Three competitors in the Clipper Round the World 2009/2010 race have each been given a 60-minute time penalty. In breach of the Sailing Instructions, Edinburgh Inspiring Capital, Cape Breton Island and California entered the Singapore Traffic Separation Scheme at the start of the current leg from Singapore to Qingdao.
In the first leg Hull and Humber and Cork were penalised for a similar offence, which should have made all the competitors especially careful. I was glad, however, that there were no repeat offenders – impossible in the case of Cork, who was abandoned after running aground on the Fremantle-Singapore leg.
The advice to READ THE SAILING INSTRUCTIONS is particularly important if you only race occasionally or are participating in a special regatta. You may find that marks you normally pass to starboard are designated to be left to port. This is to be expected if the race has been organised by a club other than your own.
You can’t win races unless you sail the proper course and you shouldn’t rely on following other yachts. What will happen if you are in the lead?