I'm sorry folks but I gotta get my sailing fix for the day. This question came up recently, names are witheld to protect the innocent.

Two boats on starboard tack. A F16 is finishing downwind (under spinnaker). Can he legally head up, preventing an A cat (or any other type) from finishing. By heading up he will sail faster and improve his portsmouth score, so he is not sailing above proper course.

I say this is one of those execptions. He must allow the other boat to finish.

The finish is a mark of the course. If he has overlap you have to provide him room to round it.

In the case where the line is closed and in the middle of the course, it is an obstruction and you have to provide room for the other boat to avoid it.

Matt, there is navigable water around the line and between the two marks that make up the imaginary start/finish line.

I was in this situation where we were both on starboard, heading to the weather mark. Leeward boat was maybe half a boat length in front. He came up and pinch me against a dingy tethered to an anchored yacht. I had no where to go and eased off my sails to fall off and prevent hitting any vessels.

I was told there was navigable waters around the yacht and dinghy so I had no rights for room.

I think this situation is similar...

Robi - For a long time I was of a similar opinion to you that a closed start finish line should not be viewed as an obstruction. I have had a discussion regarding that situation with several different judges and the concensus that I got was that it is an obstruction, and must be treated as such, if it is deemed to be closed by the SI's.

Well, there is no reason he should. It's perfectly legal to pinch a boat away from the finish line.

Is there any rule requiring you cross the finish line from a certain direction?

If you were pinched out of the finish line downwind, is there any reason you couldn't douse the spin, round up and cross the finish line close-hauled?

This falls under the room and oportunity. On approaching an obsticle that is long like an island or even a s/f line and they have to come up in time that you can tack away to take the water on the other side, it is still a normal course and no foul. If it is something short like a moored boat legaly they can wait much longer before heading you up because there is room. If they wait until the last minute and round you up so that you have sail away from your "normal" course then you have grounds to argue. If for no other reason than who ever did that is being an butt.

But my understanding is that (if I'm doing the pinching)I may not finish. If you cross the line, you must give the other boat room at the mark. If you carry him above the mark, you must go above the mark yourself.

In the definition of finish, it includes a bit about "in the direction from the last mark." So I would perceive that you couldn't hook finish.

Some of Pgp'S Question probably needs to define how the overlap developed. As has been discussed before, if you want to use the rules as tactics against someone do it early. If you want to luff the A away from the pin then make sure it is done well outside the "ZONE". Stay outside the zone until you can either drive deep or jibe to finish.
If you opt to drive deep you have to ensure that you can break the overlap such that when you enter the "zone" there is no overlap, ergo no right to room.

I'm not certain, but this is how I think the situation developed. The open spin class and A class were started together but scored separately. The F16 was trying to finish as quickly as possible to obtain the best score in that class. The A cat, in this case was more like a moving obstacle rather than a competitor.

How was the overlap gained, was the "proper" course for the F16 to sail higher angles as they would ger better VMG than the A; if there is an overlap at the zone, the leeward boat must give room to round the mark (or in this cae cross the line).

Yes. This was a case where the wind was highly variable in both direction and speed. Proper course could have been anything!

Simon, but seing how the F16 is using a spin to sail downwind and the A is a uni rig, I would assume the F16 must sail a deeper course, if he or she is sailing higher than an A downwind then the F16 would be pinching. NO?

This is where good sportsmanship comes into play.

Sometimes playing by the rules is OK, but pushing the rules can be dangerous as well. We were booking good speed I want to say 10+ kts upwind.

Ok, from a tactical stand point, why would one do that to a boat that is not in their class? If that would not affect their standing in their own class but possibly the other boats standing (if it caused them to lose a place) in its own class, what would be the point? If you are in a O.D. class is the elapsed time a factor? Or just first to finish? If it is time then why wait for the other boat to get close then head up? Why not just shoot for the finish as fast as possible?

Regardless of the rules, it just seems someone is just trying to P.O. someone else.

Inquiring minds,

Clayton

These things go both ways as to who to blame.

If you were getting lee bowed and especially if a moored boat was comming up, tactically the best bet would have been to tack off. If you are on the lay line for the mark in all likelyhood you would have been sucked down and back behind the other boat anyway, so by ducking you ended up in the same position.

I was the other boat in this situation. We were not on the layline and the moored boat was in a position where we had to foot slightly to get under it. There was discussion on our boat as to whether to duck the boat or try to tack, but we could not tack with Robi on our hip. We did not take Robi up into the boat, and there was plenty of time for him to decide to tack away. Sportsmanship should not be questioned here.

Dude, I thought I was the "butt" in question here, in fact I still think I am. Between rule 19.2.b and the definition of an obstruction you have me dead to rights. My bad buddy wasn't really trying to be an 'butt', at the time I had a different understanding of the rule.

As for the danger bit... it was a moored boat surrounded by navigable water, 10kts is not light speed.

Now, the question is... Could I have called for room to tack? assuming the course change I had to make was "substantial" enough to pass below the anchored boat.

I love rules questions.

Dave, you're off the hook on this one. The incident in question took place at GYC a month or so ago between Robi and I.