I started this series of articles in January 1997 when the Yacht Racing Rules were completely rewritten to create the Racing Rules of Sailing. Every four years since then there has been a new edition, published the year after the Olympic Games. Every edition has some changes. Most of them have very little effect on how we sail. Usually, they close up some loopholes or attempt to make the rules easier to understand. The new edition has now been released and it takes effect January 1, 2025. The Sail Canada printed version should be available soon. The full new book can be found here. Some regattas over the winter may elect to use the 2021-2024 rules so check the Notice of Race (always a good idea). I expect that any races at RCYC this year will use the new book.
 
There isn’t enough space in one article in the Kwasind to cover and explain all of the changes so I will summarize them here. I will publish a series of articles on the club website https://rcyc.ca/Sailing/Racing/Know_Your_Rules over the next few months with more details. The first of these should already be there. 
 
The first rule that has changed is rule 14 “Avoiding Contact”.  We should always avoid contact when racing.  The primary responsibility for avoiding contact rests with the boat required to keep clear or to give room.  This rule reminds us that the other boat(s) has some responsibility as well.  Last year rule 14 only referred to boats avoiding contact involving themselves. Now it has been expanded to remind us not to cause other boats to make contact.  It has also been expanded to cover contact with other objects not just racing boats.  A simple example would be not to force someone else to hit the signal boat even if you have right-of-way. 
 
The next rule that changed is rule 17 “On the Same Tack; Proper Course”.  The change here is subtle and probably needs a more detailed article to explain.  If you are sailing upwind and another boat crosses in front and then immediately tacks above you, you are less likely to have the right to luff them. 
 
Part 2 Section C “At Marks and Obstructions” has had quite a few changes.  Most are cleanup.  The preamble always said that “Section C rules did not apply at a starting mark surrounded by navigable water”.  They have now made it clear that “Section C rules do not apply between boats when the mark or obstruction referred to in those rules is a starting mark surrounded by navigable water”.  This makes it clear that the obstruction rule (rule 19) can still apply to obstructions near the starting mark, if the obstruction is not the starting mark. 
 
Rule 18 “Mark-Room” is one of the most complicated and yet one of the most important rules.   Rule 18.2, which is the core of the rule, has been reorganized.  The most frequently used part of the rule which discusses boats that are or are not overlapped when the first one reaches the zone, used to be 18.2(b).  It is now 18.2(a) bringing it to the beginning where it belongs.  The second change is that if two boats are not overlapped and the boat clear astern reaches the zone first, then the boat clear astern will be entitled to mark-room.  This could happen if the boat clear ahead makes a very wide rounding.
 
Rule 18.3 “Tacking in the Zone” covers situations where one boat tacks from port to starboard inside the zone in front of a boat who was already on starboard.  The 2021-2024 rules were not very clear about how this rule applied if both boats tacked within the zone. The 2025-2028 rules make it clear that this rule does not apply in that situation.  It also makes it clear that 18.2 “Giving Mark-Room” does not apply in that situation either.  As I have coached since 1997, read the rules, particularly rule 18.3, carefully before you tack within the zone. 
 
Rule 19.2 “Giving Room at an Obstruction” has had a few changes.  If two boats approach an obstruction, the right-of-way boat can choose which side of the obstruction to go.  When she does so, if she is the outside boat, then she has to give the keep clear inside boat room.  This has not changed.  What has changed is that when the right-of-way boat changes course to pass the obstruction, she has to give the other boat room to keep clear.
 
After a club race last summer, a situation involving two J105s led to a lot of discussion about rule 20 “Room to Tack at an Obstruction”.  The 2021-2024 rules were not clear about what words had to be used to hail from room to tack.  The 2025-2028 rules say “by hailing ‘Room to tack’. “Room to tack” now joins “You tack” and “Protest” as one of the required hails with a required wording. 
 
Part 5 of the Racing Rules of Sailing covers “Protests, Hearings, Misconduct and Appeals”.  It has been completely reorganized.  There is a nine page table mapping the old rules to the new rules.  There are however very few real changes affecting sailors.  Judges will have to learn their way around the new version.  I have found two meaningful changes.  When you file a protest you have to identify in writing “the protestor, the protestee, and the incident”.  There were a few more things required in the 2021-2024 rules.  The big change however is that previously the “protestor and protestee” could be corrected anytime before hearing.  Now they must be there with the original protest.  As I read the rule, if you have misidentified the protestee, then you have to file the protest again with the corrected protestee.  This would have to be within the protest time limit.   The second change is that if you observe an incident on the water but you are beyond hailing distance you do not need to display a protest flag.  You still must inform the protestee at the first reasonable opportunity.
 
There are changes to several of the definitions.  The most meaningful ones are “Continuing Obstruction” (a new definition but not a new term), “Finish”, “Mark-Room” and “Obstruction”.  “Mark-Room” is probably the most significant change but even it is fairly minor.  I will cover it in the article where I cover the changes to rule 18.
 
 
Copies of these rules articles along with animated diagrams can be found at www.rcyc.ca > sailing > racing > know your rules