If the skipper of a boat believes that a "foul" has been committed against his boat by another boat, he may elect to file a protest for the alleged infringement. The protesting skipper shall immediately hail the other boat(s) involved, so that they can discharge penalties if they agree, and, upon reaching the finish line, shall verbally notify the RC of intent to file a protest. The RC will issue instructions to the affected parties. The protest procedure should be viewed by skippers involved in the racing program as a means to resolve differences of opinion in a sportsmanlike manner. A protest can only be made by the skipper of the boat directly involved in and/or witnessing the incident. The race committee, however, can disqualify boats for observed violations. If appropriate, the skipper of the disqualified boat may appeal through the protest process. A protest flag is not required to be flown by eithr boat.
It is the responsibility of the protesting skipper to immediately notify the skipper of the boat which allegedly committed the foul that a protest will be filed, and shall upon reaching the finish line, notify the SRO of the intent to file a protest. A written protest should be filed with the RC Chair within 24 hours with a copy to the protested skipper. The protest should include: