Racing Rules: Rule 17

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Rule 17

Printed From: Yachts and Yachting Online
Category: General
Forum Name: Racing Rules
Forum Discription: Discuss the rules and your interpretations here
URL: http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=12678
Printed Date: 25 Jun 25 at 10:53pm
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Topic: Rule 17

Posted By: Henmch
Subject: Rule 17
Date Posted: 02 Mar 17 at 12:12pm

rule 17 mentions a clear astern boat being overlapped within 2 hull lengths. Does this imply that if the overlap occurred initially more than 2 lengths to leward then sailing proper course rules only come into action between the boats when they come into the 2 length zone or is there another implication that I've overlooked!!!!!

Replies:

Posted By: Brass
Date Posted: 02 Mar 17 at 1:01pm

Originally posted by Henmch

rule 17 mentions a clear astern boat being overlapped within 2 hull lengths. Does this imply that if the overlap occurred initially more than 2 lengths to leward then sailing proper course rules only come into action between the boats when they come into the 2 length zone or is there another implication that I've overlooked!!!!!

If a boat becomes overlapped to leeward from clear astern but NOT withing two of her hull lengths, then rule 17 does not apply at all, and will not apply even if she then comes within two hull lengths.

Posted By: JimC
Date Posted: 02 Mar 17 at 1:49pm

Proper course is greatly exaggerated for some reason. Most of the time there is no requirement to sail a proper course at all and a right of way boat can sail where she likes, and a give way boat must keep clear of her. If the ROW boat is sailing in completely the wrong direction that's tough.

The only rules that require a boat to sail a proper course are 17 and certain clauses in 18, and even then its only in specified circumstances.

Posted By: Brass
Date Posted: 02 Mar 17 at 1:58pm

Originally posted by JimC

Proper course is greatly exaggerated for some reason. Most of the time there is no requirement to sail a proper course at all and a right of way boat can sail where she likes, and a give way boat must keep clear of her. If the ROW boat is sailing in completely the wrong direction that's tough.

The only rules that require a boat to sail a proper course are 17 and certain clauses in 18, and even then its only in specified circumstances.

In fact, no rules require a boat to sail her proper course.

Rule 17, if it applies, obliges a boat not to sail above her proper course.

Rule 18.4, if it applies, more or less obliges a boat to gybe onto her proper course, but does not oblige her to sail her proper course either before or after the gybe.

Posted By: Henmch
Date Posted: 02 Mar 17 at 2:04pm

Thanks,

Just to clarify the situation with an example.

I'm sailing a downwind leg in my single handed dinghy. An asymmetric dinghy gains an overlap on me to leward at more than two boat lengths. Their proper course is much higher than mine and they are moving faster. A collision would occur if we carried on in our existing courses.

During the existence of the overlap who is the right of way boat

Posted By: JimC
Date Posted: 02 Mar 17 at 2:52pm

The leeward boat is ROW (Rule 11).

Its important to note this is always the case. Even if RRS 17 does apply the leeward boat is still the ROW boat and the only limitation is that she may not sail *above* her proper course. Brass is of course correct: ROW does't have to sail a proper course, she may sail below proper course if she chooses, she just can't sail above it.

Section B and C rules (14 to 20) do not change which boat has ROW, they just provide limitations on what the ROW boat can do.

In your example this means that the spinnaker boat may sail *her* proper course **even if RRS17 does apply**, and the windward boat must keep clear even though she would like to sail much lower.

Posted By: Rupert
Date Posted: 02 Mar 17 at 4:03pm

It would apply to 2 boats with the same sailing characteristics, too. One Laser decides to run DDW, another to reach, gybe, reach. If the reaching boat overlaps the DDW one and forces her off course, tough. What you can't do is overlap DDW from behind, and then decide your best course is reaching, without a damn fine reason to convince a protest committee.

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