A Protest Committee shall consist of a minimum of three members, at least one of which shall be a member of the Sailing Committee. If a Race Officer requires a Protest Committee to be formed, then s/he should inform any member of the Sailing Committee, who will respond immediately to the request-the Sailing Committee will be grateful to suitably qualified members who co-operate when asked to make up a Protest Committee.
In Open Meetings, hearings will be held as soon as possible. Again, in Club racing these should whenever possible, be held immediately after the day's racing. However, if the main protagonists cannot be available for an immediate hearing, or for some other good reason, then the hearing will proceed the following Wednesday at 21.00 hours at U.S.C., even if some interested parties are not present. In exceptional circumstances, this procedure can only be changed with the agreement of the Vice Commodore.