Oppostie Gybes, leeward Mark

This was something I have honestly forgotten and is not clearly illustrated in Elvstrøm explains:
port rounding, leeward mark:I

One boat comes in on starboard while several boats are on port outside the zone at the same distance from the mark. Does the STB boat, if it maintains speed/ relative position on the port boats, have a default overlap on the port boats? Are all the transoms on the prt boats not giving stb overlap ?

Also, unlike on a beat to windward, a port boat clear ahead has rights over a stb boat:; but how do you establish this clear-ahed?

Originally posted by The Moo once you hit the Zone Rule 18 kicks in and the tack you are on becomes irrelevant

yep

Originally posted by damp_freddie the point I am trying to make is that the bow of the starboard boat is forward of almost any port boats transom line - true?

'xactly so...

Originally posted by asterix Originally posted by The Moo once you hit the Zone Rule 18 kicks in and the tack you are on becomes irrelevant yep

Nope.

Under the 2009 rules 'overlap' between opposite tack boats does not require rule 18 to apply.

Boats overlap when neither is clear astern of the other and both boats are sailing more than ninety degrees from the true wind (Definition Clear Ahead and Clear Astern, Overlap).

Boats on opposite tacks sailing hot to a leeward mark will be overlapped most of the time.

Brass is correct in stating that boats on opposite tacks may be overlapped (according to the definition) when sakiling downwind. However, this has no practical consequence until boats are approaching or in the zone, or approaching an obstruction.

The 2 "open-water" rules that use the concept of overlap (11 and 17) only apply to boats on the same tack.

Approaching a mark - for the first part of 18.2b to apply the overlap must have been clearly established when the boats reach the zone (if there is doubt then 18.2d applies) and, in this case the overlap may be between boats sailing downwind on opposite tacks.

Approaching an obstruction when sailing downwind the outside overlapped boat (irrespective of which tack she is on) must give room. This applies even to a starboard tack boat when inside boat is on port. However, it is important to remember that it is the right of way boat (in this case the boat on starboard) that can choose which side of the obstruction she passes.

Finally, it is important to appreciate that an entitlemenent to mark room is not the same thing as right of way. A port tack inside boat at a downwind mark is ONLY entitled to sail to the mark, and at the mark sail her proper course. The starboard tack boat has no obligation to give her any more room that that.

If the inside keep clear boat, entitled to mark room, sails outside the corridor from where she entered the zone to the mark, or if, at the mark she sails above or below her proper course, her entitlement to mark room does not offer her any protection from her obligation to keep clear.

Gordon