Quickie Rules
Below are some of the most necessary rules to know. These
are abstracts, you should read the rule in it's entirety.
Part 2 - When Boats Meet
Section A - Right of Way
A boat has right of way when another boat is required to
keep clear of her. However, some rules in Sections B, C and
D limit the actions of a right-of-way boat.
10 ON OPPOSITE TACKS
When boats are on opposite tacks, a port-tack boat shall
keep clear of a starboard-tack boat.
11 ON THE SAME TACK, OVERLAPPED
When boats are on the same tack and overlapped, a
windward boat shall keep clear of a leeward boat.
12 ON THE SAME TACK, NOT OVERLAPPED
When boats are on the same tack and not overlapped, a
boat clear astern shall keep clear of a boat clear ahead.
13 WHILE TACKING
After a boat passes head to wind, she shall keep clear of
other boats until she is on a close-hauled course. During
that time rules 10, 11 and 12 do not apply. If two boats are
subject to this rule at the same time, the one on the
other's port side shall keep clear.
Section B - General Limitations
14 AVOIDING CONTACT
A boat shall avoid contact with another boat if
reasonably possible. However, a right-of-way boat or one
entitled to room
(a) need not act to avoid contact until it is clear that
the other boat is not keeping clear or giving room, and
(b) shall not be penalized under this rule unless there
is contact that causes damage.
15 ACQUIRING RIGHT OF WAY
When a boat acquires right of way, she shall initially
give the other boat room to keep clear, unless she acquires
right of way because of the other boat's actions.
16 CHANGING COURSE
16.1 When a right-of-way boat changes course, she shall
give the other boat room to keep clear.
16.2 In addition, when after the starting signal boats
are about to cross or are crossing each other on opposite
tacks, and the port-tack boat is keeping clear of the
starboard-tack boat, the starboard-tack boat shall not
change course if as a result the port-tack boat would
immediately need to change course to continue keeping clear.
17 ON THE SAME TACK; PROPER COURSE
17.1 If a boat clear astern becomes overlapped within two
of her hull lengths to leeward of a boat on the same tack,
she shall not sail above her proper course while they remain
overlapped within that distance, unless in doing so she
promptly sails astern of the other boat. This rule does not
apply if the overlap begins while the windward boat is
required by rule 13 to keep clear.
17.2 Except on a beat to windward, while a boat is less
than two of her hull lengths from a leeward boat or a boat
clear astern steering a course to leeward of her, she shall
not sail below her proper course unless she gybes.
Section C - At Marks and Obstructions
To the extent that a Section C rule conflicts with a rule
in Section A or B, the Section C rule takes precedence.
18 ROUNDING AND PASSING MARKS AND OBSTRUCTIONS
In rule 18, room is room for an inside boat to round or
pass between an outside boat and a mark or obstruction,
including room to tack or gybe when either is a normal part
of the manoeuvre.
18.1 When This Rule Applies
Rule 18 applies when boats are about to round or pass a
mark they are required to leave on the same side, or an
obstruction on the same side, until they have passed it.
However, it does not apply
(a) at a starting mark surrounded by navigable water or
at its anchor line from the time the boats are approaching
them to start until they have passed them, or
(b) between boats on opposite tacks, either on a beat to
windward or when the proper course for one or both of them
to round or pass the mark or obstruction is to tack.
18.2 Giving Room; Keeping Clear
(a) OVERLAPPED - BASIC RULE
When boats are overlapped the outside boat shall give the
inside boat room to round or pass the mark or obstruction,
and if the inside boat has right of way the outside boat
shall also keep clear. Other parts of rule 18 contain
exceptions to this rule.
(b) OVERLAPPED AT THE ZONE
If boats were overlapped before either of them reached
the two-length zone and the overlap is broken after one of
them has reached it, the boat that was on the outside shall
continue to give the other boat room. If the outside boat
becomes clear astern or overlapped inside the other boat,
she is not entitled to room and shall keep clear.
(c) NOT OVERLAPPED AT THE ZONE
If a boat is clear ahead at the time she reaches the
two-length zone, the boat clear astern shall thereafter keep
clear. If the boat clear astern becomes overlapped outside
the other boat she shall also give the inside boat room. If
the boat clear astern becomes overlapped inside the other
boat she is not entitled to room. If the boat that was clear
ahead passes head to wind, rule 18.2(c) no longer applies.
(d) CHANGING COURSE TO ROUND OR PASS
When rule 18 applies between two boats and the
right-of-way boat is changing course to round or pass a
mark, rule 16 does not apply between her and the other boat.
(e) OVERLAP RIGHTS
If there is reasonable doubt that a boat obtained or
broke an overlap in time, it shall be presumed that she did
not. If the outside boat is unable to give room when an
overlap begins, rules 18.2( a) and 18.2( b) do not apply.
18.3 Tacking at a Mark
If two boats were approaching a mark on opposite tacks
and one of them completes a tack in the two-length zone when
the other is fetching the mark, rule 18.2 does not apply.
The boat that tacked
(a) shall not cause the other boat to sail above
close-hauled to avoid her or prevent the other boat from
passing the mark, and
(b) shall give room if the other boat becomes overlapped
inside her, in which case rule 15 does not apply.
18.4 Gybing
When an inside overlapped right-of-way boat must gybe at
a mark or obstruction to sail her proper course, until she
gybes she shall sail no farther from the mark or obstruction
than needed to sail that course.
18.5 Passing a Continuing Obstruction
While boats are passing a continuing obstruction, rules
18.2(b)and 18.2(c) do not apply. A boat clear astern that
obtains an inside overlap is entitled to roomto pass between
the other boat and the obstruction only if at the moment the
overlap begins there is room to do so. If there is not, she
is not entitled to roomand shall keep clear.
19 ROOM TO TACK AT AN OBSTRUCTION
19.1 When safety requires a close-hauled boat to make a
substantial course change to avoid an obstruction and she
intends to tack, but cannot tack and avoid another boat on
the same tack, she shall hail for room to do so. Before
tacking she shall give the hailed boat time to respond. The
hailed boat shall either
(a) tack as soon as possible, in which case the hailing
boat shall also tack as soon as possible, or
(b) immediately reply 'You tack', in which case the
hailing boat shall tack as soon as possible and the hailed
boat shall give room, and rules 10 and 13 do not apply.
19.2 Rule 19.1 does not apply at a starting mark
surrounded by navigable water or at its anchor line from the
time boats are approaching them to start until they have
passed them or at a mark that the hailed boat can fetch.
When rule 19.1 applies, rule 18 does not.
31 TOUCHING A MARK
31.1 While racing, a boat shall not touch a starting mark
before starting, a mark that begins, bounds or ends the leg
of the course on which she is sailing, or a finishing mark
after finishing.
31.2 A boat that has broken rule 31.1 may, after getting
well clear of other boats as soon as possible, take a
penalty by promptly making one complete 360º turn
including one tack and one gybe.
44 PENALTIES FOR BREAKING RULES
OF Part 2
44.1 Taking a Penalty
A boat that may have broken a rule of Part 2 while racing
may take a penalty at the time of the incident. Her
penalty shall be a 720º Turns Penalty unless the
sailing instructions specify the use of the Scoring Penalty
or some other penalty. However, if she caused serious damage
or gained a significant advantage in the race or series by
her breach she shall retire.
61 PROTEST REQUIREMENTS
61.1 Informing the Protestee
(a) A boat intending to protest shall always inform
the other boat at the first reasonable opportunity. When
her protest concerns an incident in the racing area that she
is involved in or sees, she shall hail 'Protest' and
conspicuously display a red flag at the first
reasonable opportunity for each.
Important Definitions
Clear Astern and Clear Ahead; Overlap
One boat is clear astern of another when her hull and
equipment in normal position are behind a line abeam from
the aftermost point of the other boat's hull and equipment
in normal position. The other boat is clear ahead. They
overlap when neither is clear astern or when a boat
between them overlaps both. These terms do not apply to
boats on opposite tacks unless rule 18 applies.
Leeward and Windward
A boat's leeward side is the side that is or, when she is
head to wind, was away from the wind. However, when sailing
by the lee or directly downwind, her leeward side is the
side on which her mainsail lies. The other side is her
windward side. When two boats on the same tack overlap, the
one on the leeward side of the other is the leeward boat.
The other is the windward boat.
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