The Ruling Class
Author: Bryan Willis
Here's question #5 in our 'Ask the Rules Guy' series.
Bryan is the author of the brand new The Rules in Practice 2009-2012 book and The Racing Rules Companion. He 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
Question: What prevents a boat from squeezing in at a crowded starting line?
Three boats (L, W1, W2) are camped out just below the starting line awaiting the gun. W1 is to windward of L and to leeward of W2; all are on starboard. There's about a half boat-width separating each.
M sails up from behind and tries to squeeze in between L and W1. How must W1 and W2 respond?
Under the current 2005-2008 rules it's quite simple: L is a continuing obstruction to W1 and M, so M is only entitled to sail between them if there is room at the time the overlap is established. Since there's not sufficient room, W1 can protest M under 18.5. IOW, you can't try to squeeze in unless there's a gap big enough to sail through at the time you become overlapped. Under the new rules it's different: L is not a continuing obstruction, she's just an obstruction. Rule 19.2.b applies:
When boats are overlapped, the outside boat shall give the inside boat room between her and the obstruction, unless she has been unable to do so from the time the overlap began. So W1 must give M room unless she is unable to. What does "unable to" mean? If W2 gets out of the way, W1 will be able to give M room. Must W1 try to get W2 to come up? Or can W1 just say "sorry, I'm unable to give you room here." ?
Furthermore, once the overlap is established W1 is windward so she must keep clear of M (with all the usual provisos stemming from rules 15 and 16). So it seems to me that the only thing preventing M from trying to squeeze in is rules 15 and 16. Is this a game changer?
-Paul
aka Mr Swordfish
Bryan Answers: Yes it is true that it is rules 15 and 16.1 that limits whether a boat will be able to get in (although other rules apply as well). Under the new rules the overlap may be established at any time but all other rules must be complied with as there is no exoneration rule connected to rule 19 (as there is to rules 18 and 20).
The key phrase in rule the new 19 is ‘unless she has been able to do so from the time the overlap began’. New 19.2(b): ‘When boats are overlapped, the outside boat shall give the inside boat room between her and the obstruction, unless she has been unable to do so from the time the overlap began’. If she has not been able to give room from the time the overlap began, then she is not required to give room.
