When do I need to give room at the Committee boat during the start?

Richard Thompson answers...

Richard’s main role in the sport is as Vice Chairman of the RYA Racing Rules Group. This is combined with the additional duties of RYA National Judge and National Umpire. He has crewed for many years in International 14s including once winning Prince of Wales Cup. Having now hung up his harness and cancelled his extreme sports insurance, Richard spends his summer racing a Swallow in Chichester Harbour, with occasional success. Winter time is also spent on the water as a team racing umpire. Richard asks to ensure that questions are specific to an incident or problem encountered, and to give as much detail as possible. He is also keen to point out that his answers are inevitably a personal opinion and not those of the RYA!

Christine Headey from Auckland asks:
Recently at my sailing club we had a committee boat at the starboard end of the line. Anyway, I was sitting in my boat during the last minute to starboard of the committee boat and behind another boat waiting to start. About 20 seconds before the start I sailed to leeward of the boat in front of me when he started bearing away also to get around behind the committe boat into the starting area. I was overlapped but in front and headed up immediately the other side of the committee boat in an effort to make the perfect starboard tack start. I was luffing the overlapped boat just to windward of me into the committee boat, am I allowed to do that? I wasn't even head to wind but the tide helped a little in pushing him up against the committee boat, and I managed to bear away and start at speed across the line.

Q.1. A competitor can't call water for a committee boat before the start can he/she? Hence you can shut people out at the starboard end of the line?
Q.2. As long as I don't luff past head to wind before the start and bear off and steer my proper course on the start signal I haven't infringed any rules, have I?

Christine

As you realise the rules at starting marks are a little different from those at other marks and are often misunderstood by sailors. There are two rules which particularly affect your incident.

1. Are you approaching the line to start, as rule 18.1(a)? At 20 seconds before the starting signal the answer is usually "yes" and the consequence is that rule 18, the mark rounding rule, does not apply. Note that earlier in the starting sequence the committee boat is an obstruction just like any anchored boat at which rule 18 requires you to give room to an overlapped boat that wants to pass on the same side as you.

2. Rule 16.1 applies. This rule requires a right-of-way boat which changes course to give the give-way boat room to keep clear.

Below are two diagrams from call C2 in the ISAF Team Racing Call Book. Although you obtained your leeward overlap from astern the rules are identical up to the time of the starting signal, after which you were required to sail no higher than your proper course.



In question 1, before A starts luffing, X is windward boat and is keeping clear of A while she sails into the space which is available between A and the committee boat. This does not break any rule. When A luffs she must give X room to keep clear which can only mean she must give room for X to pass between her and the committee boat; there is nowhere else for X to go. If X hits either A or the committee boat then A has broken rule 16.1.

In question 2 A has luffed earlier and X can escape by tacking which she must do promptly. Rule 18 does not apply and X is not entitled to room. Rule 16.1 applies and, when she luffs, A must give X room to keep clear which includes room to tack.

The answers to your two questions Christine are, as always, "it depends."
1. When approaching the line to start, a boat is not entitled to room at a starting mark, whether she hails or not. However a boat may take room that is made available. You cannot shut a boat out if there is nowhere for her to go; you should have acted earlier.
2. As there is no proper course before the starting signal you can sail any course you like but, if you are right-of-way boat and altering course, rule 16.1 requires you to give other boats room to keep clear.

I am not quite sure whether diagram 1 or 2 applies to your question but, if you were wrong, I hope you will know how to protect your perfect starting position next time.

Richard

PS: The ISAF Team Racing Call Book can be downloaded free of charge from the ISAF web site at http://www.sailing.org/rrs2001/trcb.pdf. Most of these calls apply equally to fleet racing except those at leeward marks where the team racing rules are different.