PART 2
Yellow gybed, still outside the zone. Rule 18.2(a) now applied as they became overlapped, as that term includes boats on opposite tacks when sailing downwind. For a brief period, Yellow was required to give mark-room to Blue, which was required to keep clear under rule 10, and then under rule 11 after she gybed, and they were far enough apart for no issue to arise over this. Blue then broke the overlap, and so rule 18.2(a) stopped applying. As rule 18.2(b) could not apply either, no part of rule 18 was in force when Yellow, travelling faster, sailed into Blue’s stern, without there being injury or damage.
Blue had become right-of-way boat under rule 12. In so doing, she had to comply with rule 15. Rule 14 applies whether or not rule 18 applies. On the basis that Yellow could have taken avoiding action in a seamanlike way, by bearing away, but did not do so, while Blue could not avoid the contact, Blue did not break rule 14 or rule 15, while Yellow broke rules 12 and 141
.
Thus it is possible for there to be an incident at a mark without rule 18 applying at the time of a collision, and only in a transient way under rule 18.2(a) before then.
Mark-room includes room for a boat to sail to the mark, and then room to round the mark. If rule 18.2(a) applies, then the obligation may be one or the other, or both, depending on when the overlap began, and how long it lasted.
When a boat is taking mark-room to which she is entitled under rule 18.2(a) at a windward mark, no rule will exonerate the other boat if she was able to give that room but did not do so. At a starboard-hand windward mark P is not allowed to go into a tack to leeward of S and so close to S and to the mark that mark-room cannot be given to S. P must judge her tack to enable herself to comply with rule 18.2(a)’s requirement to give S room to tack at the mark a few seconds later2
. Rule 18.2(a) may begin to apply after rule 18.2(b) has stopped applying.
Blue entered the zone clear ahead of Yellow, and is entitled to mark-room under the second sentence of rule 18.2(b). Mark-room explicitly excludes room for a boat clear ahead to tack, and so Blue has to wait until Yellow tacks before herself tacking. When Yellow passes head to wind, the boats are now on opposite tacks, and Blue’s proper course is to tack when she can. Rule 18.1(b) switches off rule 18 (rule 18.2(b) included) when Yellow passes head to wind. When Blue tacks, the boats become overlapped on the same tack again with Yellow inside, and, since rule 18.2(b) no longer applies, rule 18.2(a) does apply. Blue must keep clear under rule 11. Blue must also give Yellow mark-room at the mark, which may involve being a little further to windward to create space for Yellow’s bear-away, and if Yellow’s subsequent bear-away is sufficiently forceful to break rule 16.1, rule 21(a) will exonerate her.
fig 4
Rule 18.2(b) Off – Rule 18.2(a) On 4
3 3 2 2 4
1
1
1 Compared with the official case diagram, I have interpolated position 3, and inverted the diagram for (I hope) better comprehension. 2 See fig 1on previous page.
RYA The Racing Rules Explained 71
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
