Guidance from The MYA
The Racing Rules of Sailing (Appendix E – Radio Sailing) allow the Race Committee to make reasonable arrangements to assist disabled competitors so they can compete as fairly as possible. This may include permitting assistance from a support person or defining a suitable control area.
However, the rules do not provide for competitors to ignore penalties or be exempt from complying with the Racing Rules. All skippers, regardless of mobility, remain subject to the same right-of-way rules and penalty requirements.
The intention of the rule is to enable participation through reasonable adjustment, not to remove the obligation to sail by the rules.
There is no detailed prescriptive MYA guidance beyond the Racing Rules themselves, and therefore practical arrangements are generally a matter for individual clubs and race committees, taking into account:
- Safety
- Fairness to all competitors
- The physical limitations of the venue
In situations where skippers must operate from a fixed position, clubs may wish to consider:
- Careful course layout to minimise extreme viewing angles
- Clearly defined control areas
- Allowing a support person to assist with positioning or visibility
- Pre-race briefings to manage expectations
But penalties for rule infringements should still apply equally.
