Question:
What if we both had been on starboard? Does the boat on the windward side (me) have give enough space for the leeward boat to gybe to port?
Answer:
That’s a really good question. I have usually been surprised by how much room the jury wants give-way sailors to give to right-of-way sailors. Laser sailors often sail too close. My understanding is that the right-of-way boat should be able to visibly turn towards the give-way boat and there should still be time for the and give-way boat to turn away and avoid contact.
That being said, the right-of-way boat has to be careful how fast they turn towards the other boat because of Rule 16.
So I think that the amount of space you have to leave as the give-way boat would probably also allow the right-of-way starboard boat to gybe onto port if they were careful. But they would have to be a bit careful.
If there were two starboard boats and the leeward boat gybed onto port and there was contact and then it came to a protest the right-of-way starboard leeward boat that gybed would have to prove that the other boat was not giving them ‘room to keep clear’ where ‘room’ and ‘keep clear’ are specially defined.
The starboard windward give-way boat would have to prove that the they were keeping clear and that contact happened because the starboard right-of-way boat was changing course aggressively, not allowing the give-way boat room to keep clear. Or the starboard windward give-way boat would have to show that the leeward boat gave up their starboard leeward right of way and then hit the second boat who was still on starboard even though the second boat had been keeping clear before the gybe.
(With two boats on starboard and the leeward boat gybes onto port, rule 15 would not protect the new port boat because it was that boat’s action of gybing they causes them to lose right of way)
Негізгі бет Спорт A leeward mark tactic
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