.....A certain amount of rocking, pumping, and ooching is
legal. Common practice in most fleets....


John Cairns wrote:
According to the latest copy I have of "The Rules of Racing", none of the
actions you describe are legal, in any amount.I would hate to think that the
folks we race against in PHRF cheat, though I'm sure it does happen, God
help you if you get caught.

Why? In my experience, protest committees are getting increasingly lax
about enforcing the rules.

However, take a look at it in black & white
http://www.sailing.org/rrs2001/42Int..._2003Final.pdf

Scroll down to the interpretations- this is the real working part of the
rule. Note the you are still allowed to roll tack. You are still allowed
to scull, as long as you are "steering" when you do so. You are still
allowed to combine any roll with a pump. The rule hasn't changed much
since the old Rule 54 (which had a great video) but the wording has
gotten a lot more vague (and at the same time, for some reason, they
seem to have tried to make it sound more intimidating).

Skill at kinetic propulsion is a key in light air... if you have less
skill at it than your competitors, then your options are 1- lose graciously
2- kick up a fuss
3- go out and practice how to make the boat move on days when there is
NO wind at all...

I took option #3 (although I'm a bit out of practice nowadays) and when
a competitor was using what I felt was illegal propulsion, I'd do it
too... and pass them. That did more to keep the fleet honest than any
amount of protesting. It's a test of character, really. But it also is
healthy exercise and makes those drifters a bit less agonizing.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King