Can anyone clear up an issue for me ?

Sailing in Lasers on broad reach, on port, towards the leeward mark that is to be left to port.

Lead laser luffs to discourage chasing the laser from going above her and potentailly gaining an inside overlap at the next mark.

Chasing laser then ducks to leeward and begins to luff lead Laser way above the leeward mark (so far the they both have to gybe back). Cgasing Laser gets ahead.

Is it correct that if you gain the overlap from astern you cannot then sail above your proper course ? (which in a Laser would be straight towards the next mark ?).

Hi everyone,

I think that this rule is easy to understand and interpret with regards to fleet racing, but I find it ambiguous in handicap racing.

In a handicap race,  where a una rigged boat (e.g. a Laser) is, for example, sailing on a dead run, on the rhum line from the previous mark, to the leeward mark, there can be problems with an assymetric boat (e.g. an RS 200) which starts to luff from a recently acquired overlap, from astern, and within the two boat lengths.  In this situation the assymetric crew will (rightly) state that they are sailing their 'proper course' as they intend to gybe downwind. 

The wording of the rule does not take any account of the fact that both boats may be sailing their 'proper course' but the 'proper course' might be different for the boats concerned. I suppose that the rules were not designed for differently rigged boats.

Personally, as I sail a una rigged boat, I try to anticipate this situation and try to keep out of trouble beforehand, but it is often difficult when there are several assymetric boats, often of different classes and sailing at different speeds, luffing, albeit sailing their 'proper course'. 

It is very easy to be taken somewhere where you don't really want to go. Do other people have a problem with this rule in handicap racing or is it just me?

Ian  (Yorkshire Dales S.C.)

Ian,

yes they do.

R11 - Windward gives way.

If there is a dissagreement as to what the LEEWARD boat's proper course is, then a protest should be held.  Windward still gives way and then protests. 

Remember that the leeward boat has to justify the course as the course they would sail.

Hi everyone,

Thank you for your replies, the interpretation of the rules is as I thought it was and I am aware of the casebook. 

It's not so bad if the una rigged boat can gybe onto starboard tack when the assymetrics are on port tack but when the una rigged boat is on starboard tack, as well as the assymetrics, without anticipation and forward planning, often there is not much that the una rigged boat can do to prevent being sailed away from her original 'proper course' and often a long way from it. The situation is even worse in a 'crowded' handicap fleet.

Rightly or wrongly, my confusion was/is that in handicap racing, in the situation that I have previously described, it does not seem to be a 'fair' rule for all participating boats in this situation, but 'rules are rules' and we should all try our best to sail to them even if sometimes they do not appear to be fair.

Thanks again.

Ian  (Yorkshire Dales S.C.)

And unstayed una rigs running by the lee on starboard. As you rightly say Jim, what comes around goes around. The 'situations' should even themselves out. The alternative is to fleet race.

This is the relevant answer for the OP's question. They were both in Laser's so the other infor about different classes having different proper courses etc.. whilst interesting is irrelevant in this case.

I would have protested the chasing Laser or if it was just a club race had a chat after the race (calling protest in the race in case their reaction was negative to the chat).

It IS still relevant as the leeward boat STILL dictates proper course; if you do not think the leeward boat can JUSTIFY their course as proper course, then protest / have a chat.

Just because you think their course is not proper course, does not mean the PC will agree with YOU.

I think even the most hard line of PC's would have a hard time finding in favour of LW in this case as both boats were of the same class. Even so diving off low and then luffing back high above the mark would diffult to prove as proper course for any boat (remember proper course is in the absence of other boats).

I cannot think of a single instance when I have wanted to go way above a mark when there have not been any other boats round me.

Were I on a PC presiding over a case like this I would ask LW what his course would have been has the other boat not been present.

I can come up with a couple very quickly

1, LW boat has much heavier crew and thus to plane, needs to go higher.
2, LW (Cat in this case) Spi halyard in jammed and so cannot fly kite, still wishing to "go wild" (fly a hull) down wind and so needs to go higher than WW as they have the kite up
3, Slow cat such as the Dart 15; sometimes it pays to dead-run, sometime to reach off a LITTLE.  Again, Skipper of leeward boat decides what proper course is.

Essentially, even if you think LW is talking crap, you still have to give way and then protest.  Back to case 11.

Yep, the Diving low is a tactical move; returning to proper course afterwards.  You do not, as far as I am aware, have to sail proper course to GAIN the overlap......

Explain to me how, in a Laser, this could be considered proper course on a leg that is described by the OP as a broad reach....

If I, as a protest cimmittee member, am not satisfied of the explanation of LW as to these actions I would almost certainly DSQ them.

I appreciate this is difficult to picture without the use of diagrams and a protest kit but taking the OP description of events I still maintain the LW did not sail their proper course.

No one has mentioned waves as a reason for snaking all over the place, whether there is a boat to windward or not.

Garry