Page 107 - Judge Manual 2017

K.29.15 Pre-Race Requests for Redress
Any requests for redress in respect of rule 76, Exclusion of Boats or
Competitors, should be heard at the first reasonable opportunity before a race
or series commences.
However, in most other instances, as no boat’s score has been made worse at
this time, any such request would be invalid. Any such claim could only relate
to an alleged improper action or omission by the Organizing Authority or Race
Committee as all other grounds for redress relate to on water incidents. As the
only other action taken by the Organizing Authority or RC at this stage is to
publish the Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions, the grounds could only be
based on the possibility that these documents were either incomplete,
contradictory or did not comply with the rules. Therefore, these requests for
redress are more likened to requests to the Organizing Authority for clarification
or interpretation of their documents. In cases like this, the Organizing Authority
often ask the Protest Committee or Jury for their advice; but they are not bound
to comply with this advice.

If the Organizing Authority asked the Protest Committee/Jury to conduct a
hearing in respect of these requests and they agreed to be bound by the Protest
Committee/Jury decisions there is no reason why this should not be done. As
long as the Protest Committee/Jury’s decision complies with the rules,
competitors could not object or protest against this procedure as the Organizing
Authority is the ultimate body that sets the parameters and conditions for the
race or series.

K.29.16 Requests for redress for alleged race committee error in
scoring a boat OCS, ZFP or UFD or BFD
Boats sometimes challenge the race committee’s decision to score them OCS,
ZFP, UFD or BFD by requesting redress under RRS 62.1(a).

For a boat to be given redress, she must convince the protest committee that
the race committee has made an error. Video evidence may be helpful but is
often inconclusive. It is the responsibility of the boat requesting the use of video
evidence to supply the video and the equipment on which to view it. Replaying
the video on a small video camera screen would usually be unacceptable. In
the absence of compelling evidence to the contrary, the protest committee
should uphold the race committee’s decision as the person sighting the line is
the specialist on the spot and the protest committee should not replace that
judgement with their own without compelling evidence.
Evidence of the relative positions of two boats on the starting line that are
scored differently is not conclusive evidence that either boat started properly.
K.29.17 Addendum Q (Medal Races)

In races conducted using Addendum Q a boat’s entitlement to obtain redress
is changed. Race officials and the protest committee should download the latest
version of Addendum Q from the World Sailing website.
K.29.18 Appendix B (Windsurfing Competition Rules)

Protest committees need to use Appendix B7 which modifies the protest and
redress rules applicable to windsurfing competitions.