Ask the Rules Guy. Your Questions Answered.
Author: Bryan Willis
With the new sailing racing rules about to kick in, its time to call on the expert advice of Bryan Willis - rules expert and author of Rules in Practice 2009-2012. Over the next 6 months, Bryan will be answering some thorny rules questions. The questions are from you and the answers are provided by rules expert Bryan Willis.
Bryan is the author of the brand new The Rules in Practice 2009-2012 book, is a member of the ISAF Racing Rules Committee and has chaired a number of Olympic and World Sailing events. If you have a rules question or situation you'd like Bryan to take a look at, send it on in by visiting www.sailinganarchy.com or emailing asktherulesguy@sailinganarchy.com
Here's the first question:
Question:This came up frostbiting in dinghies this weekend:
I was on the layline to the windward mark when another sailor tacked in immediately to leeward of me outside the 2-boatlength circle. This sailor for whatever reason could sail higher than me and was driving me up to the point that I was losing way on the mark. There was never any chance the inside boat could make the mark as I was barely making it when he tacked inside me.
Adding to the complications were heavy waves and as a result we made contact several times as he was trying to force me up and I was trying to maintain steerage.
I think we both agreed the inside boat never had a chance of making the mark, but should the windward boat have done spins for the contact? It seemed unavoidable to me given the sea conditions and fact that without full sails I would have drifted into him either way. Inquiring minds want to know... - Daniel Fisher.
Bryan answers: Best to take the story a bit at a time.
You were close-hauled on starboard tack on the layline for the windward mark to be left to port. Some distance from the mark, another boat tacked to leeward of you, so that you were then overlapped. He must keep clear while he is tacking, and initially gave you room to keep clear on the completion of his tack.
So now he is to leeward of you and he is right-of-way, so you must keep clear. The fact that he can point higher than you is bad luck for you I’m afraid. You must keep clear even if you have to tack away to do it (if there is a boat to windward or astern that prevents you from tacking you can hail for room to tack).
Even worse for you, once he has completed his tack and given you room to keep clear, he can pinch or even luff right up to head-to-wind (but in changing course must give you room to keep clear). Whether or not he can lay the mark is irrelevant.
You say there was contact; if there was a protest, the big question is ‘how long after the completion of the tack did contact occur?’ If it was a few seconds he probably broke rule 15, but if it was 10 seconds then you probably broke rule 11 (depending on the conditions and whether you needed time to hail another boat that was to windward or astern.)
I understand your reluctance to tack, but to be forced higher than close hauled and just hang in and lose steerage is probably not the best way to keep clear. Buy him a beer and apologize.
