Originally Posted by hobiejay
I'm going to throw a little kink in this discussion. Assuming both boats are outside the 3 boat length and Orange wants to gybe, I'm assuming she can do this only if she does note force the Blue boat to change course Rule 15. Am I correct in this?


Rule 15 probably does not apply on that one - since orange would be gybing to port, she is not "acquiring right of way" and must still yield to blue. This is, however, another crux of my question that comes into play inside the zone and it has implications on who is the "inside" boat as to which rules are going to play...but that's away from your question.

Assuming they're both outside the zone, they're overlapped and sailing with the wind to starboard (I'm sorry for my upside down diagram now ;-). Orange would be gybing onto port and a couple areas of the rules that apply are as follows: Before orange gybes (while blue is overlapped inside) rule 11 (ON THE SAME TACK, OVERLAPPED) applies and orange (windward) must stay clear of blue (leeward). The only way she could gybe is if she had room to do so without affecting blue. So assuming they are far enough away from each other for orange to gybe, once orange establishes a port tack (gybe), rule 10 (ON OPPOSITE TACKS) would come into play and orange (port) would have to stay clear of blue (starboard). Outside the zone in this position, orange is at the mercy of blue and simply has to avoid making blue change course unless there is an obstruction or another right of way boat that comes into play.


Jake Kohl