As prescribed in the Notice of Race sections 14 SAFETY and 15 RISK STATEMENT
14.1 The safety of a sailing yacht and her crew is the sole responsibility of the owner and the skipper. The owner and the skipper must make certain that the yacht is fully found seaworthy and well crewed. They must satisfy themselves as to the soundness of the hull, spars, rigging, sails, and equipment. They must see to it that all safety equipment is properly maintained and stowed, that the crew has been instructed in its use, and that the equipment is deployed when necessary. Neither the minimum required equipment, nor the inspection of a yacht by the race committee for compliance, limits the responsibility of the owner and skipper for the safe operation of a sailing yacht in this race.
15.1 RRS 3 states: ‘The responsibility for a boat’s decision to participate in a race or to continue to race is hers alone.’ By participating in this event each competitor agrees and acknowledges that sailing is a potentially dangerous activity with inherent risks. These risks include strong winds and rough seas, sudden changes in weather, failure of equipment, boat handling errors, poor seamanship by other boats, loss of balance on an unstable platform and fatigue resulting in increased risk of injury. Inherent in the sport of sailing is the risk of permanent, catastrophic injury or death by drowning, trauma, hypothermia or other causes.