Racing Rules of Sailing

A fundamental principle of sportsmanship is that when competitors break a rule they will promptly take a penalty, which may be to retire.".

For most rules infractions, a competitor may be absolved from disqualification from the race by taking such a penalty.

However, if the infraction caused injury or serious damage, or produced a significant advantage in the race or series, the penalty shall be to retire.

If a competitor fails to take penalty turn(s) they may be disqualified after a hearing by the Protest Committee.

The aforementioned principles do not apply to match racing (like the America's Cup) where on-the-water umpires impose penalties immediately after an infraction occurs.

A numerical pennant below the AP denotes the time, in hours, of the race postponement.

In 1828 the Royal Yacht Squadron introduced more sailing related regulations, including forbidding the shifting of ballast, receiving outside assistance and that a yacht on the port tack should in all cases give way to one on a starboard tack.

As yachts around Britain began to meet and race against each other the need for a common set of rules became apparent.

The Royal Yachting Association was founded in 1875, and with the Prince of Wales as its Commodore, its rules were accepted by all the national clubs.

The sport of sailing is sufficiently technical that which set of rules are used can make a significant difference to results, particularly in relation to measurement and definition of waterline length.

The continuing discussions led to the formation of the International Yacht Racing Union (IYRU) in 1907.