Code of Conduct

Fleet racing, which is what we do, is distinctive because it operates without referees or umpires. Other sports wait for a foul to be CALLED (like in baseball, football, basketball), and if a foul is called then they comply; but "no call = no foul". This is not the type of competition we engage in.

This voluntary aspect is called the “Corinthian Spirit,” and is best expressed by the statement that you sail by the rules even when no one is looking. It also means, no yelling or swearing and no bullying your fellow sailors. When the one with the loudest voice wins - then the rest of us (and our club) lose.

A fleet race sailed under Corinthian principles is simultaneously a competitive and a cooperative venture: competitive, because everybody wants to do their best, and cooperative, because we all rely on each other to obey the rules and voluntarily take a penalty when we either realize or are reminded that we’ve broken one. The "360" or "720" turn WE do is not a penalty- it is an ALTERNATE penalty. The real penalty in competitive sailing is for the one in the wrong to retire from the race.

OCMSC  Code of Conduct

  1. Learn and sail by the Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS). A primer can be found here, the entire rulebook; here
  2. Never use the RRS as a "weapon"- the RRS are there to avoid collisions and damage, not to help the "expert" win races.
  3. Help less skilled or new members with technical problems, sailing techniques and understanding the RRS. Talk about these things with understanding, and respect- you were once "there"!!
  4. Call infractions by hailing twice, in a calm voice. (Example: “66 protests 55”; “66 protests 55”).
  5. If you are the one protested, acknowledge and perform penalty turns as soon as possible.
  6. Follow the Corinthian Spirit and do penalty turns, even when not protested. Even if the infraction "did not hurt" another competitor- do the penalty!!
  7. Refrain at all times from making either derogatory or demeaning remarks, be friendly and courteous.
  8. Remember, this sport will not be a fun sport, unless and until we are good sportsmen.


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