misc rules questions

many people ask me rules questions. here are my opinions on some of the more interesting questions.

there was one race where the fleet started, and shortly after the starting signal another sound signal was made. a sailor, who was midfleet, looked back and saw the general recall flag up. assuming it was a general recall, the sailor sailed back to get ready for the next start. the race committee changed their mind and dropped the general recall flag and let the fleet race. the sailor who was sailing back turned around to race but was now at the back of the fleet. he filed for redress.

if i were a judge for this incident, i'd grant him redress due to an error by the race committee. while the sailor did sail back to the line by his own choice, i don't think that is a failure to pass the 'through no fault of your own' test. the reason i think that is because the sailor was actually following what the rules say (i.e. when the general recall (first repeater) flag is flying, that means the race is over and come back to the line to get ready for the next start). thus i would not penalize the sailor for following the rules. if the sound signal was not correct, i'd still grant redress since most competitors don't know whether it's one blast or two for a general. they key for me is that the correct visual signal was made and the competitor did his best to comply with the rules. on a different matter, i don't think there is a provision in the rules to allow the rc to NOT continue with a general recall after they have signalled it.