Note: This is the fifth and last blog in my series on the new Section C rules that came into effect January 1. In these blogs, I’ll refer to the 2005-2008 Racing Rules of Sailing as the “old rules” and to the 2009-1012 version as the “new rules”.
The focus of these blogs is on changes in the game induced by the new rules of Section C, and on places where it looks as if there might be a game change, but I believe there will be none.
In my last blog, we looked at rule 19, in particular the lack of zones around obstructions that aren't marks. In this, the last of the series, we look at rule 18.4, the rule that requires inside right-of-way boats to jibe at jibe marks and at leeward marks they have to jibe to round. The change is simple: rule 18.4 no longer applies at gates, and it's the third big game change in the new Section C.
Throughout this blog, I refer to the gate marks as if we were looking downwind at them: the one to be left to port is the "left-hand mark" and the other one is the "right-hand mark".
Game Change 3. Rule 18.4 (in both the new rules and old rules) says that if a boat needs to jibe at a mark she can sail no farther from the mark than her proper course, before she jibes. The main purpose of this rule is to ensure safe roundings at port-rounding leeward marks – an outside port-tack boat needs to know whether the inside starboard-tack boat is going to jibe and go around the mark or keep going straight, and rule 18.4 says she’s got to jibe. But with the advent of leeward gates, this rule causes a problem: it wasn't at all clear whether a starboard-tack boat S sailing across to the right-hand mark and cutting through the left-hand mark’s zone had to jibe, or whether she could proceed across to the other mark. This effectively removed the safety feature of the rule – a port-tack boat, P, headed for the left-hand mark didn't know whether S is required to jibe or not. So the new rules simply remove rule 18.4 at gates.
What does this mean, tactically? Not much for a port-tacker headed for the left-hand gate mark, because she didn't know whether inside starboard-tackers had to jibe or not, anyway. It does mean that a starboard-tack boat headed for the right-hand mark will be able to change her mind, jibe and head for the left-hand gate mark instead; her status under old rule 18.4 was unclear but it was certainly possible a protest committee could have disqualified her for not jibing when her proper course to the left-hand mark required it.
Other than that, the removal of rule 18.4 at gates just makes the game simpler and clearer for everybody. Without that rule, it's simply a question of ordinary right of way and mark-room as laid out in rule 18.2(b). Let's look at three common situations:
1.At the left-hand mark, a boat coming in on starboard tack is in very good shape. She was almost certainly inside all the port-tackers at the zone, and also has right of way. Port-tack boats outside her don't know if she's going to jibe or not until she actually does so, and if and when she does jibe for the left-hand mark the port-tack boats outside her have to give her room to sail to the mark, and then to round it on her proper course. In short, life is good for the starboard-tacker. Tactical lesson: If you want the left-hand gate mark, be the starboard inside boat.
2.At the right-hand mark, a boat coming in on starboard tack has right of way but will generally enter the zone overlapped outside the port-tackers, so she has to give them all mark-room. This includes room for them to approach the mark on port tack, as well as room to jibe to get there, because that's what sailing to the mark entails for them, and then room to sail on starboard tack to the mark (if necessary). However, they can only take the room necessary to carry out those actions in a seamanlike way, and no more, because they are keep-clear boats both before the jibe (port/starboard) and after the jibe (windward/leeward). This means that if one of the inside boats "takes too much room" and fouls the outside starboard/leeward boat, the inside boat has to take her turns or face disqualification.
3.Inside both zones. Theoretically, the zones around the two gate marks should never overlap, but in practice they sometimes will – after all, to avoid this the RC has to put the marks 6 boatlengths apart, so if there are, say, 40-foot boats in the race, the marks have to be almost a football field apart to avoid overlapping the zones. Fortunately, if the zones only overlap slightly there won't be much of a problem because the area of intersection is directly between the marks, far enough downwind so it doesn't get used much. But suppose two boats do find themselves in both zones at the same time? Who decides which mark they have to go to?
Generally, but not always, either boat can go to the mark where she'll be inside boat. This has nothing to do with the rules, just the geometry. But what if they each want to cross and go the mark at which they're outside? If they were overlapped at the zone, then they're each the "outside boat" at the mark they each want to go to, so nobody gets mark-room. The right-of-way boat thus gets to decide which mark they go to, because she's got right of way and rule 18.4 is turned off. If the boats were not overlapped at the zone then the boat that was clear ahead at either of the two zones can sail to the mark for that zone. Rule 18.2 gives her the right to "sail to the mark", so the boat that was clear astern can't prevent her from doing that, even if she has right of way.
I suppose that it's possible that one boat was clear ahead at one zone and the other was clear ahead at the other; maybe they've been sailing around aimlessly and going back and forth. Then I say each should go to the mark she's nearest, and forget we ever brought the subject up.
A more tactical answer to the overlapping zones would be, "What are these boats doing there in the first place?" If there was a reasonable chance of encountering other boats at the gate, why didn't the boat that wants to round the left-hand mark go to the left of the fleet, so she comes in on starboard tack and inside at the mark, and why didn't the boat that wants the right-hand mark go to the right, so at least she's inside at the right-hand mark? To round leeward marks successfully, especially in big fleets, make your "inside move" earlier rather than later. As usual, the rules tend to reward tacticians who think ahead
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Note: This is the fourth in my series of blogs on the new Section C rules that came into effect January 1. In these blogs, I’ll refer to the 2005-2008 Racing Rules of Sailing as the “old rules” and to the 2009-1012 version as the “new rules”.
The focus of these blogs is on changes in the game induced by the new rules of Section C, and on places where it looks as if there might be a game change, but I believe there will be none.
In my last blog, we looked at what appears to be a huge difference between old rule 18 and new rule 18 (Mark-Room): the old rule granted right of way to boats that would ordinarily have to keep clear under the rules of Section A (port/starboard, windward/leeward, etc.). The new rule 18 doesn’t do that. And although that looks like a huge game change, I claimed it would make no difference at all, other than making it easier to remember which boat has right of way.
In this blog, we take up rule 19. The first thing you’ll notice when you read this rule is that there are no longer zones around obstructions that aren’t marks!
Non Game-Change 3. I think this is the place where I’ll get the most argument, but in removing zones around obstructions I think we didn’t change the game much at all, at least for normal fleet racers.
But first, why did the working group that drafted the new Section C take the zone away from around obstructions? Doesn’t this make the rules more complicated, rather than simpler? The answer is that in this case we were trying not so much to simplify the rules as to make them agree with how sailors actually behave. I claim that, sailing under the old rules, sailors never (or almost never) put zones around obstructions, even though old rule 18 required them to do so!
Let me give one example: A group of boats are approaching the leeward mark, with one clump clear ahead and in the zone, and another coming up from behind, just outside the zone. In theory, under old rule 18 each of the boats in the first clump was an obstruction to all of the boats in the second clump, because she was clear ahead of them when she entered the zone. So the boats in the second clump had to, in theory, keep track not just of the zone around the mark, but also of the zones around each of the boats ahead. This means that, in theory at least, one boat might say “No room! Keep clear!” to a boat clear astern of her at the zone around the mark, and the other boat’s response might be “OK, but I was clear ahead when we first came within 2 lengths of that boat up ahead, and therefore you have to keep clear!” In this kind of situation, old rule 18 imposed not just a single obligation on a pair of boats, but numerous obligations, which might well contradict each other. Of course, in practice we didn’t do that – we ignored all the zones around other boats and only kept track of which boats were clear ahead or overlapped when they reached the zone around the mark.
Because no sailors were putting zones around boats racing, even when the rules required them to do so, we first considered removing just the zones around obstructions that were boats racing (that is, when both the other boats were required to keep clear of them or give room to them – see the definition of Obstruction). But then we considered how sailors in fleet races looked at obstructions in general, and realized that almost never were sailors thinking in terms of zones there, either! In most cases, non-continuing obstructions such as moored boats, islands, pier ends, etc. aren’t things boats turn at but things they pass; and generally, outside boats simply give inside boats room as required. (When passing continuing obstructions, the zone didn’t come into play under either the old rules or the new ones.) So if we took the zones away from around obstructions that aren’t marks, we’d make the rules easier to remember (only put zones around marks) and not change the game much at all. If there are obstructions that are effectively marks, where boats turn to a new course as they pass them, the regatta organizers should designate those obstructions as marks when they write the sailing instructions.
There is clearly a play at obstructions that is allowed now but would have been illegal under the old rules. Consider two boats on the same tack, approaching the corner of a pier, with the windward boat (W) overlapped inside, but almost clear astern of, the leeward one (L), and suppose that L isn’t restricted by rule 17 (i.e., she has “luffing rights” on W). Under the old rules L couldn’t luff inside the zone (well, the rule actually didn’t say that, but that’s how we sailed), but under the new rules, she definitely can, as long as she gives W room to keep clear (rule 16.1) and doesn’t run her into the pier (rule 19.2). So when they’re about 2 lengths from the pier, L can luff, causing W to luff as well; then bear off and break the overlap. Under the new rule, as long as there’s no overlap L doesn’t have to give W room. Of course, if W reestablishes the overlap to windward and inside L, L immediately has to begin to give her room – but if she’s unable to do so starting from when the overlap begins, she is not required to give room (see rule 19.2(c)). And generally W will not get the overlap, as she has to bear off to get around the obstruction.
Note that if W tries to establish a new overlap very close to windward of L, she’s likely to break rule 11, windward/leeward. And she’s only exonerated for that breach if she can argue that L “compelled” her to do so (see rule 64.1(c)). That will be hard to do if she could have borne off and gone below W. So the moral on rule 19.2 is, if the other boat is not giving you room and there’s some way to bail out, do so and protest, rather than forcing your way in and breaking other rules.
So there is a difference in the game! True, but how often does this happen? Most races are reasonably free of obstructions, and this play only works if the leeward boat has luffing rights, is almost clear ahead, and is able to stay ahead while she passes the obstruction (or is so close to it that she can’t give room when the overlap begins). Recall that under the old rules, this play was legal as long as the luff was outside the zone – and despite that, I’ve only seen it used at obstructions a couple of times in all the years I’ve been racing, judging, and umpiring. So I stand on my claim – removing zones around obstructions will not substantially affect the fleet-racing game.
By the way, I said “fleet racing” in that last paragraph for a reason. In match racing, obstructions can be a big issue (consider, for example, a spectator boat, or the RC boat before the competitors are approaching to start), and there, the removal of zones, together with no change in right of way, will have a huge impact. A boat clear ahead of her competitor at the zone around an obstruction used to have right of way while the boats were passing it, until they were both past it. This meant, for example, that if the boats were passing to windward of the obstruction, the boat ahead could bear off and jibe around the obstruction, right in front of the other boat, and not break rule 11 (when a windward/leeward overlap was established) or rule C2.4 (when she jibed), even if the trailing boat had to take avoiding action. But under the new rule 19.2 she’s not relieved of her responsibility to obey rules 11 and C2.4, so the leading boat has to keep clear of the other boat when she becomes windward boat, and jibing around an obstruction is just like jibing in open water, under the rules. If the trailing boat is close astern of the other boat, this gives her substantially more control, in my opinion, than she had under the old rules. But I admit I haven’t competed or umpired yet under the new rules, so maybe this won’t be as big a deal as I anticipate.
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I am using the illustration below to call attention to one of this year's rule changes.
Consider first that what you see is a starting line with the Committee Boat at the port end. In both the old and new rules, the leeward boat had no right to hail for room to tack because the pertinent rule (19.1 old rules and 20.1 new rules) did/does not apply at a starting mark surrounded by navigable water or at its anchor line. See Rule 19.2 old rules, Preamble to Section C new rules.Fine for a start! Green can luff head to wind and hope for the best.
Now consider the illustration as depicting a finish line situation. Under the old rules 19.2 went on to say that 19.1 did not apply " at a mark that the hailed boat can fetch". Red is fetching so Green was in a tough spot. Green was not entitled to room to tack and her hail had no merit.
This (to my way of thinking) is how it should be! Red is in control and is just going to make it by the Committee Boat's anchor rode. Green should have gybed out while she had the chance.
Now along come the new rules and while they say Green should not hail in a situation like this, if she does hail, Red must be bound by the hail!
What's wrong with this you ask?
Well it suddenly shifts control of the situation to the boat that sailed into a "coffin corner" and shouldn't have been there in the first place. Second, although the rules are quite clear that Green broke rule 20.3, it places a burden on Red to have to file a protest to protect her finish position. Third, imagine a situation where two or three boats are stacked up to weather of Red and they are all fighting for the lead. Suddenly, they all have to tack because of Green's hail. Might some other protests arise?? Seems quite likely.
Will Green come up with a story to justify her hail? You bet!
This change was included in the new rules in the interest of safety but I'm not buying into it.
If you can't hail at a starting mark surrounded by navigable water, why can you hail at a finish mark surrounded by navigable water?
I think there are some good changes in the new rules but this wasn't one of them.
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I THOUGHT YOU 'D BE INTERESTED TO SEE THE RESPONSE FROM ONE OF OUR READERS, DICK WHITE. MY RESPONSE TO HIM FOLLOWS:
From your blog. Seven times a starboard tack boat must keep clear of a port tack boat.
1. When tacking, rule 13
2. When acquiring right of way, rule 15
3. When changing course, rule 16
4. When port is inside boat at a leeward mark, rule 18.2(b)
5. When returning to the prestart side of the line to start, rule 21.1
6. When doing turns rule, 21.2
7. When backing up, rule 21.3.
8. At an obstruction, rule 19.2(b). Or, is this just a requirement to give room and not a requirement to Keep Clear?
9. When required to give Mark Room for a boat to sail it's proper course at the mark. Or, is this just a requirement to give room and not a requirement to Keep Clear? But, if a boat is entitled to room to sail it's proper course at the mark does that mean the boat required to give room must also keep clear so a boat may change course or tack without contacting the other boat, when changing course or tacking is part of it's normal maneuver to round the mark?
Dick White
Dear Dick,
I was careful to phrase my question "seven times when a starboard tack boat has to give way etc" because in most of these cases she doesn't have to "keep clear" of the port tack boat. I did not have Rule 15 and 16 on my list. I can buy into Rule 15 but I think 16 is a stretch.
Anyway, here's my list:
1. Inside boat at a mark (18.2 (a) & (b)
2. Returning from OCS (21.1)
3. Taking a penalty (21.2)
4. Moving astern (21.3)
5. Tacking (13)
6. Gybing (18.4)
7. Inside at a continuing obstruction 19.2 (c)
I think that 9 & 4 from your email are essentially the same.
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HERE ARE A FEW GOOD TIPS FOR STAYING OUT OF TROUBLE ON THE RACE COURSE
1. LEARN THE RULES
a. A good working knowledge of the rules is worth 2 or 3 places in a big regatta.
b. Read Part 2 of the racing rules before you start a regatta.
c. Sail by the rules and insist that others do the same.
2. AVOID BEING PROTESTED
a. Don't push tactical situations when you are the "keep clear" boat.
b. Tack sooner rather than later, duck early.
c. Avoid contact even when you're right.
d. Always give room, even when you think you don't have to.
e. When there is doubt or contact, do a penalty turn or turns.
3. STAY OUT OF THE PROTEST ROOM
a. 50% of those who go into the "room" don't like the outcome. Bad odds!
b. If there is arbitration, listen to the arbitrator and heed his advice. If he says you're going to lose, he's probably right!
HERE'S A QUIZ
I think that there are seven times in the new rules when a starboard tack boat has to give way to a port tack boat. Can you name them? Send me an email with "BLOG QUIZ" in the subject line.
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We just received our first shipment of Dave Perry's new edition of "Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing through 2012". As I mentioned in an earlier posting, Dave's book is my bible on the rules and I wouldn't be without it. Indeed, I can't imagine any serious racer not having a copy. As he does in his rules seminars, Dave brings the rules to life with his writing. When combined with the simple-to-understand illustrations, you have the perfect recipe for digesting a tough and sometimes hard-to-understand entree.
The book takes each of the rules apart, piece by piece and explains what they mean and how they work. He often gives an historical perspective e.g. it used to be this way, now it's that way and cites ISAF cases by number where they help clarify a situation. You come away not only knowing the rule but often how it ended up saying what it says.
In the same blog posting where I referred to Dave's book as my rules bible, I recommended a book by Bryan Willis (2009-2012 The Rules in Practice) and called attention to the different perspective used in the Willis book. I think that someone who is serious about the racing rules should own both of them. There is no such thing as too much knowledge of the rules and I for one intend to read them side by side. IMHO a good understanding of the rules is worth two or three places in every major regatta you sail in.
Both books are in stock and available at the UK-Halsey store. The prefect gifts for the sailors you know!
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Note: This is the third in my series of blogs on the new Section C rules that come into effect January 1, 2009. In these blogs, I’ll refer to the 2005-2008 Racing Rules of Sailing as the “old rules” and to the 2009-1012 version as the “new rules”.
The focus of these blogs is on changes in the game induced by the new rules of Section C, and on places where it looks as if there might be a game change, but I believe there will be none.
In my last blog, we looked at a restriction placed by the new rules on mark rounding – under the old rules a boat clear ahead was granted right of way and freedom from rule 16 (Changing Course) as long as she was turning to round the mark; under the new rules she is only given room to sail her proper course and only gets freedom from rule 16 as long as she is doing so. I argued that, at the end of the rounding, the old rule allowed her to turn past her course to the next mark without breaking rule 16, while the new rule only allows her to turn to that course – after that, she risks breaking rule 16.
In this blog, we’ll look at what appears to be a huge difference between old rule 18 and new rule 18 (Mark-Room): the old rule granted boats right of way to boats that would ordinarily have to keep clear under the rules of Section A (port/starboard, windward/leeward, etc.). The new rule 18 doesn’t do that. And although that looks like a huge game change, I don’t think it will make any difference at all, other than making it easier to remember which boat has rights.
Non-Game Change 2. The preamble to Section A of Part 2 (When Boats Meet) says “A boat has right of way when another boat is required to keep clear
of her” Old rule 18 says, in several places, that such-and-such a boat “shall keep clear of” the other boat. Putting two and two together, we get that the other boat was just granted right of way. So, for example, whereas a starboard-tack boat has right of way over a port-tack boat on the open race course, under the old rules a port-tack boat that was clear ahead at the zone got right of way over the starboard-tack boat behind her, and she kept that right of way throughout the rest of the rounding. Under the new rule 18, the words about keeping clear have been removed, so throughout the rounding, a starboard-tack boat always has right-of-way over a port-tack boat, a leeward boat always has right-of-way over a windward boat, etc.
Let’s see how this works for two boats overlapped at the zone at a leeward mark to be left to port. There are four cases: (1) they’re both on port tack; (2) they’re on opposite tacks with the starboard-tack boat inside; (3) they’re on opposite tacks with the port-tack boat inside; and (4) they’re both on port tack.
Case 1: Both on starboard tack. The inside boat is also the leeward boat, so she has right of way. She can do a “tactical rounding” (see my last blog) and the other boat has to give her room to do so. If she’s not restricted by rule 17, she can sail any course she wants as long as she doesn’t turn too sharply and break rule 16. If the inside boat falls astern of the other boat, she is technically required to keep clear, but usually there’s no issue as she’s going slower than the other boat. If there’s any danger of fouling the other boat she has to sail toward the mark (no tactical rounding!), and the other boat has to give her room to do so. No change in the game from old rule.
Case 2, inside boat on starboard, outside boat on port. The inside boat has right of way, and can sail anywhere she pleases, subject to rule 16. However, under rule 18.4 she cannot sail farther from the mark before she jibes than her proper course. No game change here, except at gate marks, which I’ll cover in another blog. When she jibes onto port tack, she becomes the keep-clear boat and only gets room to sail to the mark and then round it – no change in the game.
Case 3, inside boat on port tack, outside boat on starboard. Now the inside boat is required by rule 10 to keep clear, so she only has the right to sail to the mark, and the outside boat is required to give her room to do so. Room to sail to the mark generally means room to sail to a point where she can begin a tight, seamanlike rounding, but if there are other boats around that she is required to keep clear of or to whom she owes room, she is entitled to additional room to sail around them (because it would be unseamanlike to break the rules). If she wants a tactical rounding, she should jibe to starboard so she’ll be the leeward, right-of-way boat. No game change. When the outside boat jibes to go around the mark, the inside boat must still keep clear under rule 11. No game change.
Under the old rules, if the outside, right of way boat fell astern of the inside boat she lost her right of way and had to keep clear. This would appear to have given the inside boat more power, but in practice in fleet racing the previously inside boat would normally continue on the course she was originally on, and if she swung wide for a tactical rounding it wouldn’t matter because the other boat was clear astern and unable to prevent such a move regardless of right of way. At the mark, the rights of the inside/clear-ahead boat are substantially the same under the new rules as under the old ones (see my first blog).
Case 4, both boats on port tack. The analysis here is identical to that for case 3, except that the outside boat never jibes. No game change.
Now let’s look at what happens when one of the boats is clear ahead at the zone. This time, there are three cases: (1) They are on the same tack; (2) they’re on opposite tacks with the starboard-tack boat ahead; and (3) they’re on opposite tacks with the port-tack boat ahead.
Case 1, boats on same tack. No change from the old rules because the boat ahead has right of way under rule 12. If they are on starboard tack and the boat ahead jibes, she keeps her right of way under the old rules but loses it under the new rules; however, in practice she will only jibe when she’s at the mark, and at that point the boat astern has to give her room to go around the mark on her proper course, so she’s lost no actual rights. If they’re both on port tack, it’s a parade around the mark under both sets of rules. (Note that in team racing the situation is much different – under the old rules if both boats were on port tack the boat ahead could sail wide and then slow down, and if the boat astern sailed into an outside overlap, the inside boat could just sit there, allowing teammates to go inside her while the other boat had to sail all the way around her. Under the new rules she can still sail wide at first, but if the other boat sails into an outside overlap so the boat ahead becomes the windward boat, she is only entitled to mark-room. At that point she has to sheet in and go around the mark, because the definition of mark-room only includes room to round the mark “promptly” on her proper course; sitting there with sails luffing is not “promptly” rounding, and letting other boats without rights to pass inside her is surely not her proper course. But in fleet racing this ploy makes no sense – there’s no benefit to holding another boat up and letting the leaders get away while the boats behind close up the gap.)
So the only change from deletion of the change in right of way will be that now everybody will be able to see and remember who has right of way – it’s the same as on the open course.
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This is the second in a series of blogs on the new Section C rules that come into effect January 1, 2009. In these blogs, I’ll refer to the 2005-2008 Racing Rules of Sailing as the “old rules” and to the 2009-1012 version as the “new rules”.
In the last blog, we looked at the changes in the game due to the new, larger zone and examined the new definition “Mark-room”, which says “Room for a boat to sail to the mark, and then room to sail her proper course while at the mark …”. I argued that the first part, about sailing to the mark, is pretty much what we all thought was required by the old rules, even though they didn’t actually say it. Then I claimed that the second part, about proper course, doesn’t actually give a boat entitled to mark-room any more freedom than the current rules do.
But there is one situation where the change from “room to round” in the old rules to “proper course” in the new rules will make a game change; and, ironically, it’s a place where the boat entitled to room gets less rights under the new rules than she did under the old ones.
Game Change 2. Let’s picture the situation where boat A is clear ahead of boat B at the zone, with nobody outside A. Under new rule 18 (Mark-Room), B will owe A mark-room throughout the rounding. If she’s smart, A does a “tactical rounding”, i.e., she starts wide, planning to come in close to the mark at the end of her turn. (The only time A will not be able to do a tactical rounding is if B has right of way and is able to establish an outside overlap on A inside the zone. In that situation, A must sail directly to the mark.) The tactical rounding is faster for most boats than a “seamanlike” rounding because most boats slow considerably when they turn sharply. Not only that, but a wide approach allows the boat to come to the mark already on a close-hauled course, so she gets to take a higher line on the next leg. But there’s often a third reason for A to do a tactical rounding – she secretly hopes that B will take the bait and try to go inside her and she plans to “shut the door” on B at the end of her turn. Because A is entitled to mark-room, she’ll be exonerated for breaking the basic right of way rules and rules 15 and 16 as well, as long as she is sailing her proper course to round the mark. If she’s smart, A plans to make this move in such a way that contact with B, if any, is minimal; that way, A can’t be penalized for breaking rule 14 (Avoiding Contact).
But what happens if A misjudges her turn and sails too deep as she approaches the mark? Under the old rules, if she wanted to close out B badly enough she could luff up above close-hauled, maybe even head to wind, to close the door; this usually breaks rule 16 (Changing Course) because B has the mark alongside her at that point and doesn’t have room to keep clear of A. Under the old rules, A was exempted from rule 16 because she’s turning to round the mark. Under the new rules she’s only exempted (“exonerated”) if she’s on her proper course around the mark. Since sailing head-to-wind is hardly her proper course, under the new rules her last-minute desperate maneuver to close the door on B breaks rule 16 and if there’s contact either between the boats or between B and the mark, A will undoubtedly be protested and either have to do her turns or risk disqualification.
In passing, note that in addition to breaking a rule, A is sailing slowly for no good reason when she luffs head to wind. If A were to simply sail her proper course, even if B goes in there A will have better speed and it will be a very short time – maybe seconds – on the windward leg before B will feel the effect of A’s backwind and have to tack away. And A will not have lost distance on the boats ahead.
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In my first blog posting about Mark-Room, I called your attention to the fact that a boat entitled to Mark-Room can always do a tactical rounding because she is entitled to sail her Proper Course while at the Mark. I called this a game change.
Our guest expert and rules author, Rob Overton has pointed out a flaw in my argument.
Let's assume that two boats on port tack run are overlapped when the leading inside boat enters the zone. Rule 18.2(b) says "the outside boat at that moment shall thereafter give the inside boat Mark-Room".
Mark-Room means the inside boat is entitled to "room to sail to the mark, and then room to sail her proper course while at the mark".
Rob's contention is that the "room" (see definition of room) to sail to the mark for a non right-of-way boat is just that…room, nothing more. Thus the inside boat can only sail directly to the mark until she is "at" the mark. Once "at" the mark, she can sail her proper course but if your bow is abeam of (at) the mark on a run, your proper course isn't going to end up creating much of a tactical rounding.
In other words if you are not entitled to the room to sail wide in preparation to do a tactical rounding, sailing your proper course while at the mark isn't going to help much.
Good Point-looks like more egg on my face!
In the same blog posting, I predicted that the terms "to the mark" and "at the mark" were going to create lot's of "opinion". This is a good example of what I meant!
For those of you who purchased 2009-2012 The Rules in Practice by Bryan Willis, Chapter 12 has some good pointers on this.
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At the end of my last blog posting, I wrote a couple of paragraphs about what I thought was a conflict between two of the new rules.
Rule 19.2(a) which says," A right of way boat may choose to pass an obstruction on either side"
Rule 20.3 which says in part, "A boat shall not hail unless safety requires her to make a substantial course change to avoid the obstruction". My contention was that 19.2(a) allowed what 20.3 prohibited.
The answer, courtesy of US Sailing Judge Rick Hatch, lies in the preamble to the new SECTION C AT MARKS AND OBSTRUCTIONS. The last sentence of the preamble states "When rule 20 applies, rules 18 and 19 do not". . Since Green is an Obstruction for Blue and Red, Rule 20 applies and 18 and 19 do not. NO CONFLICT. Thank you Rick!
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