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.