Sailing down wind from A to C, and the start/finish line is in between. I am on starboard with another boat on starboard to windward of me approaching the start/finish line which is closed. I will leave the line to starboard as I sail by, but not by much, the boat on my hip will not. Am I required to give room? Or can I use the line as a "pick" to force the other boat to gybe away? This situation has not yet happened to me, but I want to be sure of the answer before it does.

The way I read rule 18.5 is yes you have to give room. There is no reference to windward or leeward just inside overlap.

This might help or may muddy the water.

http://www.sailingworld.com/from-the-experts/rules/gambling-at-marks-and-obstructions-43458.html

It does look like one that could be be debated if navigable water comes into play, but in your example I'd say yeah, you need to give room for the obstruction.

yes, start/finish line is an obstruction at that point and you owe the inside boat room to round as long as that doesn't include him gybing to port. I don't think there is any situation that you can use anything as a physical pick for boats on the same tack as you except at a starting mark (surrounded by navigable water).

I'd second that.

No. if you are running down wind on starboard and the boat on your hip is to windward but can't bear away due to your position then they gybed to early....being windward boat they have to keep clear of you. So if it's a case of bearing down or going through a closed gate they have little option than to go higher than the pin or gybe to port prior to hitting you or the committee boat. I can't state rule numbers but I tend to remember that windward or overtaking boats keep clear in 99% of cases.

I don't think the start finish line is an obstruction. The committee boat is however moored so if things were that close I would probably bear away to let my fellow competitor enough room to pass safely and avoid the possible grief! But that's only because of my kind nature <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

If a closed start/finish line isn't an obstruction what is it?

Navigable waters. I understand by obstruction something you cannot physically navigate through.

Windward boat on the DW leg has placed them selves in a bad spot.

An obstruction is something that is defined as such.

A finish line can be defined as an onstruction on the down wind leg of of a W/L race; areas of water (say defence firing range) can be defined as onstructions. It does not HAVE to be something you cannot sail thru, but it is somethijng you are not allowed to sail thru.

Then if thats the case, leeward boat owes room, correct?

A mark of the course is also an obstruction but will still hit them occasionally and then do a penalty. If the line is closed downwind but due to a tactical error you are forced to go through it then I would think you take the appropriate penalty!

Mark,

Read 18.2a (which goes something like);

When boats are overlapped at 2 boat lengths, the outside boat is required to give room to the inside boat to round or pass the mark or obstruction.

Thus, the boat to leeward has to give the boat to windward room.

I'm aware of this rule and agree that the committee boat and the pin end mark are obstructions but as far as the imaginary start finish line between them I find hard to believe can be defined as an "obstruction".
This is a good question as I wonder what the penalty would be for a boat which did go through the start finish line on a downwind leg, when the S.I's state that this is not permitted. I guess the PRO could disqualify them for not sailing the proper course, another competitor could protest them, or could they return back over the line and go around the ends to exonerate themselves? It's not quite so clear cut as the Black Flag Rule.

Grafham have this for some opens (Hence why I know the rule as I helped QA the SI's <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> )

At Grafham you are allowed to "unwind"; or you get DSQ'd as the course sailed goes thru an "obstriction";

Best way to imagine it is that each end of the line is a mark of the course that you must pass either PORT or STBD side of both of them, but not "inside" both of them.

The easiest way to word the SI's is to make the LINE an obstriction, and so by definition you have to sail either side of it. You could say something like "on the down wind leg, the CTB and the pin must be passed to PORT or the CTB and Pin must be passed to STBD (i.e. you cannot cross the line between CTB and Pin and still finish).

Simpler to rank it as an obstruction and job done.......

Texel SI's are Similar in that (I Think) the finish line ranks as an obstruction once you have finished and you are not alllowed to re-cross it - At Texel you get DSQ'd if you do.


In the SI's anything can be defined as "obstructions" and so must be avoided. Some clubs define the cruiser moormings (or a line along the outside moorings). as obstructions; I did the Nab-tower race a few times and I think the Sub pens were defined as obstructions as were a couple of other things.