Quote

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).


I should add to this that "slowly enough" is not meant to mean slowly. The windward boat must react quickly and evasively.
As far as I know that's not written in the rules but it is how the to judge guys have interpreted it. [see Perry's book]