Querying your comment at the end of the video, if right of way boat gybes(tacks) it should keep clear of a boat on a tack, and if it then becomes windward boat it must keep clear.
Hello Steve, thanks for the comment. As far as I understand it the definition of keeping clear means a boat should be able to move in either direction without immediately making contact. If when sailing by the lee on a run this would cause the boom to change sides then the keep clear boat must avoid the boom. Once the boom has changed side I agree they would become the keep clear boat and would immediately have to avoid the leeward boat. Consider the situation that the starboard tack boat wants to turn to port to seek a gust of wind on the left side of the course. They should be able to. In the video this would have resulted in a gybe and contact. If this is not the case I would be very happy to be corrected and improve my rules knowledge.
@@Andykerrsailtraining I agree that while both boats are on opposite tacks the one on port tack must keep clear including mast tops when wobbling and if they are both trying to catch waves when proper course can change very quickly, but also when the right of way boat wants to change course it must give the avoiding boat room to keep clear. My understanding is that when a boat tacks or gybes, i.e. changes tack, it must keep clear until, if the new tack gives right of way, it must give the keep clear boat time to keep clear, or if it becomes keep clear boat it must again do so.
@@Andykerrsailtraining I just dug through this, and while rule 13 (a tacking boat must give way) very explicitly only applies to tacks and not gybes, rule 15 says a boat acquiring right-of-way must leave the other boat room to keep clear. So if two boats are on port tack, overlapped, heading downwind and the boat to port (currently the windward boat of two boats on the same tack) gybes, they have just acquired right-of-way and rule 15 says they must give the other boat room to keep clear, since it was their own action that caused them to acquire right-of-way, preventing them from forcing an immediate penalty on the other boat. That said, in this circumstance, gybing alone should never lead to there being less clearance between the boats because the booms will always be facing away from each other in this circumstance. But what if the starboard boat (currently leeward) which already has right-of-way suddenly gybes in this situation? The booms may now cross and make contact. Would it still be the gybing boat who's responsible due to rule 14?
@@waylandsmith Hello, thanks for the comment. Referring to The Rules in Practice by Bryan Willis I believe there is a scenario where a boat to leeward on port tack can gybe on to starboard tack, thereby going from right of way boat under rule 11 to right of way boat under rule 10. Providing there was no change of course the gybing boat would not be at fault. Under rule 14 you would be wise to prevent the boom colliding and then protest, but if contact was made and no injury or damage was caused you will be exonerated under rule 14 and the boat to windward on part tack will be penalised.
Excellent Andrew. And the definition of “keeping clear” gave the big picture which we often overlook ❤
Querying your comment at the end of the video, if right of way boat gybes(tacks) it should keep clear of a boat on a tack, and if it then becomes windward boat it must keep clear.
Hello Steve, thanks for the comment. As far as I understand it the definition of keeping clear means a boat should be able to move in either direction without immediately making contact. If when sailing by the lee on a run this would cause the boom to change sides then the keep clear boat must avoid the boom. Once the boom has changed side I agree they would become the keep clear boat and would immediately have to avoid the leeward boat. Consider the situation that the starboard tack boat wants to turn to port to seek a gust of wind on the left side of the course. They should be able to. In the video this would have resulted in a gybe and contact. If this is not the case I would be very happy to be corrected and improve my rules knowledge.
@@Andykerrsailtraining I agree that while both boats are on opposite tacks the one on port tack must keep clear including mast tops when wobbling and if they are both trying to catch waves when proper course can change very quickly, but also when the right of way boat wants to change course it must give the avoiding boat room to keep clear. My understanding is that when a boat tacks or gybes, i.e. changes tack, it must keep clear until, if the new tack gives right of way, it must give the keep clear boat time to keep clear, or if it becomes keep clear boat it must again do so.
Thanks Steve. Could you let me know the rule number which states a gybing boat must keep clear of a boat on a tack.
@@Andykerrsailtraining I just dug through this, and while rule 13 (a tacking boat must give way) very explicitly only applies to tacks and not gybes, rule 15 says a boat acquiring right-of-way must leave the other boat room to keep clear. So if two boats are on port tack, overlapped, heading downwind and the boat to port (currently the windward boat of two boats on the same tack) gybes, they have just acquired right-of-way and rule 15 says they must give the other boat room to keep clear, since it was their own action that caused them to acquire right-of-way, preventing them from forcing an immediate penalty on the other boat. That said, in this circumstance, gybing alone should never lead to there being less clearance between the boats because the booms will always be facing away from each other in this circumstance. But what if the starboard boat (currently leeward) which already has right-of-way suddenly gybes in this situation? The booms may now cross and make contact. Would it still be the gybing boat who's responsible due to rule 14?
@@waylandsmith Hello, thanks for the comment. Referring to The Rules in Practice by Bryan Willis I believe there is a scenario where a boat to leeward on port tack can gybe on to starboard tack, thereby going from right of way boat under rule 11 to right of way boat under rule 10. Providing there was no change of course the gybing boat would not be at fault. Under rule 14 you would be wise to prevent the boom colliding and then protest, but if contact was made and no injury or damage was caused you will be exonerated under rule 14 and the boat to windward on part tack will be penalised.