PART 2


A former Q&A answered a question as to whether the loss of corrected sunglasses for a partially visually impaired competitor can be considered as ‘injury or physical damage’ with a simple No. The quoted words appear in rule 62.1(b), Redress, but, in rule 14, the word ‘physical’ is absent, and, possibly, loss overboard of crew equipment might rank as ‘damage’ under rule 14.


Rule 14 is a rule of Part 2. When there is contact not involving injury or serious damage, a two-turns penalty by a boat that has not kept clear, not given room or not given mark-room will protect her from further penalization in respect of rule 14 as well some other Part 2 rule, since rule 44.1(b), Taking a Penalty applies to breaches of ‘one or more rules of Part 2 in an incident’. It follows that, when a right-of-way boat breaks rule 14 and no other Part 2 rule, and there is damage that is not serious, rule 14(c) will not exonerate her, but a two-turns penalty will protect her from further penalization1


. Rule 15 ACQUIRING RIGHT OF WAY


When a boat acquires right of way, she shall initially give the other boat room to keep clear, unless she acquires right of way because of the other boat’s actions.


‘Rule 15 embodies the principle in the rules that when the right of way shifts from one boat to another, the boat with the newly acquired right of way must give the other boat space and time to response and thus a fair opportunity to manoeuvre to keep clear2


.’


Rule 15 is rule of limitation, in a section entitled General Limitations. Specifically (as with rule 16), it limits the right- of-way boat’s ability to sail as she pleases and to manoeuvre against a give-way boat, which is permissible unless a rule says that it is not. (As has been seen, rules 10 to 13 address themselves purely to the keep-clear boat, and do not themselves place any obligation or limitation on the right-of-way boat). It is addressed to the right-of-way boat, and can be broken only by a right-of-way boat. It is usually an issue when a boat has not kept clear and is seeking a good reason for exoneration, namely, under rule 21 or rule 64.1(a), that she was compelled to infringe because of the infringement of the right-of-way boat.


Rule 15 in Operation


The rule refers to acquiring right of way, not to retaining right of way under a change of rule of Section A.


Blue (fig 1) is keep-clear boat, at position 1 under rule 12, By gybing at position 2, Yellow does not acquire right of way, rather she maintains it under a different rule, and so owes no new room to Blue. Rule 15 does not apply. Blue gains right of way under rule 11 at position 3 by gybing, so she must initially give Yellow room to keep clear. Yellow makes a bad choice by gybing at position 4, and it is now rule 10 under which she must keep clear. Blue does not acquire right of way, since she already had it, and so need not give Yellow room to keep clear. If Yellow is not now keeping clear, there is no exoneration, since Blue’s initial duty to give room had ended.


The rule applies only for a short time, as evidenced by the word ‘initially’. If the newly obligated give-way boat delays keeping clear, she risks losing the protection of the rule. The right-of-way boat’s obligation under rule 15 ‘is not a continuing one; it protects [the keep- clear boat] only temporarily, and only if [she] responds promptly after the overlap begins3


.’ That time had long since expired when Blue did not keep clear of Yellow in RYA 1990/1 (see fig 1 overleaf). fig 1


1 Rule 14 and rule 21 grant immediate exoneration for certain breaches of Part 2 rules – no penalty need be taken. The term exoneration is not used in rule 44.1(b), or in rule 64.1(c) which says that taking an applicable penalty (such as a one-turn or two-turn penalty) protects from


further penalization. People speak of a turns penalty as an exoneration, but in fact the concepts are slightly different. 2 WS 24 3 WS 24


RYA The Racing Rules Explained 49 Position 1


Blue, clear astern, must keep clear under rule 12.


Position 2


Yellow gybes to starboard tack. Blue must continue to keep clear, now under rule 10, and is not entitled to room to do so.


Position 3


Blue gybes to starboard tack. Yellow on starboard must keep clear under rule 11, and Blue must initially give her room to do so under rule 15, which she does.


Position 4


Yellow gybes to port tack and must continue to keep clear, now under rule 10. Blue need not give Yellow room to do so.


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