Rules and appeals

Yacht racing is governed by a number of rules. Here's what you need to know as well as a host of resources.

The Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS) governs the sport of sailboat and sailboard racing. It is revised and published every four years by World Sailing.

The current edition is the RRS 2025-2028 and came into effect on January 1, 2025.

The Yachting New Zealand Racing Rules of Sailing 2025-2028 contains the World Sailing Racing Rules of Sailing and the Yachting New Zealand prescriptions.

An electronic version of the Yachting New Zealand Racing Rules of Sailing 2025-2028 is available here:

download Yachting New Zealand Racing Rules of Sailing 2025 2028 PRINT.pdf

PDF

2.62 MB

The World Sailing version of the Racing Rules of Sailing 2025-2028 (including rule changes, corrections, and updates) can be viewed electronically; click here to do so.

The Yachting New Zealand Prescriptions for the Racing Rules of Sailing 2025-2028 can be found here:

download Yachting New Zealand Prescriptions to the Racing Rules of Sailing 2025-28.pdf

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165.55 KB

Corrections and updates

This is where you find changes or corrections to the Racing Rules of Sailing:

Changes and corrections to the RRS

Resources from World Sailing

World Sailing have established a page listing all the documents referenced in the racing rules book. https://www.sailing.org/racingrules/

Resources include:

Call book for match racing
Call book for team racing
Interpretations of rule 42
World Sailing offshore special regulations
Equipment Rules of Sailing

World Sailing provide a Question & Answer service designed to assist World Sailing Race Officials in applying the rules consistently. The answers are published on the World Sailing website.

Prescriptions and addenda

Yachting New Zealand Prescriptions 2025-2028
Yachting New Zealand regulation on rule 69: gross misconduct - See Yachting New Zealand regulation 4.5.2
Addendum A - Yachting New Zealand policy on the denial of right of appeal
Addendum D - Regulations covering the conduct of offshore events

Protests

Click here to download a Protest Form

Appeals

If a party is not satisfied with the outcome of a protest, they may appeal the decision. Refer to Rules 70 to 72 inclusive and Appendix R of the Racing Rules of Sailing 2025 – 2028. Appeals can only be submitted by parties to the original protest hearing.

As per the procedure outlined in Appendix R of the Yachting New Zealand publication of the Racing Rules of Sailing 2025-2028, Yachting New Zealand prescribes that:

Appeals should be lodged on the prescribed form available from Yachting New Zealand. Click here to download an appeal form. Completed forms can be returned to: C/- Appeals, Yachting New Zealand, PO Box 331487, Takapuna, Auckland 0740 or fax (09) 360 2246 or email.
R2.1(c) is replaced with, “If, for any reason, the appellant has not received a copy of the protest decision within 14 days after being notified of the decision, the appeal must be sent to Yachting New Zealand within a further period of seven days. Yachting New Zealand may extend the time if there is good reason to do so.”
A fee of $105 shall be paid to Yachting New Zealand upon filing an appeal. There shall be no fee when a protest committee requests confirmation or correction of its decision. Yachting New Zealand may change this fee at its discretion.
Yachting New Zealand will act as appropriate under rule 71.3 if the protest committee fails to meet their obligations under R3.

If you require further information on the appeals process, please contact Yachting New Zealand.

World Sailing advertising code

The rules that prescribe advertising on boats when racing is contained in World Sailing regulation 20, advertising code, and the applicable class rules.

The right to display advertising on a boat is automatically granted to all Yachting New Zealand classes and to events sailed in New Zealand that are not subject to World Sailing regulation 20.2.3.1 or 20.2.3.2.

Any advertising that is displayed on a Yachting New Zealand class boat shall comply with World Sailing regulation 20 (World Sailing advertising code). In addition, any advertising that is displayed on a boat sailing in an event in New Zealand shall comply with World Sailing regulation 20 (World Sailing advertising code).

The following national classes have restricted the amount of advertising that can be displayed on a boat to manufacturers and sailmakers marks in accordance with World Sailing regulation 20.9: