Starboard Rounding Windward Mark Incident

I think the other thing that stops us getting this aspect of the rule and applying it to how things happen on the water is that in many cases where this might happen P would not put herself in this situation - as P in most cases I would either make the tack I needed early or go in to very high and slow mode, in order to be able to duck S, lay the mark and gain mark room under 18.3 (b), or, if S nailed the layline, make a better rounding.

Gordon,

Sargesail, you are right - I did not go back to read the scenario. I was reacting to later comments. Mea culpa. I will take my turns!

Rule 18 did not apply when the first boat entered the zone.

Rule 18 began to apply when both boats are on the same tack, which is when P passes head to wind.

P must:

- keep clear until she is on a close hauled course;
- when P does reach a close hauled course she becomes ROW and must initially give S room to keep clear;
- when S becomes overlapped to windward 18.2a applies and S is entitled to mark-room. As S is overlapped on the inside and to windward, mark-room includes room to tack.

Two points - 18.2b only applies when rule 18 applies as the first boat enters the zone. If 18 switches on when boats are already in the zone then 18.2a applies.

In this scenario P would have great difficulty in pleading that rule 18.2e applies. If the overlap is established whilst P is still tacking and at that moment she is unable to give mark-room it is probable that she was not keeping clear, and thus breaking rule 13.

If the overlap was established soon after P reached a close-hauled course and P claims that she could not give mark-room then it is probable that she had not initially given S room to keep clear

Originally posted by sargesail but I can see circumstances with boats which are slow to accelerate where you could fulfill obligations under rule 13, but still be in a position where you can not give Mark Room

In which case you'd just have to do your turns like a gentleman wouldn't you... And if you pushed the other boat the wrong side of the mark so you gained a significant advantage then I suspect your only option would be to retire.

I think there are a number of places in the rules where its possible to get yourself in a situation that you can't get out of. I guess the lesson is that if you have to tack in the zone for whatever reason its wise to ensure there's enough room for any approaching boats to get between you and the mark.

Terribly bad risk/reward ratio.

• you reach close hauled overlapped outside S, you owe mark-room, and your 'initial' rule 15 giving room obligation transitions seamlessly into a rule 18.2( a ) mark-room obligation.  You never have any instant when you can say you don't either owe keep clear, room to keep clear or mark-room.  You would have to explain to a protest committee (after persuading them that you had not already broken rules 10, 13 and 15) that while you were changing course from head to wind down to close hauled, you were then unable to continue bearing away to allow S her mark-room;  or
• you reached close hauled clear ahead of S:  now, as long as S doesn't become overlapped too soon, and you comply with your 'initial' rule 15 obligation to give room to keep clear, you will get a few seconds as right of way clear ahead boat, when you 'don't have to anticipate':  during this time you better not come up and close the door, even a little bit, otherwise you will bring on rule 16.1, and once again your room to keep clear obligation will include giving room not to touch the mark.

On a protest committee, I'd be asking myself (and you) if you had such excellent judgement and boat handling to judge and execute the tack into clear ahead with inches to spare, then how come those skills deserted you 10 feet later when it came to bearing away at the mark?

Edited by Brass - 27 May 13 at 9:47am