Rule Interpretation RI-03-02

Rule 6.6.4 reads as follows: “If a boat does not have at least two full sized, legal 89 m2 spinnaker on January 1, 2003, one or two 89 m2 spinnakers, as applicable, may be purchased before December 31, 2004 to make up the deficiency. If an additional spinnaker may be purchased under rule 6.8 on January 1, 2003, the number of sails that may be purchased under this rule 6.6.4 will be reduced by one.”

The second sentence of 6.6.4 reduces the number of sails that may be purchased under rule 6.6.4 by one. This is because, under rule 6.8 as it was in effect on that day (and still is), an owner was permitted to purchase at least two sails during 2003, one or both of which could be spinnakers. (The second sentence of rule 6.6.4 is phrased the way it is because when 6.6.4 was adopted as part of the 2002 rules changes, it was unclear whether new rule 6.8 “ the calendar year system “ would pass. If it had not passed, an owner would not have been able to purchase a new chute until 12 months from his last purchase had expired (which was the old rule). Thus, it was possible that an owner could not have purchased a chute under 6.8 on January 1, 2003 and rule 6.6.4 would have made up for this by permitting an owner to purchase one more chute under 6.6.4.)

If a boat had no 89 m2 at the beginning of 2003, the “deficiency” referred to in rule 6.6.4’s first sentence would be two chutes and the second sentence would reduce the number of chutes that may be purchased under rule 6.6.4 to one. If, on the other hand, a boat had one 89 m2 at the beginning of 2003, the “deficiency” referred to in rule 6.6.4’s first sentence would be one chute and the second sentence would reduce the number of chutes that may be purchased under rule 6.6.4 to zero.

In certain fleets, 89 m2 chutes were in use before 2003, which had luff length significantly shorter than what is permitted under the current rule. The TC believes that those chute are not competitive with chutes made according to the current rule. For that reason, those chutes do not constitute “full sized, legal 89 m2 spinnakers” within the meaning of rule 6.6.4.