Clarification:
18.1 (c) between a boat approaching a mark and one leaving it,
When is a boat presumed to have left a mark?
I don't suppose it will ever really matter, but it would be nice if one could make the distinction. It's a matter of rigor I suppose.
Don't forget, the definition of mark room also includes the term "at the mark."
This is important, because basically, at any given time, you are either one of the following:
Approaching
At
Leaving
The key definition is At the mark, since anything before that is approaching, and after that is leaving.
Maybe Eric or Matt can find a reference, but I know that this has been discussed quite a bit at ISAF and US Sailing, and has been a topic at several seminars I've attended over the past year or two. I think there was an official call or interpretation issued recently, I just can't put a finger on it.
The discussion I am referring to sounded like common sense (you're at the mark as you are physically rounding it).
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As for the port vs. starboard approach, there is an excellent quote that I read somewhere this year: "Nothing good ever happens at a layline." This is true strategically as well as tactically.
Mike
