I was struck by an observation in "Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing through 2008" by Dave Perry. It has to do with the Basic Principle in our Racing Rules of Sailing which states: "Competitors in the sport of sailing are governed by a body of rules that they are expected to follow and enforce."
Like most people you start with: Well off course. Sportsmanship, fair play, don't be a sore looser and so on and move on, to the next sentence and to the next page. Rereading it, after Dave Perry, my attention was drawn to the very last word: enforce.... Competitors are expected to enforce the rules.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - en·force /ɛnˈfɔrs, -ˈfoʊrs/
–verb (used with object), -forced, -forc·ing.
1. to put or keep in force; compel obedience to: to enforce a rule; Traffic laws will be strictly enforced.
2. to obtain (payment, obedience, etc.) by force or compulsion.
3. to impose (a course of action) upon a person: The doctor enforced a strict dietary regimen.
4. to support (a demand, claim, etc.) by force: to enforce one's rights as a citizen.
5. to impress or urge (an argument, contention, etc.) forcibly; lay stress upon: He enforced his argument by adding details.
Sailing is a self-policing sport, most protest are done by sailors, not by officials. That's how the rules are set up. In that sailing is unique.
I however was struck by the weight of the word enforce. The Dutch translation in the rule book does not have the same strength as the original English word. How is that in your language? (Look after the break for translations) Is that the word used in your rule book?
Protest are not obligatory. If you are fouled or see someone else break a rule, you don't have to protest. This seems in contradiction with enforcing the rules....
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary (Beta Version)
enforce [inˈfoːs] verb
to cause (a law, a command, one's own will etc) to be carried out
Example: There is a law against dropping litter but it is rarely enforced.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary (Beta Version), © 2000-2006 K Dictionaries Ltd.Example: There is a law against dropping litter but it is rarely enforced.
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Great point. At a club to which I used to belong there was a lot of whining by several sailors who thought that a couple of members were frequently violating Rule 42. They complained and complained but they all expected someone else to do something about it. When I explained that any competitor may file a Rule 42 protest if they see it being violated they were amazed. But still no competitor protested.
ReplyDeleteI never did understand why these sailors were so reluctant to enforce the rules.