The rules of Part 2 apply between boats that are sailing in or near the racing area and intend to race, are racing, or have been racing. However, a boat not racing shall not be penalized for breaking one of these rules, except rule 22.1. The International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea or government right-of-way rules apply between a boat sailing under these rules and a vessel that is not, and they replace these rules if the sailing instructions so state.
A boat has right of way when another boat is required to keep clear of her. However, some rules in Sections B and C 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
time, the one on the other's port side shall
keep clear.
14 AVOIDING CONTACT
A boat shall avoid
contact with another boat if reasonably possible. However, a right-of-way boat
or one entitled to room
(a)
need not act to avoid contact until it is clear that the other boat is not
keeping clear or giving
room, and
(b) shall not be
penalized under this rule unless there is contact that causes damage.
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.
16 CHANGING COURSE
16.1 When a right-of-way
boat changes course, she shall give the other boat room to keep
clear.
16.2 In addition, when after the starting signal a port-tack boat is keep clear of a starboard-tack boat, the starboard-tack boat shall not change course if as a result the port-tack boat would immediately need to change course to keep clear.
17 ON THE SAME TACK; PROPER COURSE
17.1 A boat clear astern
that becomes overlapped to
leeward and within two of her hull
lengths of a windward boat shall not
sail above her proper course while the boats remain
overlapped and less than that
distance apart, unless as a result she falls astern of the
windward boat.
17.2 Except on a beat to windward, while a boat is less than two of her hull lengths from a leeward boat or a boat clear astern steering a course to leeward of her, she shall not sail below her proper course unless she gybes.
When a Section C rule applies, the rules in Sections A and B continue to apply unless the Section C rule modifies them or states that they do not apply.
18 PASSING MARKS AND OBSTRUCTIONS
18.1
When This Rule Applies
Rule 18 applies when boats are about to pass a
mark they are required to leave on the
same side, or an obstruction on
the same side, until they have passed it. However, it does not apply
(a) at
a starting mark or its anchor line
surrounded by navigable water from the time the boats are approaching them to
start until they have passed them,
or
(b) between boats on opposite tacks when they are on a beat to windward or when the
proper course for one of them
to pass the mark or
obstruction is to tack.
18.2 Giving Room; Keeping Clear
(a) When boats are
overlapped before one of them
reaches the two-length zone, if
the outside boat has right of way she shall give the inside boat
room to pass the
mark or
obstruction, or if the inside
boat has right of way the outside boat shall
keep clear. If they are still
overlapped when one of them
reaches the two-length zone, the
outside boat's obligation continues even if the
overlap is broken later. This rule
does not apply if the outside boat is unable to give
room when the
overlap begins.
(b) If a boat is
clear ahead when she reaches the
two-length zone, the boat then
clear astern shall thereafter
keep clear. Rules 10, 11 and
18.2(a) do not apply, and after the starting signal rule 16 applies only if the
right-of-way boat changes course away from the
mark or
obstruction. If the right-of-way
boat passes head to wind, rule 13 applies and this rule no longer does.
(c)
If there is reasonable doubt that a boat established or broke an
overlap in time, it shall be
presumed that she did not.
18.3 Tacking
If two boats were on opposite
tacks and one of them tacked within
the two-length zone to pass a
mark or
obstruction, rule 18.2 does not
apply.
The boat that tacked
(a) shall not cause the other boat to sail
above close-hauled to avoid her or prevent the other boat from passing the
mark or
obstruction, and
(b) shall
keep clear if the other boat
becomes overlapped inside her, in
which case rule 15 does not apply.
18.4 Gybing
When rule 18.2(a) applies and an inside overlapped
right-of-way boat must gybe at the mark
or obstruction to sail her
proper course, she shall pass
no farther from the mark or
obstruction than needed to sail
that course.
18.5 Passing a Continuing Obstruction
At a continuing
obstruction, rule 18.2 is
modified so that while boats are passing the
obstruction an outside boat's
obligation ends if the overlap is
broken, and a boat clear astern
may establish an inside overlap
provided there is room at that time to
pass between the other boat and the obstruction. If she does so, her obligation under rule
18.2(b) ends.
19 ROOM TO TACK AT AN OBSTRUCTION
19.1
When safety requires a close-hauled boat to make a substantial course change to
avoid an obstruction and she
intends to tack, but cannot tack and avoid another boat on the same tack, she
shall hail for room to do so. Before
tacking she shall give the hailed boat time to respond. The hailed boat shall
either
(a) tack as soon as possible, in which case the hailing boat shall
also tack as soon as possible, or
(b) immediately reply 'You tack', in
which case the hailing boat shall immediately tack and the hailed boat shall
give room, and rules 10 and 13 do not apply.
19.2 Rule 19.1 does not apply at a starting mark or its anchor line surrounded by navigable water from the time boats are approaching them to start until they have passed them or at a mark that the hailed boat can fetch. When rule 19.1 applies, rule 18 does not.
When rule 20 or 21 applies between two boats, Section A rules do not.
20 STARTING ERRORS; PENALTY TURNS; MOVING
ASTERN
A boat sailing towards the pre-start side of the starting line
or its extensions to comply with rule 29.1 or rule 30.1 shall keep clear of a boat not doing so
until she is completely on the pre-start side. A boat making penalty turns
shall keep clear of one that is
not. A boat moving astern by backing a sail shall
keep clear of one that is not.
22 INTERFERING WITH ANOTHER BOAT
22.1 If
reasonably possible, a boat not racing shall not interfere with a boat that is
racing.
22.2 A boat shall not deliberately interfere with a boat making penalty
turns to delay her.