At a recent Farr 40 event, I went into the protest room regarding a decision on the question of whether two boats had reached the three-length zone or if it was a portstarboard situation in the open course.
The decision wasn’t in our favor—a painful outcome and yet an opportunity to learn.
Lesson 1
Be prepared with math.
Any boat with a computer can yield
info regarding boat positioning, speed,
and wind speed. In my situation I had
an eyewitness who was unbiased and
reliable; yet my competition won the
protest with math. I learned I need math
to back up facts provided by a witness.
Lesson 2
Don’t rely solely on the
umpires. In the Farr 40 class, the umpires
will blow a whistle if they witness a
situation; however, no whistle does not
mean there was no foul. In this situation,
I mistakenly relied on the umpires to
make a decision. The DSQ cost us a North
American Championship; doing a 360
would have cost us three spots. In the heat
of the moment it was a tough decision;
keeping the big picture in mind will keep
you in a regatta-winning mindset.
Lesson 3
Write up discussion points
prior to the protest. Had I organized my
thoughts, my presentation would have
been clearer. Using boat information plus
a clear presentation of facts makes this a
slam-dunk.
In conclusion, the protest room is always 50-50. When in doubt stay out of the room. Regardless of how good the case, there are always two sides. Don’t rely on a witness regardless of credibility. Use all relevant information to get the right decision. A little preparation will go a long way.
