"DSK" wrote in message

Roll tacking has always been allowed. Now, there have always been rules
against various forms of propulsion, some of which are suspiciously close
to sailing but are deemed inappropriate... or ungentlemanly, or something.

Roll tacking wasn't specifically outlawed in the SCIRA rule book, but most
regatta committees ruled it illegal as an interpretation of the
anti-kinetics rules. I read at the time that the top sailor in the Snipe
Junior Nationals was DSQ'd from two races in 1972 for roll tacking. He
still won the nationals that year, his other finishes were 1-1-1-1-2-1-1.
But the scuttlebut thereafter was that roll tacking wasn't allowed in
Snipes. A few years later everyone was doing it. Things change.

If one were to roll-tack one's way up the windward leg, using each tack
simply for propulsion and not because of windshifts or competitors, that
would be illegal, then & now.

Interpretation changes with time. Kinetics become better-defined and
written rules become more specific. When I raced Snipes they were the
second largest one-design class in the world, with Sunfish #1. Now neither
class is even viable any longer.


If you get DSQ'd you should honestly be able to say (and hopefully get the
backing of a few other skippers) "I was doing exactly what the other boats
were doing, so DSQ them also."

Depends upon how well politically aligned you are with the race committee.
My experience is that most race committees tend to have selective vision and
variable rules interpretation skills.

Max