Explained: Everything You Need To Know About SailGP's Rules And Penalties
Take our SailGP crash course, starting with everything you need to know about rules and penalties
Published 04/14/2025
Amid all the high-speed drama, there is a very clear set of rules and corresponding penalties in SailGP that teams must adhere to in order to ensure the safety of the crews and maintain a level playing field.
These are monitored by the umpires in the SailGP production studios in London. With a high-tech tracking system accurate to 2.5cm, they have all the tools at their fingertips to dispense judgement.
Decisions can be challenged by the teams out on the water. As we know from Mike Buckley and Taylor Canfield’s tour of the U.S. SailGP Team F50, there is a protest button in the Strategist’s cockpit for just such occasions.
WATCH: Mike & Taylor's F50 Tour
So, where do we begin?
Penalty Points
Discouraging collisions on the course is the No.1 priority for the umpiring team. Points penalties are imposed if there is a collision and deducted from the offending team’s event score, which is why you’ll see some teams with scores in the minuses.
It’s not just the offending team who can suffer penalty deductions though. If the umpire decides the boat that was hit did not do enough to avoid the collision, they too can be penalized.
The penalties are broken down as follows:
Collision
Boat responsible - four points
Boat involved - minimum two point (if it was possible for them to avoid)
Collision causing damage
Damage: Tech team needed to review and repair
Boat responsible - eight points
Boat involved - minimum four points (if it was possible for them to avoid)
Collision causing serious damage
Serious damage: Taken out of racing for the day
Boat responsible - 12 points
Boat involved - minimum six points (if it was possible for them to avoid)
At the end of an event, any teams that have been handed event point penalties will incur the following deductions from their overall Championship score:
4 event points = two season points deducted
5-8 event points = four season points deducted
9-12 event points = eight season points deducted
13+ event points = 12 season points deducted
There is another option available to the umpires: the Black Flag. This results in an immediate disqualification and is issued to any team putting another at high risk of a serious collision or potential capsize.
On-Course Side
Before any of that, though, there are rules to be adhered to when it comes to starting a race. While we see the start line turn white on television broadcasts, the teams do not. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the Driver to get his side across the start line as the line turns white. If a boat crosses the start line early, they are on course side (OCS) and the offending team must drop to the back of the fleet.
Giving Way
As the race develops, there are rules on who has the right of way – much like when driving a car. When two vessels approach on opposite tacks (turning the bow of the boat through the wind), the boat with the starboard tack has the right of way. In other words, whoever has the wind on its right side has the right of way.
Overlapping
However, when two boats are going in the same direction, it is the responsibility of the boat closest to the wind to move out of the way – the windward boat. The boat furthest from the wind (the leeward boat) therefore holds the advantage. However, if they are not overlapping but still sailing in the same direction, the boat behind is expected to keep clear of the boat in front.
READ: All The SailGP Terms You Need To Know!
Boundary
Marking out the SailGP course is an imaginary boundary, designed to keep the action fast and intense. There is an 80m zone designed within the course boundary. Whichever boat is closest to the boundary is permitted to take the fastest route in and out of the zone and must be given the space to do so.
Crossing the boundary results in penalization, based on the advantage that team has gained.
Mark Roundings
The buoys that teams must round at each end of the course have a 50m circular zone around them with the mark at the center. If two or more boats are overlapping as they enter the mark zone, the boat on the inside must be given room to round the mark. Those on the outside must allow their opponent the space to complete their maneuver.
If not overlapped, the boat that entered the zone first has the right of way. As a result, getting into the strongest position is a crucial part of a team’s strategy.
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