| Yacht Racing Rules
18 & 19
(At Marks)
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 room to 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 room and
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.
Race On,
Steve Steiner
Managing Editor
YachtRacing.com
email: steiner@yachtracing.com
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