F1 NATIONAL AUTHORITY
Appeals, requests by protest committees for confirmation or correction of decisions, and requests for the interpretation of rules shall be made to the national authority.
F2 APPELLANT'S RESPONSIBILITIES
F2.1 Within 15 days of receiving the protest committee's written decision or its decision not to reopen a hearing, the appellant shall send a dated appeal to the national authority with a copy of the protest committee's decision. The appeal shall state why the appellant believes the protest committee's interpretation of a rule or its procedures were incorrect.
F2.2 The appellant shall also send, with the appeal or as soon as possible thereafter, any of the following documents that are available to her:
(a) the written protest(s);
(b) a diagram, prepared or endorsed by the protest committee, showing the positions and tracks of all boats involved, the course to the next mark and its required side, the force and direction of the wind, and, if relevant, the depth of water and direction and speed of any current;
(c) the notice of race, the sailing instructions, any other conditions governing the event, and any changes to them;
(d) any additional relevant documents; and
(e) the names and addresses of all parties to the hearing and the protest committee chairman.
F2.3 A request from a protest committee for confirmation or correction of its decision shall include the decision and all relevant documents. A request for a rule interpretation shall include assumed facts.
F3 NOTIFICATION AND RESPONSE OF THE PROTEST COMMITTEE
Upon receipt of an appeal, the national authority shall send a copy of the appeal to the protest committee, asking the protest committee for the documents listed in rule F2.2 not supplied by the appellant, and the protest committee shall send the documents to the national authority.
F4 NATIONAL AUTHORITY'S RESPONSIBILITIES
The national authority shall send copies of the appeal and the protest committee's decision to the other parties to the hearing. It shall send to the appellant copies of documents not sent by the appellant. It shall send to any party to the hearing upon request any of the documents listed in rule F2.2.
F5 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The national authority shall accept the protest committee's finding of facts except when it decides they are inadequate, in which case it may require the protest committee to provide additional facts or other information, or to reopen the hearing and report any new finding of facts.
F6 COMMENTS
Parties to the hearing and the protest committee may send comments on the appeal to the national authority, provided they do so within 15 days of receiving the appeal. The national authority shall send such comments to all parties to the hearing and to the protest committee.
F7 WITHDRAWING AN APPEAL
An appellant may withdraw an appeal before it is decided by accepting the protest committee's decision.