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...you will have a very hard time proving that the leeward boat luffed you in an unseamanlike manner especially if the helmsman of the leeward boat hails you before the luff begins and turns his boat into you at a fast but steady rate. The onus is on you and usually you will lose in a protest hearing. If you choose to pass to windward, be ready for the consequences.

I agree that if you try to roll another boat, you should be prepared to be luffed. Hails are good practice, tend to prevent collisions, and support your position in the protest room, but (with the exception of rule 19) not part of the rules. As you say, the rate of turn is important. It has to be fast enough to be effective, but slow enough to give the other boat room to keep clear. That is a matter of interpretation, and whenever you go into the protest room over a matter of interpretation, you are in jeopardy. There is no "onus" in this situation. The only place in the rules that that presumes judgement one way or the other is RRS 18.2(e). Otherwise, the protest committee finds the facts and applies the rules based on them. If the PC finds that the windward boat capsized due to poor seamanship, then the leeward boat has not committed a foul. If they find that windward boat acted promptly with reasonable skill but was compelled to capsize, then the leeward boat broke RRS 16.1 and will be penalized.


It is virtually impossible for a leeward boat with luffing rights to loose such a protest. Re-read rule 11. It is crystal clear. The leeward boat *CAN* change course and if the windward boat is forced to capsize or whatever he odviously hasn't satisfied the "Keeping clear" definition.

The leeward boat can't luff up and plow straight thru the side of another boat but they can put the flag up!

I have re-posted the rule for your reference:

rule 11: When boats are on the same tack and overlapped, a windward boat shall keep clear of a leeward boat.

The operative words here are "keep clear" as defined:

Keep clear: One boat keeps clear of another if the other can sail her course with no need to take avoiding action and when the boats are overlapped on the same tack, if the leeward boat can change course in both directions without immediatly making contact with the windward boat.

Reaper