Rules
Rule 49, Crew Positions; Lifelines
Rule 55.3, Setting and Sheeting Sails: Sheeting Sails
Summary:
A competitor may hold a sheet outboard.
Question:
Is it permissible for a competitor to hold the sheet of a headsail or spinnaker outboard?
Answer:
Rule 55.3 states 'No sail shall be sheeted over or through any device that exerts outward pressure on a sheet.' No part of a person's body is a 'device'. It is therefore permissible for a competitor to hold a sheet outboard, provided that rule 49 is complied with.