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  3. Rule 28.1

28.1

A boat shall sail the course.

Definitions in Context

Sail the Course

A boat sails the course when

  • (a) she starts;
  • (b) a string representing her track until she finishes, when drawn taut,
    • (1) passes each mark of the course for the race on the required side and in the correct order (including the starting marks),
    • (2) touches each mark designated in the sailing instructions to be a rounding mark, and
    • (3) passes between the marks of a gate from the direction of the course from the previous mark; and then
  • (c) she finishes.

A mark that does not begin, bound or end the leg the boat is sailing does not have a required side.

Related Cases

Case 28

When one boat breaks a rule and, as a result, causes another to touch a mark, the other boat is exonerated. The fact that a starting mark has moved, for whatever reason, does not relieve a boat of her obligation to start. A race committee may abandon under rule 32.1(c) only when the change in the mark’s position has directly affected the safety or fairness of the competition.

Case 58

If a buoy or other object specified in the sailing instructions as a finishing-line limit mark is on the post-finish side of the finishing line, a boat may leave it on either side.

Rule 28.2

A boat may correct any errors in sailing the course, provided she has not finished.

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