[quote=Timbo
Thanks Jeff, I am thinking back to the original situation that started this thread. We were going downwind into a gate, starboard boat coming in on three overlapped port boats, all about to round the same (left, looking upwind) gate mark. The port boats got to the 3 boat lenght circle first, so even though they are on port, they had right of way to round, and the starboard boat had to give them room, correct?

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Well yes, but its not the fact that the port tackers entered the circle first. Its the fact that when the starboard tacker entered the circle, the port tackers were over lapped with him. As i said, the port tackers can be a mile away and still be overlapped because they are infront of a line extended across the starboard tacker's transoms.

If a starboard tacker bears off just as he enters the circle, he can break the overlap that some port tackers may have.