Get well clear of other boats as soon as possible after the incident, then turn in one direction, making the required number of turns, each including one tack and one gybe. The standard penalty in rule 44 is two turns, though sailing instructions often change it.
When a boat may have broken a rule of Part 2 (the rules for when boats meet) or rule 31 (touching a mark), rule 44 of the Racing Rules of Sailing lets her take a penalty on the water instead of facing a protest hearing.
How to do it (rule 44.2):
- As soon after the incident as possible, sail well clear of other boats. You must not get in their way while you take the penalty.
- Promptly make the required number of turns in the same direction. Each turn must include one tack and one gybe.
- Carry on racing.
A full turn on a sailing boat means turning through head to wind (a tack) and through dead downwind (a gybe), and coming back to your course. On a beat, the usual way is to bear away and gybe, then come up and tack; on a run, to head up and tack, then bear away and gybe. Keep the sheets moving with the turn so the boat does not stall.
How many turns. The standard is the Two-Turns Penalty for breaking a rule of Part 2, and a One-Turn Penalty for touching a mark. Many club and regatta sailing instructions make the Part 2 penalty one turn as well, and some use other penalties, so read the sailing instructions for each event.
Points to know:
- if the incident caused injury or serious damage, or the boat gained a significant advantage despite taking the penalty, turns are not enough, and her penalty is to retire;
- a boat that touched a mark and also broke a Part 2 rule in the same incident need not take the penalty for touching the mark;
- doing the turns late, or in the middle of other boats, may not count as a proper penalty.
Taking a penalty promptly when you know you were in the wrong is good sportsmanship and usually loses less than a protest hearing would. If you are not sure whether you broke a rule, it is still often the sensible choice.
More in the book: Chapter 15, Your first race