by tag1945 » Mon Nov 19, 2012 10:48 am
Mark
At Position 1
Green is the Starboard ROW boat over Blue and Yellow on Port tack.
Yellow is the Leeward ROW boat over Green.
Rules that apply:
Rule 10:
Rule 11:
Rule 19:
Always: Rule 14, 15 & 16
At Position 2
As Yellow and Blue are approaching the ROW Starboard tack Green boat, Rule 19 allows the ROW Port tack to decide which way to pass the obstruction.
Rules that apply:
Rule 10:
Rule 11:
Rule 13:
Rule 19.2a:
Rule 20:
Always: Rule 14, 15 & 16
To answer your question "Did yellow break Rule 13", the answer in your report on the incident indicates that she did.
Yellow, apparently was not well versed in the rules that cover this situation. Yellow failed to follow Rule 19.2a and Rule 20 in a timely manner soon enough.
Your graphic and description of the incident leaves many questions. From the time Yellow and Blue were approaching Green, the Rule that should have been followed was Rule 19.2a and Rule 20. Yellow was the ROW boat over Blue and should have hailed Blue for room to tack to avoid the obstruction, Green Boat. If Yellow wanted to pass astern of the obstruction, Yellow would have been required to provide room for blue to also pass astern of Green. If Yellow does attempt to pass astern of Green, Blue does not have to follow Yellow and pass astern. Blue might asset the situation differently that yellow and believes that she does not need to follow Yellow astern of Green. If Yellow wanted to tack under Green onto Starboard, then she would use Rule 19.2a for her authority to choose which side of the obstruction to pass and Rule 20 would provide the hailing requirements which include, that if Blue does tack, Yellow must also tack, even if Yellow then though she might be able to pass astern of the obstruction.
Your secondary discussion: There never has been a "No harm, No foul" rule for contact. Period. As the skipper of your boat, you must always provide the necessary room from other boats to prevent any contact. Period. You are never exempt from following the rules because of seas or wind gusts, shifts or whatever. If you loose control of your boat, and you hail the loss of control, other boats are required to keep clear of you. Period
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.
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 or mark-room
(a) need not act to avoid contact until it is clear that the other boat is not keeping clear or giving room or mark-room, and
(b) shall not be penalized under this rule unless there is contact that causes damage or injury.
15: 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 a port-tack boat is keeping clear by sailing to pass astern of a 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.
19 ROOM TO PASS AN OBSTRUCTION
19.1 When Rule 19 Applies
Rule 19 applies between boats at an obstruction except when it is also a mark the boats are required to leave on the same side. However, at a continuing obstruction, rule 19 always applies and rule 18 does not.
19.2 Giving Room at an Obstruction
(a) A right-of-way boat may choose to pass an obstruction on either side.
(b) When boats are overlapped, the outside boat shall give the inside boat room between her and the obstruction, unless she has been unable to do so from the time the overlap began.
(c) While boats are passing a continuing obstruction, if a boat that was clear astern and required to keep clear becomes overlapped between the other boat and the obstruction and, at the moment the overlap begins, there is not room for her to pass between them, she is not entitled to room under rule 19.2(b). While the boats remain overlapped, she shall keep clear and rules 10 and 11 do not apply.
20 ROOM TO TACK AT AN OBSTRUCTION
20.1 Hailing and Responding
When approaching an obstruction, a boat sailing close-hauled or above may hail for room to tack and avoid another boat on the same tack. After a boat hails,
(a) she shall give the hailed boat time to respond
(b) the hailed boat shall respond either by tacking as soon as possible, or by immediately replying ‘You tack’ and then giving the hailing boat room to tack and avoid her, and
(c) when the hailed boat responds, the hailing boat shall tack as soon as possible.
20.2 Exoneration
When a boat is taking room to which she is entitled under rule 20.1(b), she shall be exonerated if she breaks a rule of Section A or rule 15 or 16.
20.3 When Not to Hail
A boat shall not hail unless safety requires her to make a substantial course change to avoid the obstruction. Also, she shall not hail if the obstruction is a mark that the hailed boat is fetching.
Applying all the rules to any situation, will help develop good sailing tactics also.....
Tom
Last edited by
tag1945 on Tue Nov 20, 2012 10:31 am, edited 1 time in total.
Tom Germer
AMYA #6571