Rule 63 is the procedure for protest, redress, support-person and misconduct hearings alike. Most hearings take 20 to 40 minutes. They are informal but structured: validity first, then evidence, then the committee deliberates in private.
63.1 Rights of Parties
Every party is told when and where the hearing is, given access to the protest or request, given reasonable time to prepare, and may have a representative present while evidence is heard. In a Part 2, 3 or 4 protest the boat's representative must have been on board at the time, unless the committee decides there is good reason otherwise. If a party does not come, the hearing may go ahead without them.
63.2 Hearings
The committee hears every protest and request it receives unless it lets one be withdrawn. It may combine hearings arising from the same incident (but never a rule 69 hearing with anything else), may change the type of case (protest to redress, say) when validity is met, and must stop and deliver its own protest if it discovers another boat may have broken a rule.
63.3 Conflict of Interest
Committee members declare any conflict of interest as soon as they know of it, and parties object as soon as they see one. A member with a conflict stays off the panel unless all parties consent or the committee decides the conflict is not significant, weighing the parties' views, the level of the conflict and the event, how much the case matters to each party, and how it looks. At World Sailing major events no conflicted member may sit.
63.4 Hearing Procedure
Validity first. Then the committee takes evidence from the parties and their witnesses and any other evidence it wants. Hearsay is admissible; irrelevant or repetitive evidence may be cut short. Parties may question anyone who gives evidence. A member who saw the incident must say so. Witnesses wait outside except when giving evidence.
63.5 Decisions
The committee weighs the evidence, finds facts on the balance of probabilities, applies the rules and decides by simple majority (the chair has a casting vote). If the notice of race and sailing instructions conflict and the conflict must be resolved, it applies whichever gives the fairest result for all boats affected. Questions about the meaning of a class rule go to the authority that interprets it, and its answer binds the committee.
63.6 Informing the Parties and Others
Parties are told promptly the facts found, the rules applied, the decision, the reasons and any penalty or redress. Ask in writing within seven days and you get it in writing, sometimes with a diagram. Decisions may be published, and class-rule penalties are sent to the class.
63.7 Reopening a Hearing
The committee may reopen if a party was unavoidably absent, if it may have made a significant error, or if significant new evidence turns up within a reasonable time. A party asks in writing within 24 hours of being told the decision. On the last scheduled day the deadline is the protest time limit if you were told the day before, or 30 minutes if you were told that day. A late request is invalid.
Common situations
What to bring
Your written protest or request, a diagram (models or a drawn sketch), any witnesses who were on board or on the water, and photos or video if you have them. Arrive on time and be ready to explain the incident in under two minutes.
Common misreadings
"Hearsay is not allowed"
It is admissible. The committee decides how much weight it carries.
"I can bring my coach to speak for me"
In a Part 2, 3 or 4 protest the representative must normally have been on board. A coach can be a witness if they saw the incident.
Changed in 2025
The hearing procedure that was spread across old rules 63 to 66 (hearings, decisions, informing the parties, reopening) is gathered here, while who may be penalized and how moved to rule 60.5. Parties now need only be given access to the protest rather than a copy, which suits online filing. A reopening request delivered late is now expressly invalid.