RAPID RESPONSE MATCH RACING CALL 2017/005Rule 13.1 While Tacking (C2.6)
Rule 18.2(a)(2) Giving Mark-Room (C2.9)
Rule 21(a) Exoneration
Rule 22.2 Taking Penalties
Definitions Mark-Room (C2.2) and Proper Course (C2.3)
Rule C7.4 Taking and Completing Penalties
Rule C8.3 Penalties Initiated by Umpires
Question 1Both boats are approaching the race committee vessel end of the finishing line. Blue has
an outstanding penalty. Blue reaches the zone clear ahead of Yellow. Blue tacks onto
port tack, gets to a close-hauled course and tacks back onto starboard tack. At position
7, just before Blue reaches a downwind course, there is contact between the boats and
both boats protest.
What should the call be?Answer 1Signal that Blue has completed her penalty. Penalize Blue and Yellow at the same time.
These two penalties offset each other. Then signal a second penalty to Yellow.
When the contact happened, Blue was still taking her penalty. Not keeping clear of
another boat while taking a penalty does not make the penalty invalid, but it breaks rule
22.2, so because there was a protest, Blue gets one penalty for that breach.
Throughout the incident Blue never leaves the zone, so she is entitled to mark-room all
the time. Although Blue is not sailing a proper course while she is taking her penalty,
mark-room is still the space she needs to sail her proper course, which is the course she
would sail to finish as soon as possible in the absence of Yellow. Yellow fails to give her
that space and breaks rule 18.2(a)(2).
Because Yellow gained an advantage by breaking a rule after allowing for a penalty, she
also gets an umpire initiated penalty under rule C8.3(a).
Question 2The situation is the same as in Question 1, except that Blue does not complete her tack
onto port tack before tacking back onto starboard tack. What should the call be?
Answer 2Penalize Yellow for not giving mark-room. Remove Blue’s penalty flag as the penalties
are now offset. Then signal a second penalty to Yellow.
A downwind penalty is from close-hauled on one tack, through head to wind and to a
downwind course on the other tack (see MR Call N6). Therefore, when Blue returns onto
starboard tack she is not taking a penalty because she does not start from a close-hauled
course. As soon as Blue again passes head to wind, the umpires should also signal that
Blue is not taking a penalty and that the penalty remains.
From the time Blue starts luffing back towards starboard tack, she is sailing her proper
course to round or pass the mark. Yellow breaks rule 18:2(a)(2) by not giving her markroom,
and Blue is exonerated for her breach of rule 11 under rule 21(a).
Because Yellow gained an advantage by breaking a rule after allowing for a penalty, she
also gets an umpire initiated penalty.
Note: In both situations, Blue starts taking a penalty when she passes head to wind from
starboard tack onto port tack, however she never completes her penalty onto a downwind
course on port tack; and the moment she starts luffing back towards starboard tack the
umpires should signal that she is no longer taking a penalty and that the penalty remains.
See rules C5.6 and C7.4(b).
Published September 2017 This call is valid until 1 January 2019