Prodders Attached to the Pole to Catch the Lazy Kite Sheet.

It has been noticed that a few of these have appeared on boats and I know that the great Paul Heys has been the origin of this idea in some cases. A few queries about this have come my way about the legality of this. Ultimately a protest committee is the arbiter of whether these are legal or illegal. As the rule guru of the class my belief is that they are illegal because they mean that the pole cannot be withdrawn aft of the shear line. You have been warned.

As an aside my personal view is that gibing around the outside is a complete waste of time. We don’t do it on Zelda. But that again is just my point of view.

More generally if you think someone is breaking this rule or indeed any other rule whether that be a Part 2 rule or weight or anything else – then don’t moan and whinge, just protest. Protesting is not an aggressive thing to do it is part of the sport and is the best way to sort things out politely.

Regards
 
Michael Ewart-Smith

J/109 Committee - Rules