Racing Rules: Gybe Mark

Gybe Mark

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=12850
Printed Date: 25 Jun 25 at 4:42pm
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Topic: Gybe Mark

Posted By: rich96
Subject: Gybe Mark
Date Posted: 11 Sep 17 at 2:28pm

Two dinghies on starboard approaching the wing (gybe) mark

Inside boat A has room on outside Boat B.

B leaves lots of room and gybes assuming A will do the same.

Boat A cant gybe - too windy and there's contact.

Who's to blame ?

What if it was A's choice simply not to gybe but bear away on starboard. What must B do then ? This could happen say to get out of the tide or if you wee in an assymetric etc etc

Wasn't there something recent in the press about having to gybe once you are in the zone (two USA Finn sailors incident last year when one trapped the other at the gybe mark?)

Replies:

Posted By: JimC
Date Posted: 11 Sep 17 at 3:45pm

Start with the basics: who has right of way? (part A)
Then consider whether there are any paty B or C rules that limit what ROW can do, quite possibly 18.4. If so then consider proper course. And note that proper course may depend on Wind strength and direction, patterns of gusts and lulls (case 134).

Posted By: Brass
Date Posted: 11 Sep 17 at 3:54pm

A is required to sail no farther from the mark than needed to sail her proper course before gybing.

Rule 18.4 Gybing
When an inside overlapped right-of-way boat must gybe at a mark to sail her proper course, until she gybes she shall sail no farther from the mark than needed to sail that course. ...

B, same tack (starboard) overlapped to windward is initially required to keep clear of A to leeward (rule 11).

B, after gybing from starboard to port remains required to keep clear (rule 10).

If there's contact B fails to keep clear of A and breaks either rule 11 or 10.

If A sails beyond the point where her proper coursed is on the other tack, she may break rule 18.4, but this does not compel B to gybe into her, and offers no exoneration to B for failing to keep clear.

If conditions are heavy so that it would not be safe and seamanlike for A, with competent but not expert crew, to gybe, A could argue that that no point exists where she 'must gybe to sail her proper course', because her proper course is to tack and wear around (or stand on awaiting a lull, or a favourable surf to gybe) not to gybe, and that therefore rule 18.4 does not apply to her at all.

Normally at a wing mark, the proper course is to gybe, that's why its called a gybe mark. Assy boats would need to gybe even more than syms. If, however, the proper course was to stand on for example, into favourable tide, then boats might get to be outside the zone and rule 18 might cease to apply, before the point came where the proper course was to gybe, and rule 18.4 would not apply.

You might like to see further discussion on this problem in the http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=12667&title=leeward-mark" rel="nofollow - Leeward Mark thread