To the finish

Andymac,

The second part of the definition of keeping clear (the definitions are the most important part of the rule book but no-one ever reads them!) is quite clear:

- when boats are overlapped a boat is keeping clear if "the leeward boat can change course in both directions without immediately making contact with the windward boat"

So W may go no closer to L than the distance W needs to react by manoeuvring promptly in a seamanlike manner to any change of course L may wish to make When L changes course, if she does not instanly make contact with W (in which case W is not keeping clear) she must give W room to react. In other words no sudden luffs to catch windward boat out! Hailing "Up! Up!" before luffing is not required, but it does demonstrate a willingness to allow W room to keep clear.

Gordon

I had some one pointing lower than me up the beat come down from the windward side and actually roll round my bow as I tried to bear away to avoid them yesterday...and then claim they were "mast to beam", so don't worry about your rules knowledge, everybody, unless you think, as he did, that there was nothing wrong with it! People on the other side of the lake were, apparantly, aware of my views on the matter, and he did do turns.