does not limit the list of applicable rules. A complete list is always given in the notice of race and sailing instructions

In this article we've oriented you, dear reader, in the world of racing rules of sailing and have talked about the most important general and special rules. In the fall we want to introduce you to the rules of sailing races, so we are preparing a lecture for you on this topic. In it you can learn more about the most important rules of sailing regattas and also ask your questions if something is still unclear