Rules Quiz Webinar

Every four years the Racing Rules of Sailing get updated. Most of the previous rules remain unchanged, but there are times when the rule writers close loopholes or simplify existing rules. Sometimes they even introduce a brand rule. That means that every four years racing sailors have to go back to the Rules Book and pay attention to the changes…as well as all the rules. Nevertheless, new rules or old, we need to know them all.

While the rules that have changed seem to get all of the attention, the vast majority of the rules remain unchanged and, in some instances, remain unknown, misunderstood or simply un-read. To help you assess your rules fluency, UK Sailmakers Northeast’s rules guru Butch Ulmer recently held a Racing Rules of Sailing webinar at the loft. His method for teaching the new and old rules was a quiz with over 20 questions. Here is a video of Butch’s presentation. It’s an hour long and during it you will hear sailors with the right answers as well as ones without a clue. The off-base answers are left in, not to make fun, but rather to illustrate the level of knowledge many sailors have or don’t have.

In the past when Butch has run rules quizzes at yacht clubs and sailing associations, the average score was between 60-66% correct, which isn’t good enough for the racecourse. That is why UK Sailmakers works hard to educate sailors on all the Racing Rules of Sailing, not just the new ones. Watch this video in its entirety and have your rules book beside you. Make notes in the columns for the rules questions you missed or questioned. Highlight the rule changes. Make diagrams in the margins if you want. Do whatever you think necessary to capture and retain the learning Butch shares in the presentation. Then, you’ll be prepared to go onto the course and, if necessary, exit “the room” wearing a smile. Know the Racing Rules of Sailing and Sail With Confidence.