Racing Rules of Sailing

Section C — Match Racing Rules

Match races shall be sailed under The Racing Rules of Sailing as changed by this appendix. Matches shall be umpired unless the notice of race or sailing instructions state otherwise.

Note: A Standard Notice of Race, Standard Sailing Instructions, and Match Racing Rules for Visually Impaired Sailors are available on the World Sailing website.

C2.9

Rule 18 is changed to:

18 MARK-ROOM

18.1 When Rule 18 Applies
Rule 18 applies between boats when they are required to leave a mark on the same side and at least one of them is in the zone. However, it does not apply between a boat approaching a mark and one leaving it. Rule 18 no longer applies between boats when the boat entitled to mark-room is on the next leg and the mark is astern of her.

18.2 Giving Mark-Room

(a) When the first boat reaches the zone,
- (1) if boats are overlapped, the outside boat at that moment shall thereafter give the inside boat mark-room.
- (2) if boats are not overlapped, the boat that has not reached the zone shall thereafter give mark-room.
(b) If the boat entitled to mark-room leaves the zone, the entitlement to mark-room ceases and rule 18.2(a) is applied again if required based on the relationship of the boats at the time rule 18.2(a) is re-applied.
(c) If a boat obtained an inside overlap and, from the time the overlap began, the outside boat is unable to give mark-room, rule 18.2(a) does not apply between them.

18.3 Tacking or Gybing

(a) If mark-room for a boat includes a change of tack, such tack or gybe shall be done no faster than a tack or gybe to sail her proper course.
(b) When an inside overlapped right-of-way boat must change tack at a mark to sail her proper course, until she changes tack she shall sail no farther from the mark than needed to sail that course. Rule 18.3(b) does not apply at a gate mark or a finishing mark and a boat shall be exonerated for breaking this rule if the course of another boat was not affected before the boat changed tack.

Definitions in Context

Clear Astern and Clear Ahead; Overlap

One boat is clear astern of another when her hull and equipment in normal position are behind a line abeam from the aftermost point of the other boat’s hull and equipment in normal position. The other boat is clear ahead. They overlap when neither is clear astern. However, they also overlap when a boat between them overlaps both. These terms always apply to boats on the same tack. They apply to boats on opposite tacks only when rule 18 applies between them or when both boats are sailing more than ninety degrees from the true wind.

Mark-Room

Room for a boat (a) to sail to the mark when her proper course is to sail close to it, (b) to round or pass the mark on the required side, and (c) to leave it astern.

Proper Course

A course a boat would choose in order to sail the course as quickly as possible in the absence of the other boats referred to in the rule using the term. A boat has no proper course before her starting signal.