Hitting the mark twice

Originally posted by JimC

Originally posted by JimC

Originally posted by 423zero

So summing up, Rupert's first post, Helm touched mark and then did penalty, but he was to close to mark, he needed to sail away.
In effect, you could be prevented from doing penalty due to traffic and obstacles,

You can't be 'prevented' from taking a penalty.

If other boats or obstructions make it difficulty for you to takie a penalty, you must, as soon after the incident as possible, sail well clear of other boats, then promptly take your penalty turn(s) (rule 44.2).

if you were close enough to finish line you may not be able to do penalty,

Presence of a finishing line does not affect whether or not you are able to take penalty turns.

You don't have to be on any particular side of the finishing line to properly take a penalty turn, and you can take a penalty turn back and forth across a finishing line, or around a finishing mark if you wish.

All that happens is that, if you have crossed the finishing line before you have completed your penalty, you have not, by the definition of Finish, finished, and need to once again cross the finishing line from the course side, if necessary sailing back to the course side of the finishing line to do so.

RO would then need to apply a time penalty.

There's absolutely no scope for the Race Committee to apply a time penalty, unless your SI are doing something quite odd.
Is this correct ?

No. The example in the cases is of hitting the finish mark. If you do that you need to sail clear of the line,
No, as long as you are clear of other boats you are not required to sail clear of the finishing line.

take your penalty, and then finish again.

In the typical case of hitting a finishing pin, you spin around the pin, making sure that you complete your last tack or gybe while still on the course side.

 If you have to sail a good distance to be clear of other boats finishing then so be it. 

Quite right, if there are other boats around.  

If you get a penalty coming up to the line (eg last mark with a short hitch to finish) then you must peel off before you finish and do the turn(s).

Not exactly.  By the definition of Finish, you will not have finished until you have taken your penalty.  If, in the process of sailing well clear or taking the penalty you cross the finishing line, you have not Finished, and must once again cross the finishing line from the course side, if necessary sailing back to the course side to do so.

If you don't you have finished without taking the alternative penalty, and therefore must retire.

No, you just have not finished in accordance with the Definition.

And a rule 44 penalty is not an 'alternative' penalty:  it is the penalty you are expected to take.

In the case of Rupert's mate, he was presumably unwise to be so close to the mark and cop another penalty. But I should have thought that if he didn't get in anyone's way while doing the turns then that would be all that was needed to satisfy the rule about being clear of other boats.

Well, if he didn't get in anybody's way, then he must have been well clear.

But if he was doing his turns in the middle of traffic and they had to work out what he was doing and maybe even evade, then that would break the rule.

In those circumstances, where a boat, while actually taking turns, causes problems with other boats, I would be cautious about finding that she had failed to sail well clear, and had therefore failed to take the original penalty as required by rule 44.2.  What I would be looking at is that, while she is taking penalty turns she is required to keep clear of boats that are not, under rule 22.2, and if she fails to keep clear, then she needs to take another turns penalty.