Racing Rules

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Part 5 PROTESTS, REDRESS, HEARINGS, MISCONDUCT AND APPEALS

63.6	Taking Evidence and Finding Facts The protest committee shall take the evidence of the parties to the hearing and of their witnesses and other evidence it considers necessary. A member of the protest committee who saw the incident may give evidence. A party to the hearing may question any person who gives evidence. The committee shall then find the facts and base its decision on them.
63.7	Conflict between Rules If there is a conflict between a rule in the notice of race and one in the sailing instructions that must be resolved before the protest committee can decide a protest or request for redress, the committee shall apply the rule that it believes will provide the fairest result for all boats affected.
63.8	Protests Between Boats in Different Races A protest between boats sailing in different races conducted by different organizing authorities shall be heard by a protest committee acceptable to those authorities.

DECISIONS

64.1

Penalties and Exoneration When the protest committee decides that a boat that is a party to a protest hearing has broken a rule, it shall disqualify her unless some other penalty applies. A penalty shall be imposed whether or not the applicable rule was mentioned in the protest. When as a consequence of breaking a rule a boat has compelled another boat to break a rule, rule 64.1(a) does not apply to the other boat and she shall be exonerated. If a boat has broken a rule when not racing, her penalty shall apply to the race sailed nearest in time to that of the incident.

64.2

Decisions on Redress When the protest committee decides that a boat is entitled to redress under rule 62, it shall make as fair an arrangement as possible for all boats affected, whether or not they asked for redress. This may be to adjust the scoring (see rule A10 for some examples) or finishing times of boats, to abandon the race, to let the results stand or to make some other arrangement. When in doubt about the facts or probable results of any arrangement for the race or series, especially before abandoning the race, the protest committee shall take evidence from appropriate sources.