In the next in our occasional "Happy Sailing" series on the IYRU Racing Rules of Sailing, do you know when to take a one-turn penalty and when it should be two turns?
Rule 44 is quite straightforward – for touching any mark of the course while racing (Rule 31), including the start mark and finish mark, the penalty is one-turn.
For all other rules, the penalty is two-turns.
Each turn must include one tack and one gybe.
Remember that during penalty turns, you have no rights, so should wait until you are clear of all other boats, and at the first available time, take your penalty and sail on.
Remember, even Sir Ben Ainslie has taken race penalties and gone on to win the race!!
Happy Sailing J