Boats meeting on same tack

Yes I do have trouble with Wayfarers.  There are a few at the club and then when I go off to the Medway there are quite a few there.  I have nothing against them though I would caution everybody - the have the biggest, slowest moving, wind shadow.

Good advice from the cat sailors - I should shout a lot more.  As for bearing away beneath the N12 - it wasn't going to be necessary and we were close to the top mark and so I wanted to pop out in front of all the slower boats and tack for it.

More anticipation is required on my part especially as this particular occasion was on my home reservior which isn't really big enough for a 4000.

http://BoughBeechSC.org.uk

He has my admiration - his boat handling is fantastic.  In truth he's only here occasionally and spends some of his time at Eastbourne and on the circuit.  He is a truly awesome sailor and during our Laser Open he borrowed a boat and won all five races.  His name is Andy Peake.

By the way back in the eighties we had the best Contender fleet in the country (during the winter) with a regular 10 to 12 boats out.  Most of the top guys.

Take a look at Rule 64.1(b), which provides for exoneration of fouls caused by a third boat breaking a rule.  After starboard (S) began her tack, she was obligated to keep clear of both port tack boats. When she reached a close-hauled course, S was a windward boat, and was still obligated to stay clear of both of the port-tack leeward boats.

So protest S, and if PL protests, be prepared to argue that it was necessary (for PW) to alter course to avoid the collision, and that the contact was caused by S's failure to stay clear, rather than by (PW's) inattention.

Remember also that when S crossed ahead of PW and PL, she was an obstruction, and so PL was obligated to give PW enough room to pass astern of S.

It seems I (the Laser4000) is exonerated.  That's good news since being in the faster boat I often find myself steaming into a situation which then suddenly gets complicated.

Sailing a fast boat like a 4000 is difficult but also onerous.  Inertia (momentum) is proportional to the square of speed so a collision with a 4000 is likely to be very distructive.  Also being an assymetric there is a distinct blind spot to leeward.

Correct