Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing

134 UNDE R S TANDING THE RAC ING RUL E S OF SAI L ING THROUGH 2 0 2 4

lane. If, while you are moving across the white line into the right-hand lane, a car hits you or swerves to miss you, you are in the wrong. But once you get all four wheels across the line, you are now technically in the right-hand lane yourself and cars coming up from behind have to keep clear of you. However, these cars are not required to begin to avoid you or even to anticipate avoiding you until you are completely in the lane. Once you are in the lane they have to try reasonably hard to miss you. If they can’t, then you’ve moved on too close in front of them. The same is true in sailboats. Let’s say I’m on starboard tack, you’re ap-

proaching me on port tack, and you want to tack on my lee-bow or in front of me. If I could hit you before you passed head to wind (i.e., before you began to cross the white line), you’d be wrong under rule 10 (port/starboard). If I could hit you after you’d passed head to wind but before you were aiming on your close-hauled course (i.e., while you were crossing the line), you’d be wrong under rule 13 (a boat past head to wind must keep clear). However, the moment you get to your close-hauled course (i.e., completely in my lane) and you are either clear ahead or to leeward of me, you have the right of way under either rule 12 (clear astern/clear ahead) or rule 11 (windward/leeward) and I have to promptly take action to keep clear of you. This is when rule 15 requires you to initially give me the room(space and time) I need to keep clear of you. Of course, in most situations it will take me only a second or two to react enough to luff or bear away slightly to avoid a collision.

“In protests involving the situation where P tacks very close to leeward of S, it seems that P and S may often disagree on whether P was actually on a close-hauled course before S changed course to avoid her; or whether P, after acquiring right of way, actually gave S room to keep clear. Are there any onuses to help resolve these disagreements?”

No. In resolving these disagreements, most protest committees apply the prin- ciple in Case 50 (see rule 10 discussion), which is that they first put responsi- bility on S to satisfy the committee that the boats were close together. Then they put the responsibility on P to satisfy them that P was on a close-hauled course before S changed her course; and that once she was on a close-hauled course, she gave S roomto keep clear. This responsibility on P is often difficult to win against. Hails to the effect of “complete–2–3–4, now you’re changing course” and a witness are very helpful.

Table of Contents

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