Excerpt from Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing
by Dave Perry, Illustrations by Brad Dellenbaugh
- Now Available -

Definition of Finish
A boat finishes when any part of her hull, or crew or equipment in normal position, crosses the finishing line in the direction of the course from the last mark, either for the first time or after taking a penalty under rule 31.2 or 44.2 or, under rule 28.1, after correcting an error made at the finishing line.

You finish when any part of your hull, or of your crew or equipment in normal position, crosses the finish line. Therefore, in a strong adverse current for example, all you need to do is get your bow across the finishing line to get your finishing position or time. Rule 28.1 (Sailing the Course) states, “After finishing she need not cross the finishing line completely.”

Notice that your crew and equipment must be in “normal position.” “Normal position” is generally defined as the position where your crew or equipment is normally located in the existing wind and sea conditions. Therefore boats can’t come into a close downwind finish and suddenly let their spinnaker halyards and sheets out two feet, or come into a close upwind finish in light air and suddenly have their crews jump out on the trapeze to put their heads across the line.
 

If you foul a boat at the finishing line or touch a finishing mark, it’s possible that you will cross the finishing line before doing your penalty turns (see rules 31.2, Touching a Mark and 44.2, Two-Turns Penalty). That is not a problem. Simply get clear of other boats, do your penalty turn(s) and then cross the finishing line again. You finish when you cross the finishing line after taking your penalty; i.e. the first time you crossed the line will be disregarded.

If you do not finish correctly, the race committee is allowed to score you DNF (Did Not Finish) without protesting you (rules A5, Scores Determined by the Race Committee). If you feel they have incorrectly scored you DNF, you can request redress under rule 62.1(a) (Redress). However, if you finish but the race committee thinks it saw you touch a finishing mark and you do not take a penalty, or it thinks you skipped a mark or otherwise failed to sail the course correctly, it must score you as having finished and then protest you under rule 31 (Touching a Mark) or rule 28 (Sailing the Course) in accordance with rule 61 (Protest Requirements) (see ISAF Case 80).

Sometimes, when coming up to a finishing line, it is not always clear which way to go across it. The definition says that a boat finishes when she crosses the finishing line in the direction of the course from the last mark. The last mark means the last mark of the course prior to the finishing line. Therefore, simply cross the line in the natural direction from the last mark you passed, regardless of any required sides either of the finishing marks may have had at other times during the race (see ISAF Case 45).

And if you realize you have crossed the finishing line in the wrong direction, you can correct your error so that your course complies with rule 28 (Sailing the Course). Remember that this may require that you “unwind your string” first before crossing the line in the correct direction.