Dear all, On behalf of Gary Tenenbaum RC Co-Chair: *"Along with the second use of the new 'X' course, last night saw the first protest of the season for Wednesday Night Racing.* * * *The protestor filled out the standard protest form and handed it to the PRO for the evening. Unfortunately, this is no longer the proper procedure. As per the sailing instructions, rule 13.2, all protests must be filed online at the Club website prior to 11:59:59. * * * *Thankfully, the protest dealt with a technical issue, not an event that caused damage or injury. As a rule, the first duty of a protest committee is to decide if the protest is valid. As this protest was not filed correctly, no jury needs to be set up and the protest is disallowed. This might be a good time for all to read the SIs and brush up on all related protest requirements. We all live and learn."* We want to encourage protests if people are breaking the rules. It is a vital and healthy part of racing. However, protesting is a technical process and certain conditions must be met for a valid protest. Part 5 of the Racing Rules of Sailing deals with protests, etc. I encourage you to read up on this. If you don't have a copy of the current rules they are online at http://raceadmin.ussailing.org/Rules/2013-2016_Racing_Rules_of_Sailing.htm. Sincerely, Eric Baumes Cruising Fleet Scorer