Luffing rights - Proper Course - 2013 rule???

Originally posted by ds797 So there seems to have been major thread creep!!  All good discussion.... but.... If I'm on a reach between two marks and want to overtake (yes I know the term is not used) a slightly slower boat, if I sail to windward of him does he have a right to luff me, or should he maintain his proper course to the next mark?  If I pass him to leeward can I luff him to help me pass and clear his dirty wind? That was my original question, although I may have phrased it badly! Thanks.

One important tactic is knowing the point at which (if the next mark is a gybe) you'll no longer be able to overtake to windward and break the overlap of the boat you are overtaking, and to go below instead and try and hang on in dirty wind to get the overlap.

It is also a good tactic if at all possible to go far enough to windward of another boat that to luff you would cause a serious change of course for the leeward boat, for limited gain, as you aren't directly affecting their wind. Some people will try and get you anyway, of course, but helms aware of the bigger picture may well leave you alone.

Same applies to going to leeward - if you can, leave a large separation - go low. What it can mean is that you get a tighter reach into the gybe mark, so com in at speed, your transom angle meaning you have water on loads of boats who have gone high and are now slowly running down to the mark.

Both these tactics mean avoiding all that tedious luffing/dirty wind stuff - in an ideal world! 

So next question then.... I'm now the boat being overtaken (yes I know there is no such term but bear with me!)....

If a boat tries to pass to windward of me, I can luff them to head to wind (if I want to.... give them time... realise it will slow me down etc).

Question:  If the boat is passing me to leeward, can I adjust course downwards (i.e. bear away), assuming giving time to respond etc....   (for example, from close hauled bear away 10 degrees to get more speed) etc.

Thanks :)

 

Originally posted by Rupert Same applies to going to leeward - if you can, leave a large separation - go low. What it can mean is that you get a tighter reach into the gybe mark, so com in at speed, your transom angle meaning you have water on loads of boats who have gone high and are now slowly running down to the mark.

um, more like they'll all be overlapped inside you (if you're going for a drop and harden up). If you're going for a gybe drop inside them, it is their transom that's important- and that's at (or near) 90° to the leg...

We did have to pull out of a gybe drop approach a few weeks ago- though in this case we did have water, as the other boa was coming in at a similar angle. We'd established overlap sometime around the point that both boats had gybed onto final approach, well outside the zone. But that's a different matter entirely.

Originally posted by ds797 Question:  If the boat is passing me to leeward, can I adjust course downwards (i.e. bear away), assuming giving time to respond etc....   (for example, from close hauled bear away 10 degrees to get more speed) etc.

Originally posted by themeaningoflife No you cannot, as they then gain leeward rights over you, you have to maintain the proper upwind course, which is closed hauled for best vmg.

Not exactly.

Edited by Brass - 20 Jun 13 at 12:47am