PART 2
Secondly, it is a yardstick of the space afforded by the right-of-way boat. Room will not have been given if ‘a keep-clear boat, despite having taken avoiding action promptly, cannot keep clear in a seamanlike way1
.’ So
‘When a boat becomes overlapped to leeward from clear astern, the other boat must act promptly to keep clear. When she cannot do so in a seamanlike way, she has not been given room as required by rule 152 tacked from port to starboard. Daffodil tacked in response, but Thetis did not have room to respond.
US 78 .’ In US 78, Iris
Starting line
Thetis
Daffodil
Iris
In the absence of Thetis, Iris’s tack to a right-of-way position may have complied with rule 15. But Iris was found to have caused Daffodil to collide with Thetis, and so to have been compelled to manoeuvre in an unseamanlike way. Daffodil was exonerated for breaking rule 15 with respect to Thetis because Iris broke rule 15 with respect to Daffodil. Adapting the words of WS 114 to this rule 15 situation, the space Daffodil needs to manoeuvre in a seamanlike way includes the space she needs to comply with her obligations to Thetis. Therefore, rule 15 requires Iris initially to give Daffodil sufficient space for Daffodil initially to give Thetis room to keep clear.
Thirdly, it is a maximum as well as a minimum standard. The inference to be drawn from WS 24 is that if a newly-obligated keep-clear boat is able to keep clear, but only by crash-tacking, crash-gybing or by some other unseamanlike manoeuvre, then room to act in a seamanlike way will not have been given.
In summary, the phrase ‘in a seamanlike way’ applies to both boats. The right of way boat must provide enough room so that the other boat ‘need not manoeuvre in an extraordinary or abnormal manner1’, while the other boat ‘is not entitled to complain of insufficiency of room if she fails to execute with reasonable efficiency the handling of her helm, sheets and sails3
.’ Rule 15 – Too Close to Tack?
Rule 15 limits a right-of-way boat in three ways. Firstly, it may deter her from acquiring right of way.
Blue must realise that if she tacks, she will acquire right-of-way, but that will be so close to Yellow that Yellow can never have the room to keep clear to which she is entitled, even if Blue tries to give her room. So Blue must not tack.
Secondly, it has the passive effect of delaying the moment at which it is legitimate for a right-of-way boat to start to manoeuvre against another boat. Referring back to fig 1 on page 49, Blue acquires right of way under rule 10 at position 3 by gybing, which naturally brings her onto a collision course with Yellow, which must now keep clear. Blue must refrain from anything more aggressive until Yellow has had time to keep clear by gybing.
Thirdly, it can require further action by the right of way boat.
1 WS 60, a rule 16.1 case, that is currently withdrawn for revision, but the same principle applies to rule 15 situations. 2 WS 24 3 Derived from WS 21, which discusses mark-room, but which is equally valid for rules 15 and 16.
RYA The Racing Rules Explained 51
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 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189 |
Page 190 |
Page 191 |
Page 192 |
Page 193 |
Page 194 |
Page 195 |
Page 196 |
Page 197 |
Page 198 |
Page 199 |
Page 200 |
Page 201 |
Page 202 |
Page 203 |
Page 204 |
Page 205 |
Page 206 |
Page 207 |
Page 208 |
Page 209 |
Page 210 |
Page 211 |
Page 212 |
Page 213 |
Page 214 |
Page 215 |
Page 216 |
Page 217 |
Page 218 |
Page 219 |
Page 220 |
Page 221 |
Page 222 |
Page 223 |
Page 224 |
Page 225 |
Page 226 |
Page 227 |
Page 228 |
Page 229 |
Page 230 |
Page 231 |
Page 232 |
Page 233 |
Page 234 |
Page 235 |
Page 236 |
Page 237 |
Page 238 |
Page 239 |
Page 240 |
Page 241 |
Page 242 |
Page 243 |
Page 244 |
Page 245 |
Page 246 |
Page 247 |
Page 248 |
Page 249 |
Page 250 |
Page 251 |
Page 252 |
Page 253 |
Page 254 |
Page 255 |
Page 256
