Rule 11?

Was that to try and slow to avoid or to ensure the rigs met?

I think I'll stick with assuming that boats who are running towards me on the same tack are windward boats, and continue to assume that so long as I don't make it impossible for them, they will be keeping clear of me. I'll also assume that if I need to avoid contact when it becomes obvious they aren't, I will do so if at all possible, rather than t boning them. If I start trying to alter course before that, then there are situations where I'll simply get more in the way of their avoidance than if I'd carried on, making things worse for everyone

If I'm going upwind and bear away to avoid a boat which is expecting to avoid me, Brass, then we have chaos. Of course we have to keep an eye out, but we also have to have clear instructions, and I'm not convinced that the descriptions I've been reading on here give that at all.