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Part 2 — When Boats Meet

Section A — Right Of Way

A boat has right of way over another boat when the other 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.

Definitions in Context

Keep Clear

A boat keeps clear of a right-of-way boat

  • (a) if the right-of-way boat can sail her course with no need to take avoiding action and,
  • (b) when the boats are overlapped, if the right-of-way boat can also change course in both directions without immediately making contact.

Related Cases

Case 9

When a starboard-tack boat chooses to sail past a windward mark, a port-tack boat must keep clear. There is no rule that requires a boat to sail a proper course.

Case 23

On a run, rule 19 does not apply to a starboard-tack boat that passes between two port-tack boats ahead of her. Rule 10 requires both port-tack boats to keep clear of her.

Case 43

A close-hauled port-tack boat that is sailing parallel and close to an obstruction must keep clear of a boat that has completed her tack to starboard and is approaching on a collision course.

Case 50

When a protest committee finds that in a port-starboard incident S did not change course and that there was not a genuine and reasonable apprehension of collision on the part of S, it should dismiss her protest. When the committee finds that S did change course and that there was reasonable doubt that P could have crossed ahead of S if S had not changed course, then P should be disqualified.

Case 75

When rule 18 applies, the rules of Sections A and B apply as well. When an inside overlapped right-of-way boat must gybe at a mark, she is entitled to sail her proper course until she gybes. A starboard-tack boat that changes course does not break rule 16.1 if she gives a port-tack boat adequate space to keep clear and the port-tack boat fails to take advantage of it promptly.

Rule 6

Each competitor, boat owner and support person shall comply with the World Sailing Regulations that have been designated by World Sailing as having the status o...

Rule 11

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

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