Preface      

This is the fourth edition of the ISAF Call Book for Team Racing. It has been edited to reflect the changes in the Racing Rules of Sailing for 2009 – 2012 and in particular the rules of Appendix D. Special thanks to members of the Match & Team Racing Rules Working Party: Chris Atkins, Bruce Hebbert, Rob Overton, John Standley and Richard Thompson for their help in updating this book.
Whilst most of the changes are simply changes in references, there are some significant game changes involved and sailors and umpires are well advised to study the new call book in detail!
The following is an incomplete list of changes:
• Calls B5, D9, D10 and E9 are deleted. When a call is deleted, the numbers of remaining calls do not change. However, a new call may be inserted using the call number of a deleted call.
• New calls in this edition of the call book are D9, D10, J6, J7, L6, M7 and M8. They have all been submitted through the rapid response system and
subsequently approved by the ISAF Racing Rules Committee.
• The decisions in calls B6, B8, E2, E6, F2 and L2 are completely or partially changed.
• In addition, there are significant changes in calls A6, E1, E3, E5, E7, E8, G6, H1, H2, H4, J2, J3, J4, J5, M1 and M2.
The purpose of this call book is to define, for umpires and competitors, how incidents will be called in Team Racing.
The calls have been split into sections associated with progress around the course, citing typical incidents in the order they are likely to occur and explaining the rules that are applicable. As a result, some calls are simpler than others, and some include repetitions from earlier explanations. While calls are printed in one section only, this does not mean that they do not apply at other times. Many calls (e.g. those in the prestart section) will apply at all times.
Diagrams are limited to 2-dimensional snapshots of each situation. They cannot show wind strength, the waves, the heel and speed of boats and all the many other things that contribute to a real-life scenario. They should therefore not be used too literally, but rather as a tool to help recognise quickly and clearly the situation being addressed.
The calls in this book cannot cover every possible incident. As new tactics are developed, new calls will be required. Should reading this call book, or an incident on the water, stimulate you to comment or propose an additional call, please send an email to ISAF at sail@isaf.co.uk. If there's an incident that you are unsure of, then perhaps it should be written up and submitted as a new call.
The publishing of the Call Book is governed by ISAF regulation 31. This means that it is authoritative for team racing only. It also means that changes can only be made through the same submission procedures as changes to the rules themselves.
ISAF regulations provide for a system with Rapid Response Team Racing Calls.
Calls proposed under this system should be presented in a form similar to existing calls, and sent to the ISAF office in Southampton. A call approved as a Rapid Response Call will be immediately communicated to all IU's, and MNA's. In addition it will be posted on the ISAF website www.sailing.org.
The Match & Team Racing Rules Working Party will make recommendations on submitted calls and approved Rapid Response Calls to the Racing Rules Committee November meeting each year.
I welcome any comments for improvement of this Call Book.
Marianne Middelthon, Chairman
Match & Team Racing Rules Working Party
November 2008