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Quiz #2 - Answers

Quiz #2 - Answers

The answers to Quiz #2 were:

  • Neither boat would be disqualified (for both scenarios)

A few people who answered the Quiz got that right.  These scenarios were meant to highlight some situations where Rule 17 (On the same tack; Proper Course) might apply but either doesn't or not in the way you might think.

See below for the detailed explanation of last week's scenarios.  They were chosen to highlight two cases where Rule 17 doesn't apply how you might think it does.

Scenario #3

  • Position 1
    • Yellow is the right-of-way boat on starboard tack (Rule 10: On Opposite Tacks)
    • Blue is on port, and is the keep clear boat.
    • They are both approaching the line to start.
  • Position 2 (same as above)
    • Yellow remains the right-of-way boat and Blue remains the keep clear boat (Rule 10).
    • Yellow has started to tack but has not passed head to wind, so Rule 13 doesn't apply to her yet.
  • Position 3 
    • Blue has completed her tack onto starboard and was subject to Rule 13 (While Tacking) from just after Position 2 until Position 3
    • Blue becomes the right-of-way boat (Rule 11: On the Same Tack, Overlapped) and Yellow must keep clear.
    • Blue is also subject to Rule 15 (Acquiring the Right of Way), but Yellow needed no further room to keep clear
    • Rule 17 (On the Same Tack; Proper Course):
      • Yellow and Blue become overlapped the moment Blue passes head to wind (about Position 2.5)
      • Before that time, Blue was NOT clear astern, so the "If a boat clear astern becomes overlapped ..." sentence tells us that Rule 17 does NOT apply.
  • Position 4
    • The starting signal has just sounded
    • Sometime after Position 3, Blue luffs above close hauled but gives Yellow enough room to keep clear
    • While luffing, Blue is subject to Rule 16.1 (Changing Course), and by giving Yellow enough room to keep clear, she does not break Rule 16.1
    • Even though Blue NOW has a proper course (because the starting signal has gone), because Rule 17 does NOT apply, Blue is not obliged "not sail above her proper course"
  • Postion 5
    • Blue has luffed up to head to wind, and Yellow has kept clear and is also head to wind.
    • Blue has given Yellow enough room to keep clear and has not broken Rule 16.1
    • Yellow has kept clear and not broken Rule 11
    • As long as Blue does NOT go past head to wind, Blue does not break any rules.
  • Summary/Decision
    • The protest would be dismissed as no rules were broken
    • Blue was allowed to luff above her proper course because a) before the start there is no proper course, and b) before and after the start, Blue was not subject to Rule 17 because of the way the overlap was establish (by tacking into an overlap)

Scenario #4

  • Position 1
    • Yellow is the right-of-way boat (Rule 12)
    • Blue is the keep clear boat.
    • They are approaching the line to start
  • Position 2
    • Blue becomes the right-of-way boat and Yellow becomes the keep clear boat (Rule 11)
    • Blue is subject to Rule 15, but does not break it as Yellow has room to keep clear
    • Because Blue established the overlap with Yellow from clear astern and within 2 boat lengths of Yellow, Blue IS subject to Rule 17.  But, because the starting signal has not gone yet, there is no proper course, and Blue is not restricted.
  • Position 3 
    • Blue is still the right-of-way boat and Yellow is still the keep clear boat (Rule 11)
    • The starting signal has just gone
    • Blue luffs up above close hauled to clear to starting mark
    • Yellow also luffs to keep clear and is able to, so Blue does not break Rule 16.1 and Yellow does not break Rule 11.
    • Rule 17 STILL applies to Blue, but NOW that the starting signal has gone, Blue must sail no higher that her proper course.
    • But, Blue's proper course, in the absence of Yellow, would be to luff up an around the starting mark as she has done, so Blue is not sailing above her proper course and does not break Rule 17
  • Position 4
    • Blue is still the right-of-way boat and Yellow is still the keep clear boat (Rule 11)
    • Blue immediately returns to a close hauled course once she is clear of the starting mark, so has not sailed above her proper course and does not break Rule 17.
  • Summary/Decision
    • The protest would be dismissed as no rules were broken
    • Blue was allowed to luff up above close hauled AFTER the starting signal, even though Rule 17 applied to her, because her proper course was to do so.
    • The proper course for a boat sailing upwind is not always close hauled.