rule 18

[deafsail]

VIDEO OF THE WEEK
For the American ‘buttheads, this week leads to the Thanksgiving Day holiday on
Thursday, and all but six of us should give thanks that we were not involved in
this two boat collision last weekend. While November frostbiting in Essex, CT
with Etchells appears to be much more civil approach to this winter past time
when compared to the dinghy option, the goal still should be to enjoy some
outdoor activity but then ultimately retreat indoors for warm drinkies ... and
not somewhere to file insurance claims. Perhaps the changes in 2009 to Rule 18
from a two to a three length zone around marks will help to alleviate incidents
like this in the future. Click here for this week’s video:
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/08/1126/

[MichaelJ2K]

Ouch[B)]

Mike Denest
EC12 #899

[greerdr]

Think he was waching the spinaker being packed for the next run?

R.C.Greer

[Frandito]

So...who was wrong?

frandito

[Capt. Flak]

The way I see it the boat that stuck his bow into the other boat is at fault. He was clear astern at the circle and needed to stay clear.

Joe Walter #24

[Frandito]

What happened to "starboard tack" ....he has right to turn ( jibe ) at the mark, no?


frandito

[Chuck Luscomb]

They were all on Starboard tack. Joe has it right, the boat that rounded second was clear ahead at the two boat length zone and the boat that hit him should have taken his transom. What is hard to see in this video unless you look for it is the strenght of the current moving from left to right. Look at the mark. As soon as the second boat around turned for the mark, he started getting set down toward the other boat. Still, they should not have hit but it did shorten the reaction time a bit.

The lead boat is skippered by our own Chuck Poindexter who has an EC12. He placed 7th at Mystic last summer in some pretty good company.

[Frandito]

The video i see shows the first two boats on Port, having just jibed
The boat that hit them is still on Starboard


frandito

[Capt. Flak]

The first two boats reached the circle clear ahead of the third boat (the one that stuck his bow into the 2nd boat). The proper course for all the boats is to gybe around the mark. Boat one was inside with leeward rights but still needs to gybe. She cannot make a tactical rounding. Boat 2 was outside of her and had to keep clear. She gybed as soon as she could after 1 gybed. All this happened inside the circle.

The third boat needed to keep clear even though the first two boats gybed onto Port. That was their proper course.

The third boat failed to keep clear. BUT she also failed to watch what the hell she was doing. The skipper was watching the take down instead of watching where he was sailing.

If there had been another boat further outside of 1 and 2, you could argue that it was outside of the circle and thus boat 3 would be entitled to room on that boat.

The new rules are written differently on this now. I need to read them carefully to see if it changes how this situation would be ruled now.

Joe Walter #24

[deafsail]

http://www.ukhalsey.com/blog/post/Propo ... ction.aspx

[greerdr]

Let's try to sail as gentlemen and not "rules junkies".Clearly room could have been given (and should have) but a very hard-nosed approach led to great conflict and an unsurprising verdict.
Further I submit we are often sailing at distances and angles that make close calls very difficult.
Let's try to be friendly and sail the course without such acrimony.

R.C.Greer

[Jon Luscomb]

Men:

The boat that did the hitting is clearly wrong. Whatever Jibe #1 and 2 were on has no bearing. Chuckie had room on #2 and #2 was clear ahead. #3 should have followed around with bow down after the rounding letting 1 &2 Duke it out. A gain would have been made. If you watch...Chuckies in there and can make a tactical rounding. The outside boat must allow him room and stay clear. I would have given Chuckie even more room in order to try to get my bow around inside to windward hoping for Chuckie to try to pinch me. I then tack away with a bit of speed. Chuckie foots to regain...we are tied. Boat three was watching and if you look, the tiller never moved to avoid #2...to me he was banking on the current, Chuck L. mentioned, pushing the first two away from the mark and allowing him opprtunity to sneak in....watch as he gets close he is looking under the main and when at the mark he pushes the tiller away to round not toward to avoid...he messed up bad and if I was the hittee I would have boarded that dummy right there and had a word or three with him.




I would rather wonder why I won than to know exaclty why I lost.