Calling starboard

Need some help here as I'm not too hot on my racing rules.

Was racing in a 400 yesterday, we were on starboard, a laser was coming up to us on port, we called starboard, he tacked and clipped our side and about half a second before he hit us called for room as we were windward boat, giving us no time to react. Luckily no damage, but were we in the right?

Originally posted by jpbuzz591 Need some help here as I'm not too hot on my racing rules. Was racing in a 400 yesterday, we were on starboard, a laser was coming up to us on port, we called starboard, he tacked and clipped our side and about half a second before he hit us called for room as we were windward boat, giving us no time to react. Luckily no damage, but were we in the right?

 

Don't have the rule no's to hand, but he needs to keep clear until he has completed the tack(but you do have the burden to avoid if he does not).  You do not (assuming surronded by navigable water) need to give any room to tack to avoid you.

Sounds to me like Mr Laser screwed up, left it too late and then clipped you.

IF he completed the tack and then decided to luff you, he has to give you time to keep clear.

 

If in the process of the finishing the "Roll tack" his rail hit your lea side.  He is wrong.

Edited by Scooby_simon

agreed.  You have no requirement to guess what he is going to do.  Therefore his manoeuvre must give you sufficient room to keep clear. Remember he is the give way boat until his sail is on the port side of his boat. Once he is on his new tack he still has an obligation to give you time to avoid any manoeuvre he makes. 

Any answer is just a guess from the information you have given.

How long after he completed his tack did you collide? "Completed" means close-hauled.

Was he clear ahead when he completed his tack?

Were you both on a windward leg at the time?

Was he luffing you or sailing a proper course (given that a Laser might point higher than a 400)?

 

 

 

That's one that could go either way in a protest, depending on the facts found and bearing in mind that he'd probably tell the story slightly differently, because that's usually what happens in protests.

Once he is closed-hauled, he is right of way boat. As soon as he is close-hauled, you are required to take action to keep clear. So did you start to take avoiding action the moment he completed his tack? If you did but we unable to keep clear, he is out. If you didn't, you are out.

From your account, it doesn't sound like you took avoiding action at all. In that  case, you were in the wrong.

You are actually entitled to tack pretty close to other boats. Close enough to annoy and inconvenience them, close enough so they have to take avoiding action, but not so close that they cannot take avoiding action.