| Uncle Al's Racing Rules in
Pictures Rules are quoted, then illustrated and explained as seems necessary. Part 2A
for instant access without scrolling, click on the Rules listed below 10 On Opposite Tacks 11 On the Same Tack, Overlapped 12 On the Same Tack, Not Overlapped 13 While Tacking This file is also available in PDF format. Click here to view or download. ... |
|
| 10
On Opposite Tacks When boats are on opposite tacks, a port-tack boat shall keep clear of a starboard-tack boat. |
|
 |
|
| This is the classic port-starboard situation:
Upwind, Peter Rahn (W286) is on port tack since Shadow's
windward
side is her port side. Shadow is approaching Free Range
Chickin' (Richard Johnson, yellow hull) who is on starboard tack
(her windward side
being her starboard side). Peter will have to keep clear of
Richard. ... |
|
 |
|
| Harder to figure out is this situation where
Jacob Knudsen (beige hull) and Jørgen Vekslund (white hull on
right) are not only on widely different points of sail but also on
opposite tacks. Jacob is on port tack and will have to
keep clear of Jørgen. No "close-hauled over running free"
like they used to say when Uncle Al started racing in the 1950's. ... |
|
 |
|
| No "overtaking boat, keep clear" here, either!!
Why not? Because rule 12 only
applies to boats that are on the same tack!! Here Peter (W286)
is on starboard so that Brad Biskaborn (Laser 61007) who is on port,
will have to
make sure that he keeps clear. Of course, a quick gybe by Brad
would
make Peter an overtaking boat who does have to keep clear. ... |
|
| 11
On the Same Tack, Overlapped
When boats are on the same tack and overlapped, a windward boat shall keep clear of a leeward boat. |
|
 |
|
| The classic situation: Uncle Al (3854) is to
windward and must keep clear of Heider Funck (W6). ... |
|
 |
|
| Less obvious is this situation where Brian
Jeffs (W9235) is on the same tack as the white-hulled 420 off his bow.
Since
Brian is off the 420's windward side, he - as the windward boat - must
keep clear of the 420. If I am on a collision course with a boat on the
same tack as I am, I use the "close-hauled over running free" adage to
remind me that the running boat will always be to windward and will
have to keep clear. Of course, if Brian (9235) were to gybe, the boats
would no longer be on the same tack and Brian would have the right of
way under Rule 10. But then, if Brian
did that, the blue-hulled Snipe behind the 420 would be
leeward and Brian would have to keep clear of her. ... |
|
 |
|
| Except for the occasional sailor with a death
wish, every big fleet start like this one in the Wayfarer DM
(Nationals) in Farum,
Denmark, is a mass of windward-leeward situations since Rule 18 (buoy room) does not apply at
a starting mark. ... |
|
| 12
On the Same Tack, Not Overlapped
When boats are on the same tack and not overlapped, a boat clear astern shall keep clear of a boat clear ahead. |
|
 |
|
| The Taylor brothers, Mark and Paul, (W7673) are
- surprise!
surprise! - not permitted to "rear end" John Cawthorne in W3654 who is
on the
same tack and clear ahead. ... |
|
 |
|
| The four boats on the left are all overlapped
but Len (W6732) is clear astern and must keep clear as he closes in
while bringing a puff from astern. ... |
|
|
After a boat passes head to wind, she shall keep clear of other boats until she is on a close-hauled course. During that time rules 10, 11 and 12 do not apply. If two boats are subject to this rule at the same time, the one on the other’s port side or the one astern shall keep clear. |
|
 |
|
| Peter (W286) is just past head to wind but not
yet on a close-hauled course. He is therefore in the process of tacking
and must keep clear of Richard (yellow hull) until he (Peter)
completes his 90º turn. ... |
|
 |
|
| Here Peter's tack is complete and Rules 10, 11
and 12 begin to apply to both
boats once more. .. |
|
 |
|
| I have used a mirror image of the original photo
here to create a more realistic situation in which the middle boat
might have just put his helm down to initiate a tack. It is crucial to
understand that even when a leeward boat has yelled "TACK" to his crew
and put the tiller hard over, he remains leeward boat with rights over
windward (the Tanzer 22 closest to the camera) under Rule 11 until he passes head to wind - and
windward must keep clear accordingly. ... |
|
 |
|
| Likewise, Butch Minson in W2959 has not yet
reached the
head to wind position and has therefore not officially begun to tack
even though his tiller is already hard over. Until Butch does begin to
tack, the C Scow must keep clear under Rule 11. ... |
|
 |
|
| A couple of seconds later, Butch is in the
middle of a slow tack. This situation could have been a real mess as
all three boats are just finishing (see mark in previous photo). If
LF27 weren't barrelling in on starboard, Butch (2959) would not have
rights to tack into V137's way - in fact, he probably had no real right
to tack here: Given the presence of the starboard
boat, Butch was presumably entitled to call for room to tack for the
obstruction (LF27) under Rule 19
but would
have had to do so well earlier than this and then would have had to
miss the
finish line by tacking. What a potential mess!!! In the end, Butch was
pretty safe to do what he did, anticipating that V137 would tack right
around the mark to take a photo finish ahead of LF27. As you can see
above, V137's tack came just barely in time for Butch - those C Scows
are big, heavy boats!! ...
|
|
 |
|
| Above, Uncle Al (3854) has just luffed up to
cross the finish line faster. Even rounding a mark, rule 13 applies. If this were not the finish, and Al were preparing for another downwind leg, he would have to luff beside the mark until Bill Fyfe (yellow hull) was sailing past 3854’s transom. Only then would he be safe to actually tack without risk of fouling Bill. ... |
|
 |
|
| The second sentence of rule 13 (which deals with
two boats tacking at the
same time) rarely applies and in my experience usually arises from the
situation above. Pretend W2960 is not in this picture and that Nick
(W864) is not quite laying the finish line on starboard tack. Nick
(W864) now wants to tack to port - which will also effectively pin Len
(W6732) on port tack until Nick is ready to let him tack for the line.
Len has the same idea: if he tacks right now, he can pin Nick on
starboard until both have overlaid the line, and Len is ready to make a
dash for it. If both boats then tacked at the same time, Nick would
have to keep clear since he would be on Len's port side. I did this once in a stiff hiking breeze at the 1980 Wayfarer Worlds with spectacular results: Having borne away to a planing reach, I floored SHADES across the other boat's transom with an inch or two to spare, shoved the tiller over and screamed "Tacking to starboard!!" but the other boat (in Nick's position) was now also tacking (as I had expected). What I had not expected however was that he just kept turning and tried to bear away behind me. He came to a crunching stop inside my forward buoyancy compartment. Would I do it again, 23 years older and wiser? Absolutely!!! It's a great tactical move and one worth adding to your arsenal!! |
|
Rules
in Pictures index
Definitions
Defintions PDFI have also made PDF's of the five items below - for those who want to print the material or work off line. These PDF's will not have the many links included in the on-line version, however. Part 2A Part 2A PDF Part 2B Part 2B PDF Part 2C Part 2C PDF Part 2D + penalty turns 2D PDF Photo-based Rules Quiz - 1 Photo-based Rules Quiz - 2 |