September 2020 - Back to the Usual Start

placeholder image

September 2020 - Back to the Usual Start



In the first diagram, Blue and Yellow are both on starboard tack approaching the starting line. At position 1, Blue is clear ahead of Yellow, but luffing her sail to slow down since she is early for the start. At position 2, Yellow gains an overlap to windward of Blue. Rule 11 says that Yellow must keep clear of Blue. At about position 4, the starting signal goes. Just as in last month’s article, Yellow expects Blue to bear off and sail close-hauled, which after all, is Blue’s proper course. At the least, Yellow expects mark-room at the committee boat. Blue, though, can stay up and deny mark-room to Yellow for almost the same reason as we saw last month – there is no mark-room at a starting mark surrounded by navigable water. As we saw last month when Yellow establishes her overlap to windward from clear astern, rule 17 does not apply. Blue is allowed to sail above her proper course, so Blue is allowed to shut Yellow out. The second diagram, like the first, shows Green and Red approaching on starboard tack. This time at position 1, Green is clear ahead of Red and luffing her sails to slow down. Red establishes an overlap to leeward from clear astern. This is exactly the situation that is described in rule 17. According to rule 17, Red is not allowed to sail above her proper course. However, if we look at the definition of proper course, it says “a boat has no proper course before her start signal” so at this time there is no restriction imposed by rule 17 on Red. When the start signal goes at position 4, Red must go down to her proper course, which is almost certainly close-hauled. There is room for Green to pass between Red and the committee boat, so she does, and we have a very different race. The simple way to think about this is that in the first diagram today and the last two months, Yellow had the option to go astern of Blue and end up on the leeward side. When she didn’t do this, she became vulnerable. In the second diagram today, Green as the windward boat did not get the choice. Red came up from astern. Green is given more protections once the starting signal has gone.



The situation with Red and Green is very similar to the situation that led to a protest between the 12 Metres Intrepid and Gretel II at the start of the second race of the 1970 America’s Cup. The rules were expressed differently at that time but held a very similar meaning. Gretel II was the leeward boat and she did not bear away to a close-hauled course. This incident is described in a 2013 book “Gretel II Disqualified” written by the chair of the race committee, B. Devereux Barker III, who also had to chair the protest committee. As with many incidents in the America’s Cup at that time (and to a lesser extent today), this created much bad feeling, and subsequently International Juries started to be used for the America’s Cup.

Proper Course A course a boat would sail to finish as soon as possible in the absence of the other boats referred to in the rule using the term. A boat has no proper course before her starting signal.

17 ON THE SAME TACK; PROPER COURSE
If a boat clear astern becomes overlapped within two of her hull lengths to leeward of a boat on the same tack, she shall not sail above her proper course while they remain on the same tack and overlapped within that distance, unless in doing so she promptly sails astern of the other boat. This rule does not apply if the overlap begins while the windward boat is required by rule 13 to keep clear.

SECTION C
AT MARKS AND OBSTRUCTIONS
Section C rules do not apply at a starting mark surrounded by navigable water or at its anchor line from the time boats are approaching them to start until they have passed them.

Posted: 9/25/2020 2:27:55 PM by Andrew Alberti | with 0 comments


Trackback URL: https://rcyc.ca/trackback/45681e80-1dbe-4772-96d6-d22d7d0d4b02/September_2020_-_Back_to_the_Usual_Start.aspx?culture=en-US

This page provides links to a set of articles original published in Kwasind magazine. The versions here include animated diagrams. The original articles can be found within the original magazines which are available online back to January 2007. 

Articles before December 2020 are based on the Racing Rules of Sailing 2009-12 or 2013-2016 or 2017-2020 and have not been updated to reflect the changes that apply as of January 2021 with the publication of the Racing Rules of Sailing 2021-24. A copy of the new rules can be found on sailing.org.
ABOUT ANDREW ALBERTI
Andrew Alberti has been writing these monthly articles in the Kwasind since early 1997.  They explain the Racing Rules of Sailing. Andrew is an International Judge and National Umpire. He is a member of the Sail Canada Rules and Appeals Committees. The interpretation of the rules contained in the articles is Andrew's and not that of the RCYC or any of the committees he sits on. 

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Send your questions to Andrew at [email protected].

 

ABOUT RCYC: 
166 Years of Tradition | World-Class Sailing | Toronto Island & City Clubhouse
 
After You Cross the Finishing Line II
After You Cross The Finishing Line I
Tacking III
Tacking II
Publication Changes and Tacking
Post Archive
July 2024(0)
July 2024(1)
May 2024(0)
May 2024(2)
March 2024(1)
February 2024(1)
May 2023(1)
September 2023(1)
September 2023(0)
May 2023(0)
January 2023(1)
April 2022(1)
December 2021(1)
October 2021(1)
August 2021(2)
March/April 2021(1)
January/February 2021(1)
December 2020(1)
November 2020(1)
September 2020(1)
July 2020(1)
June 2020(1)
May 2020(1)
March/April 2020(1)
January/February 2020(1)
November/December 2019(1)
September/October 2019(1)
July/August 2019(1)
May/June 2019(1)
March/April 2019(1)
January/February 2019(1)
November/December 2018(1)
September/October 2018(1)
July/August 2018(1)
May/June 2018(1)
March/April 2018(1)
January/February 2018(1)
November/December 2017(1)
October 2017(1)
September 2017(1)
August 2017(1)
July 2017(1)
June 2017(1)
May 2017(1)
April 2017(1)
March 2017(1)
January/February 2017(1)
December 2016(1)
November 2016(1)
October 2016(1)
September 2016(1)
August 2016(1)
July 2016(1)
June 2016(1)
May 2016(1)
April 2016(1)
March 2016(1)
January/February 2016(1)
December 2015(1)
November 2015(1)
October 2015(1)
September 2015(1)
August 2015(1)
July 2015(1)
June 2015(1)
May 2015(1)
April 2015(1)
March 2015(1)
January 2015(1)
December 2014(1)
November 2014(1)
October 2014(1)
September 2014(1)
August 2014(1)
July 2014(1)
June 2014(1)
May 2014(1)
April 2014(1)
March 2014(1)
January 2014(1)
December 2013(1)
November 2013(1)
October 2013(1)
September 2013(1)
August 2013(1)
July 2013(1)
June 2013(1)
May 2013(1)
April 2013(1)
March 2013(1)
January 2013(1)
December 2012(1)
November 2012(1)
October 2012(1)
September 2012(1)
August 2012(1)
July 2012(1)
June 2012(1)
May 2012(1)
April 2012(1)
March 2012(1)
February 2012(1)
January 2012(1)
December 2011(1)
November 2011(1)
October 2011(1)
September 2011(1)
August 2011(1)
July 2011(1)
June 2011(1)
May 2011(1)
April 2011(1)
March 2011(1)
February 2011(1)
January 2011(1)
November 2010(1)
October 2010(1)
September 2010(1)
August 2010(1)
July 2010(1)
June 2010(1)
May 2010(1)
April 2010(1)
March 2010(1)
February 2010(1)
January 2010(1)
RSS