Sailboard

A lightweight, polyurethane, surfboard-like craft with a mast, boom and sail, on which the rider stands to manoeuvre; also known as a "windsurfer".

Sheet

A rope used to control and tension the sail and rigging.

Skiff

A light, open, small sailing boat or, more broadly, a boat with an open, self-draining hull.

Sloop rig

A sail plan composed of two sails - a mainsail and a jib, or genoa.

Soling

A three-person keelboat, the longest and heaviest of the Olympic-class boats, used for open competition.

Sonar

A three-person keelboat used for open competition in the Paralympic Games.

Spar

A general term referring to a boat's mast, boom and spinnaker pole, usually of an aluminium and/or carbon-fibre composition.

Spinnaker

A large, billowing, often colourful sail used to obtain greater boat speed during downwind sailing, usually set in front of or instead of the jib and carried by the 470, 49er and Soling Olympic classes.

Star

A two-person keelboat much lighter than the Soling and used for open competition in the Olympic Games.

Stay

A strong rope, commonly made of wire, used to support a mast.

Tiller

A handle attached to the rudder and used by the skipper to control steering.

Tornado

A two-person catamaran class that ranks as the fastest Olympic-class boat and is used in open competition in the Olympic Games.

Trapeze

A harness device worn by sailors on some dinghy, skiff or catamaran classes of boats which, with a metal stay from the mast, lets them lean almost completely outboard.

2.4MR

A single-handed, deep-displacement keelboat class used for open competition in the Paralympic Games.

Windsurfer

A lightweight, polyurethane, surfboard-like craft with a mast, boom and sail, on which the rider stands to manoeuvre; also known as a "sailboard".

Rules

STARTING RACES

Races shall be started by using the following signals. Times shall be taken from the visual signals; the absence of a sound signal shall be disregarded.

SAILING THE COURSE

A boat shall start, leave each mark on the required side in the correct order, and finish, so that a string representing her wake after starting and until finishing would when drawn taut pass each mark on the required side and touch each rounding mark. She may correct any errors to comply with this rule. After finishing she need not cross the finishing line completely.

A boat may leave on either side a mark that does not begin, bound or end the leg she is on. However, she shall leave a starting mark on the required side when she is approaching the starting line from its prestart side to start.

RECALLS

When at a boat's starting signal any part of her hull, crew or equipment is on the course side of the starting line or she must comply with rule 30.1, the race committee shall promptly display flag X with one sound. The flag shall be displayed until all such boats are completely on the pre-start side of the starting line or its extensions and have complied with rule 30.1 if it applies, but not later than four minutes after the starting signal or one minute before any later starting signal, whichever is earlier.

When at the starting signal the race committee is unable to identify boats that are on the course side of the starting line or to which rule 30 applies, or there has been an error in the starting procedure, the race committee may signal a general recall (display the First Substitute with two sounds). The warning signal for a new start for the recalled class shall be made one minute after the First Substitute is removed (one sound), and the starts for any succeeding classes shall follow the new start.

TOUCHING A MARK

While racing, a boat shall not touch a starting mark before starting, a mark that begins, bounds or ends the leg of the course on which she is sailing, or a finishing mark after finishing.

A boat that has broken rule 31.1 may, after getting well clear of other boats as soon as possible, take a penalty by promptly making one turn including one tack and one gybe. When a boat takes the penalty after touching a finishing mark, she shall sail completely to the course side of the line before finishing. However, if a boat has gained a significant advantage in the race or series by touching the mark her penalty shall be to retire.

Sailing   Sailing 21