PART 2 , S E C T ION C : WHEN BOATS ME E T — RUL E 18 : MAR K- ROOM 173
But note that when either of the boats enters the zone, rule 18.2(b) (Giving
Mark-Room) requires the outside boat to give the inside boat mark-roomfrom that moment on, which in most situations is the space the inside boat needs to sail to the mark in a “seamanlike way” (see the definition Mark-Room). There- fore, in order to comply with rule 18.2(b), boats should anticipate this by sailing a course prior to entering the zone so that they will be in compliance with the rule at the moment the first one reaches the zone.
“I understand now about the significance of the ‘zone;’ but how do I know where the ‘zone’ actually is on the water?”
Well, at first it’s difficult, and then after you’ve raced more and more it be- comes easier to judge. Let’s say you race a 30-foot boat. Three lengths is 90 feet. That’s the distance from home plate to first base on a baseball diamond, or approximately a third of a football field. Doing 6 knots (about 10 feet per second) you’ll cover three lengths in just under 10 seconds. Measure it out and mark it with two orange poles or something at your club so everyone will learn to “guesstimate” it better. And remember that when the first part of your hull is three lengths from the mark, the helmsman will be almost four lengths away.
