Page 139 - Judge Manual 2017

on weather and their progress, they may be able to respond to email or other
written communications later.

If there is no agreement on the facts of a Part 2 or IRPCAS dispute, it is often
better to have a hearing after the finish. An exception could be if there is
damage and a request for redress.

P.3.2.b) Open sea

Protests of a boat against one or more other boats are infrequent. Protests
from the RC, TC and PC are more frequent.

Protests by the RC often relate to infringements of the IRPCAS, including rule
10 Part B relating to TSS. (Keep in mind that some infringements of the
IRPCAS may lead to an appearance in a national maritime high court.)

A decision can be reached and communicated to all parties involved once a
clear majority of PC members are in agreement. A copy shall be sent to all
other committees for practical application and information.

P.3.2.c) After the finish

Protests are usually limited to those from the RC and TC, in relation to broken
seals or lost equipment.

P.3.2.d) Range of penalties

In races of extended duration, disqualifying competitors for rules breaches is
usually inappropriate. For example, there is no DNE in the Volvo Ocean
Rage, the Figaro or the Vendee Globe.

The longer the race, the more reluctant organisers may be to see a boat
disqualified. There is a tendency to rely more on discretionary penalties.

The use of DPIs should be stated in the SIs, and may vary with the
requirements of the OA and the culture of the race. There is as yet no
consistent approach to DPI for offshore and ocean racing, but a number of
organisers have developed models for addressing penalties. The PC should
work with the RC, competitors and organisers to manage expectations.

The following types of discretionary penalties are common:
• Time penalties applied as a percentage of elapsed time (offshore races
of relative short duration).
• Time penalties in “day / hours / minutes” added to the elapsed time.
• Stop penalties, to pass at the same waypoint, after a specified duration.
• Stay penalties in port for a minimum period.
• Financial penalties for breaches of media obligations. These could also