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

The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) has published the 2011 supplements to the current editions of The Call Book for Match Racing and The Call Book for Team Racing together with revised editions of the books.

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.

Following on from the ISAF Annual Conference in November, there have been a number of new Calls added to both Match Racing and Team Racing Call Books, whilst several calls have been revised.

These new Calls and Revisions have been published as Supplements to the current editions of the Call Books. The full text of both Call Books has also been updated. The Supplements and full texts are all available to download from the ISAF website at www.sailing.org/callbooks.

A summary of the changes made is:

The Call Book for Match Racing:
Call GEN 2 - Missing reference to rule C8.6 inserted
Call UMP 43 - New Call.
Call UMP 44 - New Call.
Call UMP 45 - New Call.
Call UMP 46 - New Call.
Call UMP 47 - New Call.
Call MR 41 - New Call.
Call MR 42 - New Call.
Call MR 43 - New Call.

The Call Book for Team Racing:
Call E10 - New question 3 added
Call F2 - New questions 3, 4 and 5 added.

The 2009-2012 editions of the ISAF Call Book for Match Racing and the ISAF Call Book for Team Racing can be downloaded directly from the ISAF website at www.sailing.org/callbooks or ordered in hardcopy from www.sailing.org/publications.

About The Call Books

The 2009-2012 editions of The Call Books coincide with 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 Call Book for Match Racing was first published in 1992 and is now in its seventh edition. The Call Book for Team Racing was first published in 2001 and is now in its fourth edition.

The latest edition of the Call Book for Match Racing and The ISAF Call Book for Team Racing is available from www.sailing.org/callbooks.

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

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 Bruce Hebbert (GBR), Rob Overton (USA), Marina Psichogiou (GRE), John Standley (AUS), Richard Thompson (GBR), Jack Lloyd (NZL), Bjorn Anker-Moller (DEN), Ricardo Lobato (BRA), Shane Borell (NZL), Jim Capron (USA) 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.