Reflections from the President

by Tom Hubbell, President of US Sailing

We are looking for 7,000 new sailors this year. Newcomers will discover sailing because of you, our members, who are wildly-passionate about being on the water and in the wind. 

Why?
Every sailor I know still gets a child-like, ice cream eating grin while retelling that really great day in the boat, even if the story is from 30 years ago. You relish the chance to share your great outdoor experience with the uninitiated. Sure, it’s a different task to sail your boat with rookies instead of your usual crack crew. But we have all seen the happy sailor smile appear on the first-timer’s face. It’s a validation of our own enjoyment. There is a thrill to be part of introducing a young person or an adult friend to our sport. Share the passion of sailing!

What? 
Any boat, any venue, any format will do. One thing I urge is that you not push people into racing before they are ready. It’s a rare new driver who is ready for navigating the expressway at 70 in heavy traffic. I doubt there is anyone who did a slalom race their first day on skis. Or if they did, did they ever come back? Some people compete all day at work, so they want an escape from competition. While many of us are Type A competitive people, we all like not to be thrown in over our heads, made to feel inept, or injured from a misstep. Oh, and need I mention, no yelling. Take some new people out for a good time, show them your sailing lifestyle in a new-user friendly way. Outside, fun, social – nail it!

How? 
You have done your bit on day one and now your “baby” sailor needs to grow. US Sailing trains nearly 2,000 sailing instructors every year adding to the thousands already certified. One of them is working in a club or sailing center or keelboat school near you. You can supplement, reinforce and encourage.  Share your story about learning the sport. It must be a good story because you are still in the game. And please make sure your newborn sailor understands that US Sailing has a training program for every facet of the sport, casual racer to international contender, sailing facility director to top gun race officer or judge. 

US Sailing, we do training to support and grow your sport.

Thank you and I’ll see you on the water.


Tom Hubbell






President of US Sailing

North U Rules & Tactics Quiz 6

The starting signal occurs at position 2.

1) What rules apply to these two boats at each position?

2) Does any boat commit a foul?

Visit North U for answers to these quiz questions.

Learn all about the Right of Way Rules, their limitations and the Mark Room and Obstruction Rules, and related tactics at a North U Rules & Tactics Seminar, discounted for US Sailing members. 

For more on the rules, get Dave Perry’s Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing Through 2016 (which includes the complete rule book) and Dave Perry’s 100 Best Racing Rules Quizzes available at the US Sailing Store.

New Racing Rules of Sailing App is now Available
The App incorporates Dave Perry's Understanding the Racing Rules Through 2016, and is available for the iPhone, iPad & iPod Touch on the App Store.

The Racing Rules are more accessible than ever. 

Chalk Talk Season 7 Episode 10 - Winter Special

Chris and Jane look back on the college sailing offseason, including the highlights from the ICSA Midwinter Meeting as well as the winter and early spring regattas. They ask the sailors to find out more about what's been going on this winter regarding spring preparations and goals.

Check out the Sail1Design Team Race Spring Season Outlook

Latest team race rankings

See all the latest results

Follow us on Facebook to find out more about the upcoming spring season of Chalk Talk!

North U Rules & Tactics Quiz 5

1) Can Yellow “close the door” on Blue?
2) What rules apply?
3) What should Yellow do if Blue tries to sail between her and the mark?

Visit North U for answers to these quiz questions.

Learn all about the Right of Way Rules, their limitations and the Mark Room and Obstruction Rules, and related tactics at a North U Rules & Tactics Seminar, discounted for US Sailing members. 

For more on the rules, get Dave Perry’s Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing Through 2016 (which includes the complete rule book) and Dave Perry’s 100 Best Racing Rules Quizzes available at the US Sailing Store.

New Racing Rules of Sailing App is now Available
The App incorporates Dave Perry's Understanding the Racing Rules Through 2016, and is available for the iPhone, iPad & iPod Touch on the App Store.

The Racing Rules are more accessible than ever. 

North U Rules & Tactics Quiz 4

1) Is Yellow allowed to change course so close to Blue?

2) What rule(s) applies to Yellow’s course change?

3) If the answer to #1 is “it depends”, on what does it depend?

Visit North U for answers to these quiz questions.

Learn all about the Right of Way Rules, their limitations and the Mark Room and Obstruction Rules, and related tactics at a North U Rules & Tactics Seminar, discounted for US Sailing members. 

For more on the rules, get Dave Perry’s Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing Through 2016 (which includes the complete rule book) and Dave Perry’s 100 Best Racing Rules Quizzes available at the US Sailing Store.

New Racing Rules of Sailing App is now Available
The App incorporates Dave Perry's Understanding the Racing Rules Through 2016, and is available for the iPhone, iPad & iPod Touch on the App Store.

The Racing Rules are more accessible than ever. 

North U Rules & Tactics Quiz 3:

For Sequence A
1) What rules apply at position 1, 2, 3 & 4? (Rule 14, Avoiding Contact, always applies)
2) Are any rules broken?

For Sequence B
3) Did Blue break any rule? If so, what rule, and what did she do that broke it?
4) Does it matter if the incident occurs at a finishing mark?

For Both
5) How are the rules different in the two scenarios?
6) Any tactical thoughts?

Visit North U for answers to these quiz questions.

Learn all about the Right of Way Rules, their limitations and the Mark Room and Obstruction Rules, and related tactics at a North U Rules & Tactics Seminar, discounted for US Sailing members. 

For more on the rules, get Dave Perry’s Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing Through 2016 (which includes the complete rule book) and Dave Perry’s 100 Best Racing Rules Quizzes available at the US Sailing Store.

New Racing Rules of Sailing App is now Available
The App incorporates Dave Perry's Understanding the Racing Rules Through 2016, and is available for the iPhone, iPad & iPod Touch on the App Store.

The Racing Rules are more accessible than ever. 

US Sailing Rules and Tactics Seminar Quiz 1 & 2

North U Rules & Tactics Quiz 1:  
The Racing Rules of Sailing for 2013-2016 has 91 rules and 184 pages.

How many "Right of Way" rules are there?

North U Rules & Tactics Quiz 2: 
You’re on starboard tack racing upwind, and a port tack boat hails, “Tack or Cross?”
    A: What rules apply in this situation?
    B: How should you respond?
    C: What should Port do in turn?
 

Visit North U for answers to these quiz questions.

Learn all about the Right of Way Rules, their limitations and the Mark Room and Obstruction Rules, and related tactics at a North U Rules & Tactics Seminar, discounted for US Sailing members. 

For more on the rules, get Dave Perry’s Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing Through 2016 (which includes the complete rule book) and Dave Perry’s 100 Best Racing Rules Quizzes available at the US Sailing Store.

New Racing Rules of Sailing App is now Available
The App incorporates Dave Perry's Understanding the Racing Rules Through 2016, and is available for the iPhone, iPad & iPod Touch on the App Store.

The Racing Rules are more accessible than ever. 

Reflections from the President

By Tom Hubbell

All of the staff and board members at US Sailing hope that you have good clean start on a happy New Year.  I'm hoping to match the fun we had in 2012.

A New Rule Interpretation by Dave Perry - Taking a Penalty

On  January 1, 2013, the new edition of The Racing Rules of Sailing went into effect. These rules are locked in through 2016. Dave Perry returns to the US Sailing Blog to explain some of the significant changes to the rules. Dave is a welcome authority on the rules, as chairman of the US Sailing Appeals Committee, Rules Advisor to the US Olympic Sailing Team and Artemis Racing, the Challenger for the America’s Cup, co-author of the North U Rules & Tactics seminar, and author of two books on the subject. Read Dave's interpretation of the rules regarding penalties:

A New Rule Interpretation by Dave Perry - Definition of Room

On  January 1, 2013, the new edition of The Racing Rules of Sailing go into effect. These rules are locked in through 2016. Dave Perry returns to the US Sailing Blog to explain some of the significant changes to the rules. Dave is a welcome authority on the rules, as chairman of the US Sailing Appeals Committee, Rules Advisor to the US Olympic Sailing Team and Artemis Racing, the Challenger for the America’s Cup, co-author of the North U Rules & Tactics seminar, and author of two books on the subject. Read Dave's interpretation on "the definition of Room":