In 2017, NSC & BYC introduced Post-Race Penalties (PRPs), as explained in Sailing Instruction 16.2. PRPs give competitors an additional option to the two-turns penalty, to accept a penalty for an infraction of a rule of Part 2 of the Racing Rules of Sailing, or rule 31.
A boat that decides that they may have broken a rule of Part 2 or rule 31 accepts a Post-Race Penalty by advising the protest coordinators. If such a penalty is taken prior to the end of the protest time limit (midnight, the day after the race concerned), then the PRP is a 20% Scoring Penalty, per SI 16.2(a). The skipper of the boat accepting the PRP shall email the Protest Coordinator(s) (protests at nsc.ca and/or protests at byc.ca) a statement that he/she accepts the penalty and that identifies the race number and where and when the incident occurred. Below is a template that may be used.
Message to accept a 20% Post-Race Penalty:
As skipper of Boat A, sail #123, I wish to take a 20% post-race penalty for an incident in the PHRF/JAM/One-Design/etc. race on [date], for an incident involving Boat B, sail #456, helmed by Jane Doe. The incident occurred [on the nth leg/at the windward mark the second time around/etc.] and I believe I failed to [keep clear/provide room/avoid contact/etc.] as required by rule X.
John Q, Skipper of Boat A
613-123-4567
If Boat A has an e-mail address for Boat B, it would be courteous to copy Boat B on the above submission.
The protest coordinator will, as soon as possible, acknowledge receipt of the message, and cc the other boat involved in the incident. Below is a template that may be used by the protest coordinator.
Message to acknowledge receipt of a Post-Race Penalty acceptance:
I am confirming receipt of your e-mail. By cc, I am advising Boat B of your decision. In a separate message, I will ask the appropriate scorer to make the appropriate scoring change. Scoring changes may not be reflected until the results are uploaded next week.
Thank you.
John Doe
NSC/BYC Protest Coordinator
If a boat does not accept a PRP by the end of the protest time limit, she may still take a PRP, but the penalty becomes a 30% Scoring Penalty, per SI 16.2(b). If the boat is protested for the incident, upon notification of the protest lodged against them, the boat will be given the opportunity to take a 30% PRP, but they must do so within 24 hours of being notified of the protest, per SI 16.2(c). Otherwise, a protest hearing will be convened.
If no protest is lodged against a boat, there is no time limit for taking a 30% PRP.
Normally, submission of a PRP request is an acknowledgement that a rule(s) was broken, and an admission of guilt by one party, and therefore cannot be withdrawn.
As stated in the RRS, a fundamental principle of sportsmanship is that when a boat knowingly breaks a rule and is not exonerated, she shall promptly take an appropriate penalty. Thus, a PRP should not be seen as an alternative to the two-turns penalty outlined in RRS 44. A PRP is instead an option for a boat that was not aware at the time of the incident that they had broken a rule.
Protest Coordinators:
When notifying the appropriate scorer, it is important to advise the scorer whether the boat should be assigned a 20% PRP per SI 16.2(a), or a 30% PRP per SI 16.2(b).
Return to the Protest Procedures page.
Cameron Wood & Hugh Morrin, 2026 Protest Coordinators.
Page updated: 2026-06-28.Page maintained by Hugh Morrin.
2017-07-15, HM: page created.
2017-08-12, HM: minor wording updates.
2019-07-24, HM: Replaced Gerry McGrath with Elizabeth Pattey.
2022-08-06, HM: Updated SI reference for PRPs from 20.6 to 16.2 (5 places). Updated link to current RRS. Updated publish date – was 2017-07-15.
2026-06-28, HM: Added statement that normally a PRP cannot be withdrawn. Added statement explaining that a PRP should not be considered an alternative to the two turns penalty, for a boat that knows they broke a rule. Note that the World Sailing Judges Manual goes further, stating “If the protest committee concludes that it is clearly established that a boat knowingly broke a rule and did not promptly take a penalty, the boat broke rule 2. Since rule 2 is a rule in Part 1, the Post-Race Penalty is not available to her.” Other minor editorial updates.