If I understand correctly. Starboard tacker then becomes windward boat. Did not leave enough room to complete his manouvre therefore in the wrong. Faster boat correctly attempts to avoid collision and touches both. Starboard tacker should do turns. Not sure about the others. My humble oppinion I expect there are some sailing lawyers who will prove me wrong.

2 parts to this.

First Starbaord tacker has fouled in the process of manovering while the other 2 are trying to keep clear.

Second, assuming the Windward of the 2 port tackers has called for water to avoid, then there is (some) onus for the slow boat to give enough room for the fast port tacker to avoid the (manovering) stbd tacker.

Fairly sure about my first point, not so sure about the second. 

Where is there an Itnl umpire when you need one ?

Redback which boat were you.

Scooby Windward boat could have called for room to avoid collision but ther isnt always time for the calls. Collision avoidance is the overiding rule and if he had nowhere to go then minimal damage is the next best option.

Yes, I kinda assumed fast would have called for water to avoid.  There should always be time for calls as you should always be looking for these kinds of problems in advance (esp in a cat when (in some wind) you never drop below 12 kts except when t or g)

Yes I was in the fast boat (Laser4000).  The boat to leeward was a N12 and the one to windward a Wayfarer.

One of the problems of sailing a fast boat is that everybody underestimates (including the fast boat) how quickly situations can change, and if you have to bear away a bit, even more so.  Coming as we did from behind and having to sail a little free to get around the starboard tacker meant that the N12 didn't realise we were there until we were.  Also it all happened so quick that we didn't get a chance to hail.  No damage done and we seem agreed that the Wayfarer was in the wrong.

Could the fast boat have ducked the slower leeward boat?

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 - http://BoughBeechSC.org.uk

If it is too small it must be fun for the RS700's you have there? 1 person , 1 boat, 1 trapeze, 2 sails blocking the view of the one pair of eyes on board and gusty conditions on a small reservoir. Is this not e recipe for carnage?

Then we are back to the safety issue of mixing conventional and assymetric.

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