...he established overlap (which, I believe means his bow has to be at my stern, not my rudders, correct?)... Just where does "overlap" start? The hull, or any part of the overtaking craft?
The definition of "Clear Astern" is:
One boat is clear astern of another when her hull and equipment in normal position are behind a line abeam from the aftermost point of the other boat’s hull and equipment in normal position.
I would consider a rudder in the water to be "equipment in normal position. Therefore, if the other boat's bow was overlapped with your rudder(s), you were overlapped. If the other boat's spinnaker and spinnaker pole were in "normal position", they would count for overlap as well.
He got the protest (he had to alter course), I cleared the scene, did my turn and ended up last...
Well, that doesn't sound like any advantage at all, let alone a significant one, lol. Truth be told, there aren't many circumstances where you can break a rule, do your turns, and come out significantly ahead.
Not to hijack this thread, but I've seen two or three instances of skippers getting beaned in the head by snuffer/spinnaker poles while the overtaking boat jockeyed for overlap.
Sounds like a protestable situation to me. Most club racers won't protest start-line infractions though. I suspect they simply don't want to cause resentment by asserting their rights.
Regards,
Eric
