Forum: The Racing Rules of Sailing
Rule 18 now allows tactical roundings
Al Sargent
0
I was recently helping someone with a Rule 18 question, where he was asking if being inside-overlapped at the zone mean that a boat was entitled to a seamanlike rounding, i.e., start a rounding tight then finish wide. I was surprised to learn that Rule 18 entitles an inside-overlapped boat to a tactical rounding, i.e., start wide, then finish tight.
(If this sounds like splitting hairs, it's not. Passing within inches of a mark when you exit it upwind is often the difference between holding a lane upwind -- or losing several boats due to being a few feet below the track of the boat just ahead of you, and getting their bad air.)
Here's my assessment; please let know if you agree or not.
Rule 18.2.a states that the outside boat shall give the inside boat mark-room. (Not room. Mark-room. This distinction is important.)
What's mark-room? Room to sail to the mark when her proper course is to sail close to it.
What's proper course? A course a boat would choose in order to sail the course and finish as soon as possible in the absence of the other boats referred to in the rule using the term.
As mentioned above, it's typically faster for a boat to round wide-then-tight, so that they're further upwind as they exit the mark.
Not that the racing rules still include a definition of room, which mentions "manoeuvring promptly in a seamanlike way". But room isn't used in rule 18, except for 18.2.c.2, which is when an outside boat becomes inside-overlapped once they're the zone, where it is still included for some reason. (Does anyone know why room s in 18.2.c.2?)
Please let me know your thoughts. To be clear, this does not pertain to an actual racing incident or protest. Just a hypothetical.
(If this sounds like splitting hairs, it's not. Passing within inches of a mark when you exit it upwind is often the difference between holding a lane upwind -- or losing several boats due to being a few feet below the track of the boat just ahead of you, and getting their bad air.)
Here's my assessment; please let know if you agree or not.
Rule 18.2.a states that the outside boat shall give the inside boat mark-room. (Not room. Mark-room. This distinction is important.)
What's mark-room? Room to sail to the mark when her proper course is to sail close to it.
What's proper course? A course a boat would choose in order to sail the course and finish as soon as possible in the absence of the other boats referred to in the rule using the term.
As mentioned above, it's typically faster for a boat to round wide-then-tight, so that they're further upwind as they exit the mark.
Not that the racing rules still include a definition of room, which mentions "manoeuvring promptly in a seamanlike way". But room isn't used in rule 18, except for 18.2.c.2, which is when an outside boat becomes inside-overlapped once they're the zone, where it is still included for some reason. (Does anyone know why room s in 18.2.c.2?)
Please let me know your thoughts. To be clear, this does not pertain to an actual racing incident or protest. Just a hypothetical.
Comments
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Sorry you are reading something into the rule that isn't there. Mark-room does not include room to sail a proper course. The words proper course are only used in a conditional test. To put the words in the definition in a different order if "her proper course is to sail to the mark" then she is entitled to "room to sail to the mark". The room is room to sail "to the mark". It then continues as "room to round or pass the mark" The words are there to restrict application of "room to sail to the mark" when the proper course is not to sail to the mark. I can think of two immediate examples. If you are approaching a finishing line about 2 boat lengths away from the end of the line and the proper course is to sail directly across the line then you can't claim room to sail to mark. The other might be a mark that you don't have to sail close to..
"room" is not used much in rule 18 but it is used within the definition of mark-room
In simple terms give way boats entitled to mark room are entitled to room (space while manoevering promptly in a seamanlike way). Right of way boats entitled to mark-room can sail a tactical rounding.
They however may be a give way boat or a boat with right of way.
If they have the right of way then they can round the mark virtually as they want and this could be the tactical rounding you refer to.
If they do not have right of way say a windward boat, then the position is different.
They just have mark room as defined, which is basically to sail to the mark and pass on the required side.
The outside boat (with right of way) needs to give no more room, than this, and certainly is not required to allow the early swing wide.
This is because the boat entitled to mark room is only exonerated for a breach (as a windward boat) if she is sailing within the mark room she is entitled to.
We test this by using the concept of a corridor to the mark.
We see the mark room as the right to sail in a corridor to the mark and then round it, if you go outside the corridor, then you have exceeded your right to the exoneration and you are subject to penalty.
How close to the mark can you be forced? well, the corridor assumes a seamonlike rounding which will vary depending on the tide, wind strength, and the waves. In light wind, it could be a few inches, in waves perhaps a foot or so.
So an outside row boat can maintain a small overlap, keep you close to the mark, and create space so they can do the tactical rounding and you cannot and end up favorably inside you at the exit of the mark.
Any problems? Of course, explaining it to the protest committee. It is easy for the inside boat to say they have mark-room, and difficult to explain they took too much room, there is always a risk in the Room and never so much as here.
If on the outside you give excess room you never have a problem, if on the inside, do not keep asking for more room, as this may be your downfall!!
Incidentally, to confuse us WS does slip in the word Proper course. If a boat is entitled to mark-room and you become overlapped inside them (inside the zone), then they can sail that proper course which may be a tactical course.
Mike
Above, I believe Mike is referring to the situation described by 18.2(c)(2)
In the definition Mark-Room, the phrase “room to sail to the mark” means space to sail promptly in a seamanlike way to a position close to, and on the required side of, the mark.
quote < Room for a boat to sail her proper course to round or pass the mark, and room to pass a finishing mark after finishing > unquote. That's all.
Feike
When I was being coached the swing wide cut close was not considered a proper course rounding, just a tactical rounding, as it was generally done because of another boat.
A smmoth rounding, not as close with the mark at the bottom of the curve is the true proper course rounding.
Be carefully whet you ask for, the Tactical rounding is only avaliable to boats with right of way.
It seems that Test Rule 18 has not made it into the Submission for rule changes 2023
"
Submission 013/23 now gives
Definition Mark-Room Room for a boat to do the following as necessary to sail the
course: sail to the mark, round or pass the leave a mark on the required side, and then
leave the mark astern.
Proper course has disappeared.
It appears that’s one of the details of the TR 18 that didn’t make it through.
Sure, but I thought proper course was supposed to be the centrepiece of the Test Rule.
I wonder if there's a report on the assessment of the Test Rule?
Not sure. Would that be available in the WSRC previous meeting minutes?
Feike