More excitement for Pat this evening, by the looks of it?

What's the story with Matt Perkins DSQ and John Curtis RDG for today?

Mike

Don't know - they were way behind me in both races. (Not that I did spectacular today.)

Will find out tomorrow.

Big party last night? With the only day all week with a good wind forecast, I'm surprised you didn't start at 9 or 10 this morning.

Mike

This is the jury drawing in the facts found.



We are the green, Tom is yellow and Jason is blue. The jury threw Jason and I out on Rule 13.

bigger picture here

Scheduled start time has been noon all week.

That's when the thermal is supposed to check in - which it did today.

Noon starts have been really nice. Don't have to get out of bed until 8ish.

As a matter of fact, I was rumored to have consumed some wine with dinner at the Division 11 house last night. But that's just a rumor. I don't recall drinking any wine ;-)

Little Perky put a hole in somebody's boat - that's why the DSQ and RDG.

Thanks Matt, great job with the inside scoop all week.

Yes, hole-y boats are slow...

I thought for sure a bunch of people would be chomping at the bit for some fat-boy wind, and would have wanted more on the final day. But, wine is nice too...

Sorry you got the Q Bob, but that's a pretty compelling picture.

Wait, how did you pick up another one today???

Great job by Jason and The Doctor to smoke up the charts on the final day. Wow...

Mike

The word is out that the Hobie class is breaking the 'tacking too close' rules (no kidding). How many times have we either done it or had it done to us at A Mark on the first rounding.

Since I was at the windward mark alot, you could see the difference after the results of the protest were posted. Mark roundings were much more 'legal' (he says as a jury member).

I also wanted photographic evidence, so I mounted a camera on the mark to take pictures every 5 seconds.

http://walker-photo.smugmug.com/gallery/8963691_xAVNu/1/#600665536_J9fHL-A-LB
http://walker-photo.smugmug.com/gallery/8963691_xAVNu/1/#601307411_AaLF3-A-LB

(did something break in the forum code --- those images used to display on their own -- yes, I was adding an image to a linked picture).

So what’s too close? The way I understand it you need to be on or past a close hauled course before the other boat needs to maneuver. You don’t need the jib filled or even on the correct side and you don’t need to be moving at all to have the tack completed. At that point the other boat is the overtaking boat and needs to avoid you as you get up to speed. If you happen to be inside the zone there needs to be room below you so that a boat can get through to the mark and you can’t cause the boat to go above close hauled if they decide to go over you.
Do I have it wrong?

You are correct, but the rules are a shield, not a sword. The onus is often on the boat that was initially 'in the right' or had the right of way.

You have to be pointed in the right direction, however, before you are pointed in the right direction, the other boat need TIME to change course. So, very simply put, you need to be 'finished' your tack long before (in the hobie world) the boat you just tacked right in front of gets there. Then there is an entire other discussion of taking IN the 3 boat length circle.

IF you go to jury room over this (and the members are very experienced), you will likely loose every time.

I am not as experienced on the current rule book as I have been in the past as I have been 100% focussed on race management. I was the junior jury member for this event and this is my simple explanation of the event. It is best explained by a senior judge.

Hope that makes sense.

I’m not sure about the sword and shield stuff. The rule book makes no mention of those items.

Regarding the subject of tacking in front of a starboard tack boat the rule is not that complicated. (Getting the facts nailed down off the water does tend to be complicated.)

Consider a port and starboard tack boat (Rule 10 we understand) Port must keep clear of starboard.

Then what if the port tack boat begins a tack?

The boat is still on port tack until she is head to wind (still Rule 10). When she reaches head to wind she is tacking (Rule 13) until she is on a close-hauled course (defined by the direction the boat is pointing). During this time the tacking boat must keep clear.

When the tacking boat reached a close-hauled course Rule 13 stitches off and Rule 12 goes into effect. That is provided the starboard tack boat is still clear astern of the boat that just tacked.

At this point the boat clear ahead (the one that just tacked) has the right of way. But because she gained the right of way by her own actions she must make sure the boat behind has room to keep clear (Rule 15).

What this means is that once the tacking boat is on a close-hauled course on starboard the boat approaching from behind must maneuver promptly in a seamanlike way to avoid the boat that tacked.

Now if the boat behind had to start avoiding before the tacking boat was at close hauled then the tacking boat fouled. Also if the boat from behind didn’t start to avoid until after the tacking boat was on close hauled but had to do so in an un-seamanlike way to avoid collision then the boat that tacked also fouled.

But if the boat from behind begins to avoid when the tacking boat is on close-hauled and is able to avoid her by maneuvering promptly but in a seaman like way then there is no foul.

SECTION A
RIGHT OF WAY

A boat has right of way when another boat is required to keep clear
of her. However, some rules in Sections B, C and D limit the actions
of a right-of-way boat.

10 ON OPPOSITE TACKS
When boats are on opposite tacks, a port-tack boat shall keep clear of
a starboard-tack boat.

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.

12 ON THE SAME TACK, NOT OVERLAPPED
When boats are on the same tack and not overlapped, a boat clear
astern shall keep clear of a boat clear ahead.

13 WHILE TACKING
After a boat passes head to wind, she shall keep clear of other boats
until she is on a close-hauled course. During that time rules 10, 11
and 12 do not apply. If two boats are subject to this rule at the same

15 ACQUIRING RIGHT OF WAY
When a boat acquires right of way, she shall initially give the other
boat room to keep clear, unless she acquires right of way because of
the other boat’s actions.



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 immediately making contact with the windward boat.

Room The space a boat needs in the existing conditions while manoeuvring
promptly in a seamanlike way.

Exactly ...

And what we see way too often is the tacking boat pushing the envelope.

Sword vs. shield. Nope, not in the rule book. Both those that right it (and I know some of them), have written the book with that intent.

BTW: Those shots with the camera on the mark are freaking fantastic!

So, what happened in the last race Bob?

BTW, I've been to a few rules seminars this year, as well as race management, and I've heard the "shield vs. sword" metaphor used by USSA instructors at several of them.

Matt, you attended a judge seminar, right? Did they mention it there too?

I think it would be nice if that were written right in as a fundamental rule. It would help to clarify things for everyone.

Mike

My rules come in a little book... where are you guys getting these cool shields and swords??

The tacking-too-close interpretation has evolved in the last few years, and in a good way I think. It used to be that the fouled boat almost had to make contact in order to prove someone had tacked too close.

I already answered that question...

I think it remains to be seen if "shield-based" is really the direction that PCs will actually go, or if that's just a guideline that the rule authors are trying to use. The truth of the matter is that all of the tactical seminars I've attended tend to be more "sword-based." Admittedly, I haven't been to one in a few years, but it's hard to imagine pro sailors getting paid to be defensive.

Regardless of all of this, I think we have some marketing opportunities here (or at least a chance to have some fun).

1. We should cut some swords and shields out of the plastic they use for the PC hearing boats. (A long time ago, we should have at least made catamarans.)

2. We could come up with a cool logo for some T-shirts. Everyone knows cat sailors are basically pirates anyway!

Mike

when you get to 85, you can help write the rules as well!

You will never see that as a fundamental rule. It is just a description of the concept of how the rules were designed. And, that is they are there to protect the boat this is in the right, not to allow a boat to get 'into the right' a nano-second prior to a collision, etc.

That is my own minor opinion. In 34 more years, they might allow me to actually provide some input to the next rule book.

Looks like Rhodysail has it exactly right.

What I see a lot of is someone tacks in front of someone near A mark. The person behind has time to avoid as long as they start avoiding as soon as the boat starts it's tack. The problem being that they shouldn't have to start to avoid the boat until the tacking boat has completed it's tack.

I don't quite understand why the rules people put in the phrase "above close hauled". I think that gets sticky a lot of times. Most boats don't have to go above close-hauled to avoid a tacker in the zone. Most boats at the end close to the mark start reaching some to get there. That leaves the door open for boats to tack in the zone.

I'm not sure I agree with that statement. If you don't bang the corners it's a pretty easy exercise to sail a tight layline. Secondly proving someone didn't have to sail above close hauled could be a very tough nut to crack.

Bottom line... coming in on the port layline and tacking at or inside circle with a crowd is a low percentage play and if you're in an aggressive fleet eventually you're going to get flicked.

Oh! Whoever came up with suicide port... Brilliant!

Mike
I just don't have anything nice to say about that one.

BTW:
Go to a team race or a match race with a shield and you will get killed.