Rules Quiz
The Situation:
Three overlapped boats (Penguins) are running on
starboard tack in very light air towards a leeward mark to
be left to starboard. There is a moderate current running in
the same direction as the wind.
Facts Found:
Red and Green were close together with Blue
approximately one boat length to leeward of Red and
barely overlapped. Due to the light air, all the boats were
steering a course well to windward of the rounding mark.
As Red approached the zone, she gybed for the mark. Green
gybed almost simultaneously with Red and maintained her
overlap. Red’s gybe (and Green’s) may have been outside
the zone, but upon gybing, they both entered the zone
immediately. Due to the current and proximity of the mark,
Green had to sail a higher course than Red. After Green
and Red gybed, Blue hailed “Starboard” and continued on
her course until she had to gybe to avoid a collision with
Red. Red sailed approximately one boatlength on port tack
before Blue was forced to gybe to avoid a collision. By the
time Blue completed her gybe, she was very close to Red
(within 1 foot) and completely blanketing her. At the same
time, Green was sailing up to Red in order to pass the mark
on the required side. Green hailed Red for “Room”. Red
claimed she could not sail a higher course because of Blue
and although she pulled in her boom to keep clear of Green,
there was contact between the two boats. Blue, the only boat
with clear air and some speed, was able to bear off and gybe
around the mark in front of both Red and Green. None of
the boats hit the mark. Green protested Red and Blue for
failing to give mark-room under Rule 18.2(a). Red protested
Blue for failing to give her room to keep clear of Green. Blue
claimed that Red had no right to gybe in front of her since
Blue was on starboard tack and Red was outside the zone.
Also, since there was no contact between herself and Red,
she must have given enough room.
Conclusions and Rules that apply:
From the time that any of the boats were in the zone,
Rule 18 and specifically Rule 18.2(b) applied. From then on
Blue had to give Red mark-room, which includes giving her
room to sail to the mark. “Room to sail to the mark” includes
room to keep clear or give room as necessary because to
do otherwise would be unseamanlike, so Blue owed Red
room to keep clear of Green. Red only took mark-room to
which she was entitled; so she is exonerated under Rule 18.5
for breaking Rule 10 (Opposite Tacks). Additionally, after
Blue gybed she was required by Rule 11 (Opposite Tacks,
Overlapped) to keep clear of Red, which she failed to do.
She also failed to avoid causing contact between Red and
Green when she could have done so. Blue is disqualified
for breaking Rules 11, 14 and 18.2(b). (Note that she is
disqualified even though Green’s protest cited the wrong
48° No r t h , Fe b r u a r y 2010 Pa g e 62
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90