If an on-water judge points a yellow flag at you, makes a sound signal and hails to identify you, the judge must have decided that you’ve broken rule 42. The default penalty is two turns.

Rule 42 says “Except when permitted in rule 42.3 or 45, a boat shall compete by using only the wind and water to increase, maintain or decrease her speed. Her crew may adjust the trim of sails and hull, and perform other acts of seamanship, but shall not otherwise move their bodies to propel the boat.”

Prohibited actions include pumping, rocking, ooching, sculling, and repeated tacks or gybes unrelated to what’s going on. There are various exceptions to these, but the exceptions are a different issue.

The issue here is that you’ve got a yellow flag, a whistle sound, and it’s your sail number being hailed. Why is it so and what is it likely for?

According to the experts, these are the top 3.

1.  At the start line, it’s a double pump on starting.
2.  Also at the start, sculling on the start line.
3.  Downwind, it’s repeated rolling.

A double pump on the start line is tempting because it might give you that extra bit of speed you want to get that small advantage when you’re on a very busy front row. However, rule 42 prohibits repeated pumping of the sail by sheet or body movement, and body pumping that clearly propels the boat (even if it’s not repeated). Body pumping which causes the sail to flick repeatedly through its energy is also a no-no and is in the same bracket of common penalty under rule 42. Yellow flag for you.

Sculling is only allowed when you’re above close hauled and turning onto a close hauled course, or at any point of sail to reduce speed. Sculling on the start line is a clear no-no if you’re already on or below a close hauled course, or if you’re offsetting steering of the boat caused by backing a sail (known as “crabbing”). This is done a lot on the start line when boats are trying to maintain front row position and an advantage of the boats immediately to windward and leeward of them. Yellow flag for you.

Downwind, rolling in response to waves, gusts or lulls is fine, as is rolling to steer through a tack or gybe. But rolling for acceleration out of those changes of course or rolling with no obvious change of wind speed or direction will get you a penalty. Maybe it’s just too tempting, and another yellow flag for you.

There are a couple of contributory factors at play.

One is the absence of on-water judging at club races or smaller state championships, and then when the sailors go to a major event like the nationals, they get a curt reminder that rule 42 breaches are not okay, no matter how tempting.

The second is to do with less experienced or uncoached sailors who are not across the finer points of what you can and cannot do, or where the tolerances are. Like many things in life, some things just take time and experience, and we learn the hard way on that journey.

Rule 42 interpretations are on the World Sailing website here.
For the Racing Rules of Sailing, click here.
If you’re interested in being trained and accredited as a judge,  read this page.

By Glen Stanaway with the kind assistance of Damien Boldyrew IJ, IU