Doing A 720 Penalty With Lijia Xu

Book Extract

Taking A Penalty

A two-turn penalty

A One-turn penalty

If you think you have broken a rule, then it is wise to take a penalty. Even in a 50/50 situation taking a penalty is not admitting you are in the wrong. It just prevents you from getting disqualified if the incident
goes to protest!

Note contact does not have to occur for a rule to be broken and, other than touching marks, the way to absolve yourself on the water is to take a two-turn penalty (including two tacks and two gybes). This is much better than retiring from the race when
onshore. If you hit a buoy sail clear, then make a 360⁰ turn (including a tack and a gybe). This is a one-turn penalty. You have taken your medicine, so sail on.

Note that in either case you have to keep clear of other boats while you’re spinning.

On a crowded racecourse there will inevitably be some collisions and someone will be in the wrong and have to take a penalty

You’re going to be doing plenty of penalties as you learn to race, so now that you can tack and gybe why not practise sailing in circles? 

Lijia Xu famously had to take a penalty while leading the Laser Radial medal race in the 2012 London Olympics. She just got on and did it and still won the race and the gold medal. (Read about this in her amazing autobiography, Golden Lily.) Who better to show you how to do a 720⁰ turn? We show you here just the first turn.