APPEALS & PROTESTS

How to Appeal a PHRF Rating

The Handicappers Committee shall resolve rating appeals of current PHRF certificate holders regarding their own or other yachts. All PHRF BC member yacht clubs may nominate a representative to the Handicappers Committee.

Any yacht’s rating may be appealed by any current PHRF BC certificate holder, any handicapper recognized by PHRF BC, or the Handicapper’s Committee.

Certificate holders wishing to appeal a Base Yacht Rating shall submit a completed Rating Appeal Form to the BC Sailing office. The Appeal Form must be completed in full and accompanied by relevant supporting documentation including all available race results for the past year. The Appeal information will be made available to all Handicapper Committee members and any current PHRF BC Certificate Holders that may be directly affected by the requested change.

A rating appeal presented at two consecutive appeals hearings that pertains to substantially the same issue as previously decided will be subject to a filing fee equal to the annual certificate fee. This fee may be waived at the discretion of the committee.

Appeals shall be heard twice a year in the spring and fall. A Notice of Appeals Hearing will specify the time and place of the Hearing. Certificate holders who have applied to the Committee for a Base Yacht Rating change will be required to present their appeal request to the Committee (either in person or by nominee). Any PHRF BC certificate holders affected by another’s appeal will also be given an opportunity to present. Decisions of the Handicappers Committee will be mailed to all affected parties within two weeks of the Appeals Hearing.

How to Protest a Competitor for Violating PHRF BC Rules

The following explains how to protest a competitor for racing in a PHRF class without a current PHRF BC certificate or with sails/rig/equipment different than those specified on the boat’s current PHRF certificate. Protesters should note Racing Rules of Sailing rule 78.1.

Competitors are the driving force in refining the accuracy of the PHRF rating system. Protesting a competitor for infringement of, or lack of compliance with, the Rules of PHRF BC and/or the Racing Rules of Sailing is one way the PHRF system’s fairness and objectivity are improved. Competitor protests of infringements at the event level ensure a fair race for all entrants.

Who can protest:

Any boat racing in the event whether in the protestee’s class or not. However, sportsmanship would tend to dictate that a same class competitor is the stakeholder and should therefore be the one to protest. A Protestee cannot exonerate themselves on the race course with penalty turns for breaking a measurement rule.

How and when to protest:

1) Measurement differences known prior to the start of the event:

Once the preparatory signal has sounded the Protestee is considered to be racing and is subject to all the rules outlined in the NOR/SI’s for the event. The Protester must hail the Protestee and fly a protest flag at the earliest opportunity after the preparatory flag has been set (usually 4 minutes prior to start – but this may be changed by the SI’s) – read RRS 61.1(a). The Protester should also note witnesses to their hail. Further, the Protester should make every effort to inform the Protestee of the Protest again as soon as possible after the finish to ensure the Protestee is aware of the Protest (on the water or on the dock).

In recap: 1. Preparatory flag is set 2. Hail the vessel to be protested: “Protest (yacht name, sail #). Invalid PHRF BC certificate.” 3. Make a note of witnesses to your hailing attempt. 4. As soon as you can after the finish of the race find the protested yacht and owner/boat representative and reconfirm that you are protesting them. Get a contact phone # or email if you can. 3. Fill out a protest form immediately after the race and submit it to the Race Officer within the time limit specified in the Sailing Instructions.

2) Measurement differences observed after the start of the event:

The Protester must hail the Protestee and fly a protest flag at the earliest opportunity after the Protester has observed the Protestee flying a sail or using equipment that is not recorded on the Protestee`s PHRF BC certificate. The Protester should also note witnesses to their hail. As above, the Protester should make every effort to inform the Protestee of the Protest again as soon as possible after the finish to ensure the Protestee is aware of the Protest (on the water or on the dock).

In summary: 1. Violation is observed (use of undeclared sails/equipment). 2. Hail the vessel to be protested: “Protest (yacht name, sail #). Invalid PHRF BC certificate.” 3. Make a note of witnesses to your hailing attempt. 4. As soon as you can after the finish of the race find the protested yacht and owner/boat representative and reconfirm that you are protesting them. Get a contact phone # or email if you can. 3. Fill out a protest form immediately after the race and submit it to the Race Officer within the time limit specified in the Sailing Instructions.

3) Filling out the Protest Form when protesting a boat with an invalid but current certificate:

Items 1-4: Obtain a standard Sail Canada protest form and fill out items 1 to 4. In item 2 tickoff “Protest by boat against boat”. Item 5: Incident Time and place of incident Example 1 = starting area, blahblah series race #1, just after the preparatory signal (approx.___am), date Example 2= leg ____, blahblah series race #1, after rounding mark 3 (approx ____am), date Rules alleged to have been broken = PHRF BC Rule 2.2, RRS 78.1 Witnesses = list other competitors who heard/saw you hail “protest” Item 6: Informing Protestee – tick off relevant items By hailing __ When? Example 1 = after preparatory signal …as stated in item 5 OR Example 2 = leg ___, after rounding …as stated in item 5 Word(s) used = “Protest (yacht name, sail #). Invalid PHRF BC certificate.” By displaying a red flag ___ When? At the same time as the protest hail By informing her in some other way ___ (Boat name) and owner/ boat representative were also informed immediately after the race (at the finish line/ on the dock/ on the way in from the race) Item 7: Description of incident (no diagram necessary): (Boat name, sail #) is racing with an invalid PHRF BC certificate (PHRF BC Rule 1.2) in contravention of RRS 78.1 and as outlined in the NOR for this event. Specifically we believe the following measurement(s) differ from those reported on the yacht’s current PHRF BC Certificate: ___________________________.

4) Filling out the Protest Form when protesting a boat with no current certificate:
 
If a boat does not have a current PHRF BC certificate: Items 1-4: Fill out Protest Form as outlined above Item 5: Rules alleged to have been broken: RRS78.1 Item 6: Word(s) used: “Protest (yacht name, sail #). No PHRF BC certificate.” Item 7: Description of incident: (Boat name, sail #) does not have a current PHRF BC certificate in contravention of RRS 78.1 and as outlined in the NOR for this event. Although Race Committees make every effort to check the status of all event entrants not all entrants provide current information as specified. Competitor awareness and protests help to ensure a fair race for all entrants.