Rule 18.5 and exoneration

I’ve been thinking about the intricacies of rule 18.5 and exoneration for breaking rule 16 by the right-of-way boat AT the mark.

Picture this situation:

Red and Purple approach a leeward mark to be left to port. Purple enters the 3BL Zone first and Red must give markroom. Purple sails a course not directly to the mark but a boat length beside it, to be able to luff and come out ‘high’ next to the mark. She leaves a gab.

Red close astern sees that gab and uses it, to get inside, all the time keeping clear until position 5. Purple luffs very hard in position 5 (breaking rule 16.1) up to head to wind. There’s contact but no damage.

Both boats protest. (with hail and red flag). The PC declares both protest valid.
Red claims that Purple broke rule 16.1 by luffing very hard at the mark and should NOT be exonerated under 18.5(b) because she was not sailing her proper course. It was too soon to tack round the mark.

Purple claims she was prevented from sailing her proper course – already in position 5 – because Red came inside without having markroom and she wanted to “shut the door” .

Have a look at Case 63 (http://rrsstudy.blogspot.nl/2010/12/pillowcase-of-week-49-63.html)

Please give me your opinion.

J.

(pillow)Case of the Week (20/12) - 13

(This is an instalment in a series of blogposts about the ISAF Case book 2009-2012 with amendments for 2011. All cases are official interpretations by the ISAF committees on how the Racing Rules of Sailing should be used or interpreted. The cases are copied from the Casebook, only the comments are written by me.)

Case 13

Rule 11, On the Same Tack, Overlapped
Rule 14, Avoiding Contact
Rule 15, Acquiring Right of Way
Rule 16.1, Changing Course
Rule 17, On the Same Tack; Proper Course
Definitions, Proper Course

Before her starting signal, a leeward boat does not break a rule by sailing a course higher than the windward boat’s course.

Summary of the Facts
As the two 14-foot dinghies manoeuvred before the starting signal, they crossed the starting line. While bearing away to return to the pre-start side, L, initially the windward boat, assumed a leeward position by sailing under W’s stern. Immediately after position 4, L luffed to close-hauled and sailed straight for the port end of the line. W meanwhile, with sheets eased, sailed along the line more slowly. At position 5, there was contact, W’s boom touching L’s windward shroud. L protested W under rule 11; W counter-protested under rules 12 and 15.
The protest committee found that L had right of way under rule 11 from the time she assumed a steady course until contact. W had room to keep clear, although she would have had to cross the starting line prematurely to do so. Therefore, it dismissed W’s protest and upheld the protest by L. W appealed, this time citing rule 16.1.

Decision
W’s appeal is dismissed. Between positions 2 and 3 L became overlapped to leeward of W, acquiring right of way under rule 11 but limited by rule 15’s requirement to initially give room to W to keep clear. L met that requirement because L gave W room to keep clear. Just after position 4, when L luffed to a close-hauled course, she was required by rule 16.1 to give W room to keep clear, and she did so. L had been clear astern of W and was within two of her hull lengths of W when she became overlapped to leeward of W. Therefore, she was required by rule 17 to sail no higher than her proper course. However, she had no proper course before the starting signal (see the definition Proper Course) and the starting signal was not made until after the incident. Therefore, L’s luff did not break rule 17 and she was in fact entitled to luff higher than she did, even as high as head to wind, as long as while so doing she complied with rule 16.1.

After L became overlapped to leeward of W, W was required by rule 11 to keep clear of L. She did not do so and accordingly her disqualification under rule 11 is upheld. In addition, W broke rule 14 because she could have avoided the contact with L.
L also broke rule 14 because it would have been easy for her to bear off slightly and avoid the contact. However, she is not penalized because there was no damage or injury.

RYA 1965/10

All match race sailors will recognize this manoeuvre as to trick your opponent in starting prematurely. It is an accepted tactic ‘ hooking’  the other boat and forcing him to get an OCS or tack away to the other end. As in all things, timing is essential.
Too soon and the leeward boat is over the line as well, too late and the gun will have gone before the other boat is over.
This tactic is used if you want to win the pin end of the start line.

In fleet racing this whole scenario is less likely because there are too many boats on the line, but the principle is still valid. A leeward boat, even if they have a rule 17 limitation, can still luff up to head  wind, to force the windward boat over. Before the start the rule is still applicable but because there’s no proper course before the starting signal, it has no limiting effects.

If you luff head to wind to ‘ hook’  a windward boat, please be aware that as soon as the gunn has sounded, you need to bear away to close hauled course. If you do not you do break rule 17.

However, in all cases the windward boat MUST keep clear. If they do not they break rule 11 – and even if the leeward boat is sailing above its proper course, the windward boat cannot be exonerated.

J.

I’m trying to post a little more regularly in coming weeks. Hopefully have some time during the events I’m doing. Currently I am a the O’Neill Worldcup 2012 Kiteboard in Scheveningen.

Taking a Penalty in Match Racing III; (MR03)

Right, as it is Tuesday I'm posting another piece about taking a penalty in Match Racing.
This time the leading boat does not have five or six boat lengths advantage to do her penalty on the starboard lay-line, like I wrote about in Taking a Penalty in Match Racing II (MR02).

The Blue boat is right on the tail of the Yellow boat, who has an outstanding penalty. It is the second upwind leg of the match and instead of trying to hook the trailing boat on the run, Yellow lays a 'trap' at the windward mark.

She makes sure she enters the zone clear ahead - so Blue has to give her mark room.
Arriving at the mark Yellow luffs head to wind but does not tack. She stays head to wind and Blue is forced to go behind her to the outside. Yellow deliberately slows down. She may even use a big rudder movement to do so.

As soon as Blue gets an overlap to leeward of Yellow the second part the definition of mark-room comes in effect. Yellow has mark-room, including room to tack. If she inadvertently passes head to wind and is subject to rule 13, that is no longer a problem. She loses mark-room when she does, but it is not hard to keep clear, bearing away from Blue. Blue sails around her. Yellow lets that happen, but speeds up just enough to prevent Blue from passing in front of her.
Yellow has passed the line separating the upwind leg from the downwind leg. The correct penalty to take is now: passing head to wind and bearing away to a course lower than 90 degrees from true wind.

Yellow controls Blue and sails outside the zone. (Remember, you are not allowed to take a penalty inside the zone of a rounding mark). Outside the zone Yellow luffs, giving room to Blue under rule 16.1 and slows down again.  If Yellow's timing is right, Blue will get ahead more.

As soon as she's able to pass safely behind Blue (and can keep clear as tacking boat) Yellow passes head to wind and bears away clear astern of Blue. She has now taken her penalty and can sail downwind to the finish.
Blue will also tack and bear away on port or only bear away on starboard, but whatever she does, she is again trailing boat. Yellow has 'shed' her penalty and has not lost any ground.

Even if Blue decides to tack away after the initial luff by Yellow, there's is no problem. Yellow can then also tack and bear away. As soon as she has done that, she is again ROW leeward boat

Basicly this is the same manoeuvre as done in the dail-up after entry. Then Blue tries to get behind Yellow to be able to sail to the right hand side of the pre-start area. In this manoeuvre the roles may be reversed, but again one boat is trying to get behind the other, while sailing head to wind.

If you've understood my explanation above, I've a question to you:
Can  a boat take a penalty while sailing backwards?

Taking a Penalty in Match Racing II; (MR02)

In Match racing the penalties are less severe than in Fleet racing. That is to give the penalized boat a fighting chance to do the penalty and still win the match. It is also the reason why the penalty does not have to be taken 'as soon as possible' after the incident. In fact - like I posted in the first post about penalties in Match racing - rule 44 as a whole, has been deleted (C7.1) and been replaced by what is written in C7.2, 3 and 4.
(Taking a Penalty in Match Racing; (MR01))

A penalty can be delayed until a moment in the race you have the best chance of doing it and don't lose control over your opponent. Or - if you decide to do it at the last possible moment - just before you finish. But that is for another posting.

Today I want to show you  the best possible place to take your penalty in the beat (either in the first or second upwind). Rule C7.2 (a)(1) states:

"When on a leg of the course to a windward mark, she shall gybe and, as soon as reasonably possible, luff to a close-hauled course"

The best place to take a penalty in the beat is just over the starboard lay-line to the windward mark, beginning your turn on port tack.

In the following animation Yellow is taking a penalty between positions 5 - when her boom passes the middle of the boat - until position 7 when she reaches close-hauled on starboard.

During that time she is keep clear boat (RRS 21.2) and rules of section A do not apply.

Yellow is approximately five or six boat lengths in front of Blue. Doing a penalty turn in the beat normally takes that amount of space. If you haven't practised and drilled with your crew - it will take longer. You do want to keep your boat moving at maximum speed, do you not?
Yellow completes her penalty and is now sailing on the starboard lay-line to the mark and both Blue and Yellow are approximately on the same distance to the windward mark.

But when Yellow comes 'out' of the penalty and has reached close-hauled on starboard, she's then right-of-way boat. Initially with a rule 15 limitation but that limitation is passed by the time she reaches position 8.
Blue must keep clear. Either by tacking and putting herself in the outside boat position (giving mark-room) rounding the mark or by ducking and sailing over the lay line - loosing ground to Yellow.

This manoeuvre does not work on the port lay-line, because then you come out as keep clear boat. It is still a good place to do your penalty, but you must have enough distance to be sure to cross a starboard tacker in front- seven or eight boat lengths, minimum.

Next episode in Taking a Penalty in Match Racing Doing it at the Finish.

Taking a Penalty in Match Racing; (MR01)

This is the first post in a new series about Match Racing. I’ll try to post regularly, at least one a week – usually on Tuesdays. They will be about actual manoeuvres and the rules in Match Racing

MR01-2012
This first post in the series is about taking a penalty.

Yellow has an outstanding penalty and decides to take it well in front of the other boat when almost on the port lay-line. She’s sailing on starboard and Blue is at least seven boat lengths behind. With some skill she should be able to cross ahead of Blue and get to the windward mark first.
(NB: this manoeuvre would be better done on the starboard lay-line, because once you’ve completed and are back on close hauled course, you have right of way)

In normal fleet racing she has to comply with rule 44.2 which says: Sailing well clear of other boats as soon after the incident as possible, by sailing a One-Turn or Two-Turn Penalty promptly, making the required number of turns in the same direction, each turn including one tack and one gybe.

Q&A 2010-010 B021 2011-010-B021 explains further that if a boat does its penalty and has to stop turning half way because of another boat, she's only doing a correct penalty when that other boat has changed course to achieve this.

If the other boat didn't change course and was always on an 'interfering' course to begin with, the boat with the penalty hasn't sailed well clear and the penalty is incorrect and should be done anew.

If the other boat changed course after the boat began to turn she's is allowed to curtail her turn, so as to not break rule 21.2 and finish the penalty as soon as the other boat has passed.

However in Mach Racing Rule 44 has been switched off by rule C7.1.
There is no obligation to sail well clear.

A boat can take a penalty in close proximity of another boat, by forcing the other boat in a tactical situation to stay 'behind' as long as she is keeping clear when she's doing the penalty bit (from head to wind to 90 degrees from true wind in a downwind leg, and from gybing to close hauled on an upwind leg).

In the animation Yellow doesn’t ‘make’ it. In position 6 she stops turning because there’s a chance she would not keep clear of Blue if she does. She sails straight on to go behind Blue. One boat length later Blue decides to tack to defend the right side and Yellow luffs up and gets to close hauled behind Blue.

Has Yellow done her penalty or not?

On the water we decided she had, reading Q&A 2010-010 B021 2011-010-B021, I doubted that, thinking about it a little more, I think she has, because of the change made by C7 that the ‘sailing well clear’ part in rule 44 is no longer applicable.

Please tell me your opinion.