RULE 31
Touching the Committee Boat
The committee boat and pin are starting marks — touch one and you owe a One-Turn Penalty.
A boat racing (from her preparatory signal) must not touch a mark — and the committee boat and pin are starting marks (rule 31). Bumping the committee boat at the start, she must take a One-Turn Penalty under rule 44: get clear, then make one tack and one gybe, before starting. If another boat forced her onto it while she was entitled to room, she is exonerated under rule 43.
Play this on the board
Opens the animation on the boat-length grid — scrub it, edit it, or use it as a starting point. Free, no account needed.
startcommittee-boattouchingpenaltyrule-31
How it interacts with other rules
- Rule 31 — Touching a Mark · see also
The same penalty for touching a rounding or finishing mark.