Is there a case to support this interpretation?
WS Case 118 - "
In the definition Mark-Room, the phrase ‘room to sail to the mark’ means space to sail promptly in a seamanlike way to a position close to, and on the required side of, the mark."
While you could argue that P isn't technically required to jibe, she is the give way boat, even though she is entitled to mark room. If P merely bears away to dead downwind (forcing S ti also sail dead downwind) she's still on port tack and subject to rules 10, 14 and 18.2(b) until she clears the finishing line and marks (definition of finish). The best way to avoid a possible rules infringement is to jibe.
Ahh...OK. You are saying that once she (blue) gybes, they're both on starboard and now blue is entitled to room on that end of the finish mark? I get that - that's pretty straight forward in that you can't use the finish mark as a "pick". However, I think that I understood that blue was asking for room to gybe around the committee boat and, in essence, yellow would have had to yield to blue while she was still on port and finishing.
Suppose, however, that if they were both in the middle of the line, blue (p) would have to avoid yellow (s) plain and simple - blue would either have to gybe or take yellow's stern to avoid her. Just because they are near the end of the line, nothing says that blue has to round the committee boat...blue's proper course is to cross the line - not round the end of the line. Why would blue be given special circumstances just because of where they are on the finish line - why wouldn't it be the same as if they were meeting in the middle of the line?
