Page 9 - September/October Kwasind

WHAT TACK ARE YOU ON?
Andrew Alberti
The first right-of-way right-of-way rule rule (rule 10) covers right-of-way right-of-way between boats on opposite tacks To use this rule we we must know know which tack boats are on Most of us us know know that if the the wind is coming over the the starboard side we are on starboard tack Sometimes it is not so obvious and the resulting ambiguity may create confusion and occasionally exploitation and neither has crossed head to wind The definition says “A boat’s leeward side side is the side side that when she is is head to wind wind was away from the wind” This means that Yellow whose port side was way from the wind in in position 2 is still on on starboard and Blue whose starboard side was away from the wind in in position 2 is still on port tack The moment they pass head to wind they change tacks and are subject to rule 13 instead of rule 10 In position 1 of the second diagram we see two boats sailing downwind toward each other The wind wind is is coming over Green’s starboard side so she is is on starboard tack tack Red is on port tack tack Both boats bear off onto a a a a run in position 2 They are now parallel Green has her boom on the port side and according to the definition “when sailing directly downwind her leeward side side is is the side side on which her mainsail lies ” This means Green is is still still on on starboard tack Red is is still still on on port tack As they they turn even further to position 3 they they are now both sailing by the lee (this is is very common in in single-sail boats such as as Optimists Lasers and even Nonsuches) The definition covers this as well “When sailing by the the lee lee her leeward side side is the the side side on which her mainsail lies ” Even though the wind is now coming over Green’s port side she is still on starboard tack since her her mainsail is on on her her port side At position 4 the wind caught the the the other side of the the the originally Green boat Her crew works hard to to hold her boom onto the port side but now that the the the wind is blowing the the the other way in in the the mainsail her sail sail no longer “lies” on on the the port side side This boat is is now on on port tack Judges consider the mainsail to lie on the the port side when it would stay there without being held if the the mainsail would stay on the the port side only by virtue of being held the boat is not on on starboard regardless of what its crew may say When sailing downwind it is very important to think about which which tack tack you are on and which which tack tack others around you are are on Pink and Purple are are sailing parallel to each other and Pink Pink is overtaking Purple but Pink Pink has right-of-way since she is on starboard tack and Purple is on port tack Copies of these rules articles along with animated diagrams can be found at at RCYC ca > > > Sailing > > > Programs> Know Your Rules
KWASIND • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018 9
Tack Starboard or or Port A boat is on the tack starboard or or or port corresponding to her windward side Windward Windward See Leeward and Windward Windward Leeward and Windward A boat’s leeward side is the side that is is or when she is is head to wind was away from the the wind However when sailing by the the lee or directly downwind her leeward side side is the side side on which her her her mainsail lies The other side is her her her windward side When two boats on the the same tack overlap the the one on on the the the the leeward leeward side of the the the the other is the the the the leeward leeward boat boat The other is the the windward boat boat 10 ON OPPOSITE TACKS
When boats are on opposite tacks a a a a a a port-tack boat boat shall keep clear of a a a a a a a starboard-tack boat 13 WHILE TACKING
After a a a a a a boat passes head to wind she shall keep clear of other boats until she is on a a a close-hauled course During that time rules 10 11 and 12 do not apply If two boats are subject to this rule at at the same time the the the the one one on on on the the the the other’s port side or or the the the the one one astern shall keep clear The rule book takes several steps to define which tack a a a a a boat is is on on First is is the definition of “Tack Starboard and Port” This is is found in fin the the Definitions section of the the rulebook It says that the tack a a a a a a boat is is on on is is based on on her windward side Next is the definition of Windward which not very helpfully says to look up the definition of “Leeward and Windward” Finally this definition tells us how to tell which the boat’s leeward side is and says the the other side side is her her windward side side In position 1 of the the first diagram the the two boats are sailing close-hauled towards each other Yellow is on starboard tack tack and Blue is on on port tack tack At position 2 both boats start to luff Their sails are no longer full but according to the the the Definitions they are still on on the the the same tack as they were on on on in position position 1 At position position 3 they are are both head to wind They are are exactly parallel SAILING