Mark rounding

Hang on 1 moment guys she says the other boat sailed in to her transom.....surely that means she must have been clear ahead at some point and as she was inside boat how could she be in the wrong....

Were I on the PC I would find it hard to DSQ the boat that was clear ahead when the other boat came from behind and hit the transom.

Don't have a rule book to hand (or the time to look it up on the ISAF site) but as long as Hannah was sailing within the rules (and from her description she was IMO) then the other boat must be at fault.

That counts for little. What matters is whether you were clear ahead or inside overlapped when the first boat reached the zone (rule 18.2(b)).  If so subsequent breaking and making of overlaps don't count, unless you tack (rule 18.2(c)).

Context is everything Grasshopper.  Would you describe yourself as 'little idiots'?

Why?  The real utility of a hail at a mark is to establish in both boat's minds whether or not there is an overlap at the zone, on the assumption that you both know what to do once that is established.  You need to make the hail (Overlap, No Overlap) just before the zone.  Hailing once inside the zone doesn't do anything much except increase the noise-level.

Indeed it makes no difference whether you are clear ahead or inside overlapped, or whether you hail or not:  you are still entitled to mark-room.

No, once you are past the mark by as much as 1 or more lengths, you no longer need room to sail your proper course at mark, and you lose your exoneration:  if you don't keep clear of a leeward boat you break rule 11.  If a boat clear astern hits you, they break rule 12.

Why would you expect another boat to disclose their tactical intentions to you?

'Opportunity' was deleted from the rules long ago to remove the implication that a leeward boat had to hail.  Leeward's obligation is, if changing course, to give you room to keep clear (rule 16)  nothing more.  On the other hand Astern's obligation whether changing course or not is to keep clear of you (rule 12).

If it's clear ahead/clear astern rape, then you probably can't do anything about it, but if the other boat is coming up with a leeward overlap, the protest committee is going to want to hear from you that you did something  to meet your rule 14 obligation to avoid contact:  either you changed course to windward to maintain separation, or when contact seemed likely, you bore away hard to minimise impact. Rule 14 says you can't just sit there and watch it happen.

Seems a clear rule 12 infringement by the other boat to me!