PART 2


Although I have never seen it result in a protest, it seems possible for L to break rule 17 by temporarily losing the grip on the tiller or by being overpowered by a gust, resulting in a luff which, although immediately corrected and occurring far enough from W not to trouble her, would seem to be sailing above a proper course. On a beat, a conscientious competitor might avoid the need to take a penalty by taking advantage of the facility to sail astern of the other boat (and possibly then tack), which will legitimise her having sailed above her proper course.


Section C – At Marks and Obstructions


The rules of Sections A and B, assisted by Section D rules, govern the meeting of two boats in open water. They are insufficient at marks and obstructions, including when a third boat is an obstruction. The objectives of the Section C rules, when boats meet at a mark or an obstruction, are: • to discourage contact by encouraging orderly behaviour and discouraging last minute claims • where possible, to avoid ‘switching off’ either the basic right-of-way rules in Section A (rules 10 to 13) or the general limitations in Section B (rules 14 to 17).


Reflecting that second objective, with only one exception, none of rules 10 to 17 is disapplied or changed when a Section C rule applies. Instead, section C rules sometimes limit the full exploitation of rights of way at marks and obstructions.


The rules of Section C apply only when boats are near each other. If a boat is on her own, she can leave the mark as close or as far as she pleases, and in a seamanlike or an unseamanlike way. Her only obligations are to leave it on its required side, under rule 28, Sailing the Course, and not to touch it, under rule 31, Touching a Mark. On her own, she can pass an obstruction on either side, and in any way she wants. When she needs to tack at an obstruction in the absence of other boats, she may do so as near from it or as far from it as she chooses.


Preamble


Section C rules do not apply at a starting mark surrounded by navigable water or at its anchor line from the time boats are approaching them to start until they have passed them.


To understand a starting mark, we first need to understand a mark.


Definition Mark An object the sailing instructions require a boat to leave on a specified side, and a race committee vessel surrounded by navigable water from which the starting or finishing line extends. An anchor line or an object attached accidentally to a mark is not part of it.


A mark can range from a pole to a continent (leave Africa to port). More usually, it is a fixed object, or a floating object either laid for the event, or selected from what is already in place. The whole of the committee boat, if surrounded by navigable water, ranks as a mark when the starting or finishing line extends from (usually) a mast or staff thereon. It follows that a committee boat that is not surrounded by navigable water (whether because it is too shallow, or if the committee boat is too close to or tied to the bank) is not a mark – it may however be an obstruction, as we shall see. A committee boat or a continent will both be big enough to rank as obstructions, but rule 19.1(a) says that if the obstruction is a mark, then rule 19 does not apply to it (and so, by implication, rule 18 does) unless it is a continuing obstruction1


.


It is perfectly proper for sailing instructions to identify points or lines that boat shall / shall not sail to N / E / S / W of, but a dot or line on a chart is not a mark, as there is no physical object2


.


Marks are significant in three areas of the rules – here in Section C of Part 2, as concerns how boats are to behave when passing them: in rule 28, as concerns leaving them on the boat’s correct side; and in rule 31 as concerns (not) touching them.


I think that bits of Africa might need to be treated as a continuing obstruction from time to time, but that does not stop it being a mark for the purposes of rule 18 at other times. However, by virtue of rule 20.2(e), it is rule 20, Room to Tack at an Obstruction that applies when needing to tack away from Cape Point rather than rule 18.2, Giving Mark Room – unless the hailed boat can fetch the Point, in which case rule 20.1(c) says


1


hailing for room to tack is not permitted. 2 World Sailing has published Appendix WP for using waypoints rather than physical marks as turning points. This addresses issues of room, and of proof of compliance.


62 RYA The Racing Rules Explained


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