How to protest
The situation
A boat fouls Harper and doesn't take a penalty. Harper wants to protest so it gets sorted out on shore.
The question
What must Harper do at the time to make a valid protest?
The ruling
At the first reasonable opportunity she must hail 'Protest' and, in a boat long enough, display a red flag and keep it up until she's no longer racing (rule 60.2). In a small boat like an Optimist — whose hull is not longer than six metres — rule 60.2 does not require a red flag at all (only the hail), so the loud, clear hail at the time is the key step. Then she reports the protest to the race office after finishing and a protest committee hears both sides. Protesting isn't unsporting — it's how the rules are enforced fairly when someone won't take their turns.
To protest: hail 'Protest' at once (and fly a red flag if your boat needs one), then file it ashore. It's how the rules get enforced.
Opens the situation on the boat-length grid — scrub it and see exactly how the boats meet. Free, no account needed.
Rules cited
- Rule 60.2 — Intention to Protest
- Rule 60.1 — Right to Protest
Related cases
- A clear foul that went unpunished · Any Time
Port-tack Red fails to keep clear and forces starboard-tack Green to crash-tack. It's an obvious foul. Green, fuming, says nothing on the water, takes no flag, and lodges a written protest at the office an hour after coming ashore.
- Getting your race put right · Any Time
A sailor is fouled by a boat that doesn't take her turns, and the contact breaks her rudder fitting so she can't finish the race.
- A capsized boat ahead · Any Time
Charging downwind, Ava sees a boat just ahead that has capsized, the sailor in the water beside it, right in her path.
- You fouled someone — now what? · Any Time
Beating upwind, Jonah on port tack doesn't quite clear a starboard-tack boat, who has to luff sharply to avoid him. There's no contact and no damage, but Jonah knows he broke the rule.
Related guides
- Racing Rules of Sailing explained: a beginner's mental model
The Racing Rules of Sailing 2025-2028 keep boats apart and racing fair. Here's the mental model: right of way, keep clear, marks, the zone and penalties.
- How to file a sailing protest: the step-by-step
How to file a sailing protest under RRS Part 5: hail "Protest", show your red flag if required, beat the time limit, and write clear, factual evidence.