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Dam Sailing Club
Sailing Racing Rules in Brief
Summary of the Rules That
Apply When Boats Meet
Simplified,
Condensed, Unofficial
Below is a
summary of the sailing rules that apply most often on the race
course. This summary is intended as an aid to sailors and not
as a substitute for the Racing
Rules ofSailing, a copy of
which all racing sailors should own.
RIGHT-OF-WAY RULES
PORT-STARBOARD.Port-tack
boats must keep clear of starboard-tack boats.(Rule 10) An illustration.
* Note:You are "keeping clear" of another boat when she doesn't
have to avoid you.
WINDWARD-LEEWARD.When boats
are overlapped on the same tack, the windward boat must keep clear.(Rule 11)An
illustration. *
ON
SAME TACK, ASTERN-AHEAD.When boats are on the same tack
and not overlapped, the boat
clear astern must keep clear.(Rule 12) Note: One boat is "clear astern"
if she's entirely behind a line through the other boat's aft-most
point, perpendicular to the other boat.The other boat is "clear ahead."Two boats are "overlapped" if neither is clear ahead of
the other.
TACKING
TOO CLOSE. Before you tack, make sure
your tack will keep you clear of all other boats.(Rule 13)
LIMITATIONS ON RIGHT OF WAY
If the other boat must keep clear, you
have "right of way". Even if you have right of way, there are
limitations on what you can do:
AVOID
CONTACT.You must avoid contact with
other boats, but a right-of-way boat will not be penalized
under this
rule unless the contact causes damage.(Rule 14)
ACQUIRING
RIGHT OF WAY.When you do something to become
the right-of-way boat, you must give the other boat a chance to get
away from you.(Rule
15)
CHANGING
COURSE.When you change course, you
must give the other boat a chance to keep clear.(Rule 16)
ON THE SAME TACK; PROPER COURSE.If you are overlapped to
leeward of a boat on the same tack, and if just before the overlap
began you were clear astern of her, you cannot sail above your proper
course (i.e., the course that will take you to the next mark the
fastest) while you remain overlapped.(Rule 17.1)
PASSING MARKS AND OBSTRUCTIONS
There
is a set of special rules for boats that are about to pass a mark or
obstruction.However,
these special rules don't apply between boats on opposite tacks on a
beat to windward.(Rule
18.1)
Except at a starting mark, you
must give boats overlapped inside you room to pass a mark ("Buoy Room") or
obstruction, and boats clear astern must keep clear of you.
There's
a two-length zone around
marks and obstructions, and a boat's rights
and obligations with respect to another boat are "frozen" when the
first of them enters that zone.If
you are clear astern of another boat when she enters the zone, you must
keep clear of her until both boats are past the mark or obstruction,
even if you later become overlapped inside her. (Rule 18.2)
TACKING
NEAR A MARK.Don't tack within the
two-length zone at a windward mark if you will cause a boat that is
fetching the mark to sail above close-hauled to avoid you, or if you
will prevent her from passing the mark. (Rule 18.3)
ROOM TO TACK AT AN OBSTRUCTION.When boats are on the same tack
on a beat and come to an obstruction, the leeward boat gets to decide
which way they are going to pass it.If the leeward boat hails for room to tack, the other boat
must give it to her; but the leeward boat must givethe
other boat time to respond before she tacks. (Rule
19)
OTHER RULES
Before
the Preparatory Race Signal, and after you finish, don't
interfere with
boats that are about to start or are still racing. (Rule
22.1)
If
you break a rule while
racing, get away from other boats and do two
360-degree turns (ie. 720-degree turn), at anytime during
the race.
If you hit a mark, do one
360-degree turn. (Rules 20 and 44)
If you start too soon, keep clear of others until you get behind the
line again. (Rules 20 and 29)
(Main Article Source: USA Sailing - United States
Sailing Assoc.)
Photo Sources: Ell, S., Dinghy
Sailing, New Holland,
London, 2001. Werner,
D.,
Sailor’s Start-Up: A Beginner’s Guide to
Sailing, 2nd edn,
Tracks, California, 2001.
Links
Racing Rules: Part 2 "When Boats Meet"(pdf file / Abode Acrobat)
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