Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing

PART 2 , S ECT ION C, RUL E 18 : TACK ING, GY B ING & OTHE R EXCE P T IONS 205

thereby clearing the mark, but as a result of her luff, S sails above close-hauled to avoid hitting her. P has broken rule 18.3. Note that even though she’s an inside/right-of-way boat, P is not entitled to mark-room under rule 18.2(a) (Giving Mark-Room) because rule 18.3 specifically states that rule 18.2 does not apply. The same would be true if S sailed above close-hauled to avoid P’s transom as P bore off around the mark. Had S been able to round or pass the mark without having to sail above

close-hauled to avoid P, then P would not have broken rule 18.3, and S would simply be required to keep clear under rule 11 (On the Same Tack, Overlapped). Note that when P bears away (changes course) to round the mark, she is not exonerated if she breaks rule 16.1 because rule 18.2 does not apply, meaning she is not sailing within mark-roomat that time and she is not “protected” by rule 43.1(b) (Exoneration) (see the discussion of rule 43 in chapter 8).

P passes head to wind in the zone of a port-hand windward mark directly ahead of S; once P is close-hauled, S must change course either up or down to avoid colliding with her:

First of all, once P gets to a close-hauled course clear ahead of S, S is required to keep clear of her under rule 12 (On the Same Tack, Not Overlapped). If, despite her best efforts to avoid P beginning the moment P is close-hauled, S is unable to do so and she hits P on the transom, P has “tacked too close” and broken rule 15 (Acquiring Right of Way), and S is exonerated by rule 43.1(b) (Exoneration). It is also likely that a protest committee would decide that S was unable to avoid the contact, and therefore did not break rule 14 (Avoiding Contact). If S does have roomto keep clear of P but hits P on the transom any- way, then S is not exonerated for breaking rule 12, and also breaks rule 14. It could happen that when P gets to a close-hauled course, S can avoid hitting

P but is faced with the choice of overlapping P to leeward and ending up in a bad position or not being able to get around the mark at all, or sailing above close-hauled to avoid hitting P. In my opinion, choosing to sail above close- hauled to avoid contact with P is S’s only reasonable option, and therefore P has “caused” S to sail above close-hauled to avoid hitting her, breaking rule 18.3. However, if P tacks far enough to windward of the layline such that S can

clearly overlap P to leeward and round or pass the mark, then P has not “caused” S to sail above close-hauled to avoid contact with her, because it would be reasonable to expect S to bear away and round or pass the mark.

Table of Contents

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 | Page 257 | Page 258 | Page 259 | Page 260 | Page 261 | Page 262 | Page 263 | Page 264 | Page 265 | Page 266 | Page 267 | Page 268 | Page 269 | Page 270 | Page 271 | Page 272 | Page 273 | Page 274 | Page 275 | Page 276 | Page 277 | Page 278 | Page 279 | Page 280 | Page 281 | Page 282 | Page 283 | Page 284 | Page 285 | Page 286 | Page 287 | Page 288 | Page 289 | Page 290 | Page 291 | Page 292 | Page 293 | Page 294 | Page 295 | Page 296 | Page 297 | Page 298 | Page 299 | Page 300 | Page 301 | Page 302 | Page 303 | Page 304 | Page 305 | Page 306

orderForm.title