(From the ISAF web site: www.sailing.org)

The 2009-2012 editions of the ISAF Call Books are now available to download.

The Call Books provide a clear definition, for both competitors and umpires, how certain incidents will be called in match or team racing events. Through written and illustrated examples, scenarios that occur in match or team racing events are presented along with the rules applicable to that situation and how and when they should be applied.

The 2009-2012 edition of the ISAF Call Book for Match Racing can be downloaded directly via the link below from the ISAF website at http://www.sailing.org/callbook.php.

Click here for 2009-2012 edition of the ISAF Call Book for Match Racing.

David TILLETT, Chairman of the ISAF Racing Rules Committee, says the principal aim of the Call Books is to increase understanding at all levels resulting in greater consistency across events, “The calls have been developed with the input from sailors and umpires alike due to the need for as much consistency as possible in responding to on-the-water protests. The aim of the Call Book is to help resolve any doubt amongst sailors and umpires about situations referred to in the Call Book,” TILLETT said.

The 2009-2012 editions of the Call Books are published to coincide with the release of the 2009-2012 edition of The Racing Rules of Sailing, the worldwide rules which govern the sport on the water. The Call Books detail scenarios in match or team racing events and then provide a clear explanation of the applicable rules from the The Racing Rules of Sailing in those situations and how they should be applied.

The 2009-2012 edition of The Racing Rules of Sailing is available from www.sailing.org/rrs.

The latest editions of the Call Books include:

- updates to incorporate changes made in the 2009-2012 edition of The Racing Rules of Sailing
- developmental changes
- all of the supplements made to the previous edition of the book
- new calls
- fine tuning of calls from the previous Call Book

The new editions of the Call Books are the result of many years of input from sailors, officials, ISAF Committees and ISAF Member National Authorities (MNAs). All of these elements are brought together by the ISAF Match and Team Racing Rules Working Party which is chaired by Marianne MIDDELTHON (NOR) and also includes Chris ATKINS (GBR), Alfredo RICCI (ITA) Richard THOMPSON (GBR) Björn ANKER-MÖLLER (DEN), Jim CAPRON (USA), Jack LLOYD (NZL) and Henry MENIN (ISV).

The publishing of the Call Books is governed by ISAF Regulation 31. Proposed changes to the Call Books are suggested in Submissions (which can be made by ISAF MNAs, International Class Associations, the ISAF Executive Committee, ISAF Committee Chairmen and the ISAF President) to the ISAF Annual Conference. These are then evaluated carefully by the ISAF Match and Team Racing Rules Working Party and during the meeting of the ISAF Racing Rules Committee at the Conference. That Committee passes its recommendations on to the ISAF Council. Approved changes are then included in an annually published supplement to the Call Books. The new editions of the Call Book are published every four years, in line with the publication of The Racing Rules of Sailing, and incorporate all of these supplements.

ISAF Rapid Response Calls

In addition to the editions and supplements of the Calls Books, ISAF also responded to demand from event organizers and umpires for short-term answers by providing an ISAF Rapid Response Calls system for both Match Racing and Team Racing.

Calls proposed under this system should be presented in a format similar to existing calls, and sent to the ISAF office in Southampton (see www.sailing.org/contactisaf for contact details). Any diagrams should preferably be in TSS (TSS is a special boat drawing programme). A call approved as a Rapid Response Call will be immediately communicated to all ISAF International Umpires (IUs) and MNAs. It will also be posted on the ISAF Race Officials microsite at www.sailing.org/raceofficials.

Details of key updates in the new editions are below.

ISAF Call Book for Match Racing

The ISAF Call Book for Match Racing was first published in 1992 and is now in its seventh edition.

There are three sections in the Call Book:

- ’General’ - covering some issues that apply to many call situations
- ’Umpire’ - limited to rules (or parts of rules) that are not amended by Appendix C, the Appendix of The Racing Rules of Sailing relating specifically to Match Racing Rules
- ’Match Racing’ - relating to situations involving the rules of Appendix C

The 2009-2012 edition of the Call Book has been revised to reflect the changes to new edition of the The Racing Rules of Sailing and Appendix C. Most of the changes are simply changes to the rules references, but some of the calls have changed significantly as a result of the changes to the rules about marks and obstructions.

The biggest changes from the 2005-2008 edition of the Call Book are:

- In calls UMP 6, 22, 24, 30 and 34
- MR 26 has been deleted
- UMP 8, 15, 23, 25, 31 and MR 5, 9, 20 were deleted in 2005
- This edition also includes several new calls, submitted as Rapid Response Calls, and subsequently approved by the ISAF Racing Rules Committee. These calls have been added at the end of each section

Please note, that although some calls are deleted the remaining calls have not been renumbered. This means that for instance MR 27 now follows directly after MR 25.