According to book by my rules guru Dave Perry Page 104 (then page 114) addresses a situation like this.
[color:"blue"]"When boats approach each other, they must continually assess the situation in terms of what are the probable chances that I may hit this other boat or vice versa?
This judgement should factor in:
what the reponses have been from the other boat,
whether the other boat is keeping a good lookout,
what the sailing conditions are like and how well a boat of the class involved maneuvers in such conditions,
who the sailors on the other boat are, and
is there anything at all peculiar about the way the other boat is being handled?"[/color]
Rule 16.1 - Changing Course
When a right-of- way boat changes course she shall give the other boat room to keep clear. The give-way boat will need to keep clear. Assuming the give-way boat reacts promptly and in a seaman-like way the right of way boat must give her enough space and time.
[color:"green"]It could be argued that the right-of-way boat did not give the give-way boat ample space and time to react. The give-way boat was making effort to get out of the way.
I think this would have been interesting to see how the judges would interprete this in the protest room if there was a protest that ensued.
Later,
Dan[/color]
That about covers it.
The slow (or slower) boats are in the dead zone if they approach the windward mark on Port - Just don't do it.
Scary to read above that people do not understand the basic Port vs Stbd and W vs L rules!
The golden rule with these situations (where a starboard boat is coming down wid, onto/at a prot boat coming up wind) is this:
"The Port boat only has to react to what the Stbd boat does, and the Stbd boat has to give the port boat room to do it"
A follow up example might help.
If the stbd boat is hit by a big gust, it cannot assume that it may bear off to avoid a capsize if the port boat is trying to avoid it (and is close enough that the stbd boats actions my preclude it avoiding).
So if you see a very large gust coming (and you are the Stbd boat), it may pay to "establish" your new course early by bearing off early, thus giving the port boat extra time to react.
