Notes from the Thistle Fleet (Mark Rounding Challenge)

The Thistle Fleet is revving up for a great and active season at Leatherlips.  Our fleet is expanding with new boat owners, which has us all super excited.  We’ve had two great sailing days already including Thistle Day 1 on April 11th.

Rather than focusing on the individual races from the past month, this issue focuses on a single event on the race course.  Read on to challenge your rules knowledge:

Situation: The wind is blowing out of the northwest.  Three Thistles are quickly approaching mark 1 on the run (Position 1). They must keep the mark to port.  All three boats are port gybe.  Boat A is to port and overlapped of boat B.  Boat B is to port and overlapped of boat C.  Also, Boat A is east of mark 1 (toward the zoo) while boats B and C are west of the mark.  Boat A miss-judges the time for a spinnaker take-down and has to gybe onto starboard outside the three boat-length zone (position 2-3).  At the time boat A gybes, boats B and C have reached the three boat-length zone.  Boat A approaches the mark and gybes onto port inside of boats B and C (Position 4).  Boat C slips astern of boats A and B while A is rounding mark 1 (Position 5).  Boat B hits the starboard stern of boat A as it is rounding the mark and heading upwind.  Both boat A and boat B yell protest at each other.

Question: Who is at fault in this situation? 

1. Boat A – It does not have room inside of boats B and C at the mark.
2. Boat B – Boat B did not give room to boat A.
3. Boat C – Boat C fouled both boats A and B because it turned rounded up inside of both boats.

Scroll down for the answer.

Answer: Boat B is at fault for fouling Boat A according to Racing Rules of Sailing 18b.  Here is why:  Boat A is to port of and overlapped with Boat B as they approach mark 1.  They both must keep mark 1 to port, which places boat A inside.  B must give A mark-room if there is overlap when  either boat reaches the the zone, in this case Boat B.  Boat A could have been at the zoo, but if an overlap existed with Boat B when Boat B entered the zone, Boat A would be entitled to room at mark 1. 

Boat C committed no foul on Boat A or B.