Team Race - CALL D 06      

Rule 10 On Opposite Tacks
Rule 15 Acquiring Right of Way
Rule 18.2(a) Rounding and Passing Marks and Obstructions: Giving Room; Keeping Clear. Overlapped – Basic Rule
Rule 19 Room to Tack at an Obstruction

Question 1
On a beat to windward A is on port tack, ahead and to leeward of opponent X
and team-mate B. A tacks onto starboard. At position 3 her tack is complete and
X calls for room to tack. B tacks as soon as possible, but there is not room for X to tack between A and B. X protests. What should the call be?

Question 2
The circumstances are the same, except that at position 3, X bears away to pass astern of A. B also bears away to pass astern but there is insufficient room and she makes contact with both A and X. B protests. What should the call be?


Answer to Questions 1 and 2
If A completes her tack so close to X and B that they can neither both keep clear by tacking, nor both keep clear by bearing away to pass astern of A, then A breaks rule 15, Acquiring Right of Way. Penalize A.

If X and B could have kept clear by tacking, but X chooses to bear away astern of A and there is insufficient room for B, then X breaks rule 18.2(a), penalize X.

If X and B could have kept clear by bearing away, but X chooses to hail for room to tack and B responds as soon as possible to the hail but there is still contact between the boats, then X breaks rule 19.1 by not giving B time to respond to her hail. Penalize X.

If, when a boat acquires right of way, she forces another boat to break a rule while keeping clear, she has not given that other boat room to keep clear and therefore breaks rule 15.