Each week this season, we will offer a “quiz” question regarding the Racing Rules of Sailing. Read the scenario below, formulate your answer, then move your mouse over the box to reveal the correct answer.
Need further explanation?
something we can discuss on the porch on Sunday.
This Week's Question
Blue and Yellow are sailing upwind. Blue tacks. During Blue’s tack, Yellow heads up to avoid Blue. There was no contact. Yellow alleges Blue broke Rule 13. Blue alleges she kept clear.
Which boat(s) should promptly take a penalty?
Answer
Blue should take a penalty. Rule 13 requires Blue to keep clear of other boats until she is on a close-hauled course. The definition of keep clear states:
Keep Clear. A boat keeps clear of a right-of-way boat:
(a) if the right-of-way boat can sail her course with no need to take avoiding action and,
(b) when the boats are overlapped, if the right-of-way boat can also change course in both directions without immediately making contact.
Blue did not keep clear between the time she passed head to wind until she was on a close-hauled course. Yellow was forced to head up to avoid Blue.
This quiz was borrowed from the Inland Lake Yachting Association‘s #FairSailing initiative
Learn more at sailzing.com