Sorry Dermot,
I understood you meant continue to luff up even when the boat was bearing down on you. That would be a fault of you. I misunderstood then.
Wouter
Wrong Wouter !
The mast abeam rule has gone ! Rodysail's post quotes the rules and explains it very well
Not exactly. You can luff the windward boat as long as you do so within 16.1 giving the boat room to keep clear. If the windward boat reaches the point where she can't head up anymore without flipping she always has the option to slow down and go behind.
Basicaly the leward boat can go head to wind and long as she does so slowly enough to give the windward boat the oportunity to luff the spinnaker and go behind (most people forget about this option in the heat of battle).
11 ON THE SAME TACK, OVERLAPPED
When boats are on the same tack and overlapped, a windward boat shall
keep clear of a leeward boat.
16 CHANGING COURSE
16.1 When a right-of-way boat changes course, she shall give the other
boat room to keep clear.
The only time the leward boat is limmited is when she has come from clear astern (within two of her hull lengths)into the leward position. Then she can luff but only to her proper course.
17 ON THE SAME TACK; PROPER COURSE
17.1 If a boat clear astern becomes overlapped within two of her hull lengths
to leeward of a boat on the same tack, she shall not sail above her proper
course while they remain overlapped within that distance, unless in
doing so she promptly sails astern of the other boat. This rule does not
apply if the overlap begins while the windward boat is required by rule
13 to keep clear.
Proper Course: A course a boat would sail to finish as soon as possible in the
absence of the other boats referred to in the rule using the term. A boat has no
proper course before her starting signal.
Also, on the start line, If I have positioned myself so that as I countdown the last 10 seconds, I sheet in onto a close hauled course which will take me (if I have judged it right)close to the side of the "Start vessel". If sombody else tries to get between me and the start vessel, I can't luff up head to wind, but I can maintain my close hauled course and do not have to let them in. Once again if they put themselves in that position it is their hard luck.
