PART 2 22.3
A boat moving astern, or sideways to windward, through the water by backing a sail shall keep clear of one that is not.
This rule, coupled with the preamble to Section D, may have the effect of reversing the rights of way under Section A. The typical situation of moving astern is on the starting line, where a boat clear ahead wishes to reverse back to avoid becoming OCS because the current is carrying her over the line. The rule operates as soon as she moving astern through the water, relative to the current, even if she is not yet moving astern with respect to the sea-bed.
The rule does not apply between boats that are both moving astern through the water by backing a sail. If one boat were head to wind, and moving astern by backing a sail, to windward of and towards another boat doing the same, the windward of the two boats whose sails are pinned on the same side would still be clear ahead, as defined, and therefore right of way boat under rule 12. However, all the boat astern needs do to counter this is to stop moving astern, at which point she resumes right of way under rule 22.3.
When one boat with her mainsail pinned to one side is sailing backwards towards another boat with her mainsail pinned on the other side, rule 10 must apply between them – but which is the starboard-tack boat? When a boat on starboard tack goes head to wind, she is still on starboard tack. However, the definition Leeward and Windwind goes on to say that her leeward side (which indirectly determines the tack she is on) is the side of which her mainsail lies when she is sailing directly downwind. If a boat making a sternboard is ‘sailing directly downwind’, then if the same boat now pins the sail out on her starboard side, that now seems to make it her leeward side, putting her on port tack1
.
Expert dinghy sailors can get a boat to ‘crab’, by backing a sail and setting the rudder so that the boat moves sideways to windward. The technique is useful on a starting line, and, as discussed, if when on starboard tack she pushes the boom more out to port, she remains on starboard tack. Without this technique it would be difficult to get into a more windward spot without tacking or backing out. With this technique it is disconcerting for other boats to windward who are unable or unwilling to do the same, and find themselves obliged to act to keep clear under rule 11 at a time when they do not wish to move. Now, the advantage of crabbing is nullified by this rule, which means a boat that is crabbing will have to keep clear of all boats, port, starboard or tacking, that are not. However, when two boats side by side are both crabbing, rule 11 applies between them, and the windward crabber has to keep clear.
Rule 23 CAPSIZED, ANCHORED OR AGROUND; RESCUING
If possible, a boat shall avoid a boat that is capsized or has not regained control after capsizing, is anchored or aground, or is trying to help a person or vessel in danger. A boat is capsized when her masthead is in the water.
The requirement is to avoid, not to keep clear, and, a miss is as good as a mile when avoidance is concerned, which is certainly not the case with keeping clear. The preamble to Section D says that the rules of Section A do not apply, but that means that the rules of Section B and C may still do. Unlike most other rules, rule 22 begins ‘If possible…’, and sometimes avoidance will not be possible. These points are illustrated in RYA 1990/6 (fig 1).
Dart 2
The two boats approached a port-hand gybe mark on a starboard-tack reach in a stiff breeze. When she entered the zone, the Laser was clear ahead of the Dart, which was steering a course further from the mark than the Laser’s, and which then became overlapped outside the Laser. The Laser gybed on to port tack within one boat-length of the mark to assume her new course.
RYA 1990/6
Dart 1
Laser 1
Laser 2
Wind Force 4
Dart 3
Laser 3
fig 1 1 See the definition Tack, Starboard or Port 112 RYA The Racing Rules Explained
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