Last month I started looking at rule 21 with the first part about boats returning to correct a starting error. This month, I will continue with the other two parts: taking penalties and moving astern.
21 STARTING ERRORS; TAKING PENALTIES; MOVING ASTERN
21.1 ….
21.2 A boat taking a penalty shall keep clear of one that is not.
21.3 A boat moving astern by backing a sail shall keep clear of one that is not.
23 INTERFERING WITH ANOTHER BOAT
23.1 If reasonably possible, a boat not racing shall not interfere with a boat that is racing.
23.2 Except when sailing her proper course, a boat shall not interfere with a boat taking a penalty or sailing on another leg.
44.2 One-Turn and Two-Turns Penalties
After getting well clear of other boats as soon after the incident as possible, a boat takes a One-Turn or Two-Turns Penalty by promptly making the required number of turns in the same direction, each turn including one tack and one gybe. When a boat takes the penalty at or near the finishing line, she shall sail completely to the course side of the line before finishing.
If you break a right-of-way rule or hit a mark you have the opportunity to take a one-turn or two-turns penalty as described in rule 44.2. (For Tuesday night sailors I have to point out that while one-turn penalties still apply for hitting marks, two-turns penalties are replaced with scoring penalties.)
(click on the diagram to see a larger cleaner version)
At position 1 in the diagram, the yellow boat and the blue boat are sailing side by side on port tack. Yellow is the windward boat and at position 2, she fails to keep clear. Realizing her mistake, she starts to take a two-turns penalty. At position 6, she is on starboard tack and red, who was well behind both boats, is approaching on port tack. According to rule 22.2, yellow, who is taking a penalty, has to keep clear of red, who is not, even though yellow is on starboard tack and red is on port tack. Yellow now has to do another penalty (after she finishes her first).
According to rule 23.2 red cannot interfere with yellow taking her penalty by sailing off her proper course. In this diagram she appears to be sailing her proper course and thus complying with the rule...
(click on the diagram to see a larger cleaner version)
In the diagram, the green boat approaches the starting line on starboard tack. She is a little early so she backs her main and goes astern. The red boat approaches the line on port-tack. Green going backwards (or “moving astern” as the rule describes it) has to keep clear of red who is not.
© Copyright 2011 Andrew Alberti