Page 74 - Call Book for Team Racing 2017-2020

TR CALL G5

Rule 10 On Opposite Tacks
Rule 15 Acquiring Right of Way

Question

Boats B and Y are running on port tack, overlapped and level, with their hulls
between ½ and 1 length apart. Y, the windward boat, gybes onto starboard tack
and then holds her course. B responds promptly by gybing but her boom hits Y's
hull. Y protests. What should the call be?

Y1
B1

Y2
B2

Y3
B3

Answer

When Y gybes onto starboard, she acquires right of way, and must initially give
B room to keep clear.

If B reacts promptly, and in a seamanlike way, and contact occurs, then Y
breaks rule 15. Penalize Y.

If B either delays her response, or gybes in an unseamanlike way, and as a result
contact occurs, then B breaks rule 10. Penalize B.

When a boat gains right of way and another boat must take action to keep clear,
the keep-clear boat must begin to take that action immediately and the right-of-
way boat must give her room to do so. A seamanlike gybe includes letting the
boom go out at the end of the gybe, but not necessarily fully. It also includes
rolling the boat, but only to the extent required to facilitate steering. See also
General Principle 4.

Section G - The Run