Rule 33: CHANGING THE NEXT LEG OF THE COURSE
"While boats are racing, the race committee may change a leg of the course that begins at a rounding mark or at a gate by changing the position of the next mark (or the finishing line) and signalling all boats before they begin the leg. The next mark need not be in position at that time."
=> So the obligation is to signal before they begin the leg. Does this mean that the mark can be picked up and relocated to its new position AFTER they begin the leg? While undesirable, there is often a rush to move the mark, and having more time would help.
Standing by for all the ‘yes, but what if’s’.😊
Yes, you can move the mark into it's new position after boats have started the leg. What you have to do before the first boat starts that leg is to let them know it is being moved by displaying the Charlie flag and displaying +/-, the new heading, or a red square/green triangle. The mark does not have to be in position until it is actually is in play for rounding or layline calls. For some races, the mark may not even be visible because of the length of the leg, i.e. a 3nm windward leg, so does it matter that it is not actually set as long as the sailors know where it will be. You do not have to have the first mark set at the start either. If the course is to go to a windward mark 1 nm from the starting pin the signal boat can simply display the course axis. This makes it easier on everyone.
True, but in shifty conditions I would think it is good practice for the signal boat to display that if the mark is not visible because of distance or not being in position yet. Without displaying it, you could have accusations that the one side of the course is being favored to favor a boat. Better to say it up front and not have to justify it later. But as you say, they do know what windward is.
If the fleet is close enough to be setting up for a rounding, the better response is to fly the M flag and replace the mark with a boat, but on the occasion I'm describing the fleet was 10 or 15 minutes away.
Very interesting insight Mike.
I might counter that the entire Appx J, rule 28 and sail the course require/rely-upon marks to be designated and their order and location to be known, but as we are discussing some rules allow the mark to not be in place at the start.
So, I think that the location of the first mark will be known prior to the warning signal and thus satisfy the triangle requirement.