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From the top & for the bar.
| 18 MARK-ROOM 18.1 When Rule 18 Applies Rule 18 applies between boats when they are required to leave a
mark on the same side and at least one of them is in the zone.
However, it does not apply (a) between boats on opposite tacks on a beat to windward, (b) between boats on opposite tacks when the proper course at the
mark for one but not both of them is to tack, (c) between a boat approaching a mark and one leaving it, or (d) if the mark is a continuing obstruction, in which case rule 19
applies. |
If the forum software wasn't so absolutely carp, I would upload a diagram. But I can't.
So, once the first boat enters the zone, 18 starts to apply. If you're both on the same tack and overlapped, and the mark isn't a continuing obstruction, then none of the exceptions apply - somebody is going to owe mark room to somebody else.
Next:
| 18.2 Giving Mark-Room (a) When boats are overlapped the outside boat shall give the
inside boat mark-room, unless rule 18.2(b) applies. (b) If boats are overlapped when the first of them reaches the zone,
the outside boat at that moment shall thereafter give the inside
boat mark-room. If a boat is clear ahead when she reaches the
zone, the boat clear astern at that moment shall thereafter give
her mark-room. (c) When a boat is required to give mark-room by rule 18.2(b), (1) she shall continue to do so even if later an overlap is
broken or a new overlap begins; (2) if she becomes overlapped inside the boat entitled to
mark-room, she shall also give that boat room to sail her
proper course while they remain overlapped.
However, if the boat entitled to mark-room passes head to wind
or leaves the zone, rule 18.2(b) ceases to apply. (d) If there is reasonable doubt that a boat obtained or broke an
overlap in time, it shall be presumed that she did not. (e) If a boat obtained an inside overlap from clear astern or by
tacking to windward of the other boat and, from the time the
overlap began, the outside boat has been unable to give markroom,
she is not required to give it. |
18.2.b applies here: the outside boat owes inside mark room. It's this right to mark room that is the reason that leeward can't wipe windward off at the mark.
What is mark room?
| Mark-Room Room for a boat to leave a mark on the required side. Also,
(a) room to sail to the mark when her proper course is to sail close
to it, and
(b) room to round the mark as necessary to sail the course.
However, mark-room for a boat does not include room to tack unless she is
overlapped inside and to windward of the boat required to give mark-room
and she would be fetching the mark after her tack. |
As the boats are overlapped, mark room in this case does include room for the inside boat to tack round the mark.
Fetching (in rule terms) is pretty much what you think it is IRL.
| Fetching A boat is fetching a mark when she is in a position to pass to
windward of it and leave it on the required side without changing tack. |
However, you should note that the normal right of way rules aren't switched off. Windward still has to keep clear of leeward. The rights and obligations are:
Windward has a right to mark room, but has to keep clear of leeward. Leeward has to give mark room, & still has to comply with 16.1
| 21 EXONERATION When a boat is sailing within the room or mark-room to which she is
entitled under a rule of Section C, she shall be exonerated if, in an
incident with a boat required to give her that room or mark-room,
(a) she breaks a rule of Section A, rule 15 or rule 16, or
(b) she is compelled to break rule 31. |
So if windward is sailing within her mark room, she gets exonerated for a breach of Section A (10,11,12) or 15 & 16. But she can't, for instance, force the outside boat wide so that she (inside) can make a better, tactical, rounding.
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