MIN RIVER v. BNC.... WTAF???

Half a century ago I understood the racing rules very well. But things have clearly moved on!
Back then I set a coventional double-luff spinacker hundreds of times; and also raced a Gwen 12 with a single-luff kite (separate sets of guys & sheets). But I have no experience with fixed-tack asymmetrics.

Can someone explain what was so wrong with the BNC set-up.

As I understand it, coming up the river they used a spinnaker pole to hold out the clew of an asymmetric spinnaker, in breach of rule 55.3, which says:

55.3 Sheeting Sails
No sail shall be sheeted over or through any device that exerts
outward pressure on a sheet or clew of a sail at a point from
which, with the boat upright, a vertical line would fall outside the
hull or deck, except:
(a) a headsail clew may be connected (as defined in The
Equipment Rules of Sailing) to a whisker pole, provided
that a spinnaker is not set;
(b) any sail may be sheeted to or led above a boom that is
regularly used for a sail and is permanently attached to the
mast from which the head of the sail is set;
(c) a headsail may be sheeted to its own boom that requires
no adjustment when tacking; and
(d) the boom of a sail may be sheeted to a bumkin.
55.4 Headsails and Spinnakers
For the purposes of rules 54 and 55 and Appendix G, the
definitions of 'headsail' and 'spinnaker' in The Equipment Rules
of Sailing shall be used.

I may be wrong but as I understand it, while you can use a spinnaker pole to hold out the luff side (windward corner) of a spinnaker, you cannot use one to hold out the clew (lee side). You can hold out the clew of a jib, using a whisker pole, but not a spinnaker. The difference between a jib and a spinnaker is the width of the sail measured from half way up the luff to half way up the leech, compared to the length of the foot of the sail. If less than 75% of the foot length it is a jib, If more than 75% of the foot length then it's a spinnaker.

In the case of an asymmetric spinnaker, the clew is the bottom corner not attached to the bowsprit, or prodder.

So BNC, in poling out the clew of a spinnaker, broke sheeting rule 55.3.

It was apparently an innocent mistake, used to stabilise the sail while they tidied up the boat for arrival. Bit of a bugger, but nevertheless, against the rules.

PS rule 55 is from the Australian Racing Rules 2025-28 which apply to all AS races not just S-H and are also based on the World Sailing rules, so not peculiar to Australia. Ditto the definition of a spinnaker versus a jib (headsail), which is in the WS Equipment Rules. The distinction about using a spinnaker pole on the luff / windward side is my amateur interpretation, so may be incorrect.

Pretty simple, gone for all money at a few levels, not just RRS 55.
The relevant sail is a assymetric spinnaker so has a tack and a clew.
It is measured in part by the SLU (luff length)and the SLE (leech length)
They poled out the SLE side on the sail ie from the clew not the tack.
The effect was to make an assymetric sail effectively a symmetric sail as is clear in the bottom pic from overhead so as to run deeper with speed.
Look at the shape of the sail.
The tack of the sail is still affixed on centreline.
The sail is not a headsail.
So RRs 55.3 applied as most likely IRC rule 21.

What everyone is very pissed about is the discretionary penalty.
Should have been DSQ.
Also boats affected were not given the opportunity to be heard at the hearing. (ie boat 3rd for instance)

Also to explain how these boats work for the cruising guys here, Leon had a Exocet Essential on board.
These are a autopilot driver connected to the boats instrumentation and autopilot system.
It is not the autopilot just the driver for it connecting to a B&G 5000.
Cost is over euro 15 000.

So all up with a B&G 5000 set up the autopilot set up is approaching $100k.

Select to expand quote

JonE said..
And they only fessed up when they got busted by a camera.... Should have been lobbed.

Really, I get they broke the rules and have borne the consequences but you don't cheat while crossing the finish line in front the all the media.

It was a mistake, I was listening to one of the commentators ( Peter Shipway) on the morning live stream update on the 30th (day 5) watching BNC come in and explaining to the viewers the odd rig set up they were using and how many of the double handers and now doing it to run downwind square, go and watch it its still on youtube. He obviuosly wasn't aware of the problem either and he has sailed 30+ hobarts himself.

Lobbing them would be like forfeiting a grandfinal because some one knocked on.