On Friday, October 2, the day before the Championship, the H20 Association is sponsoring an evening called “ASK THE JUDGES” at 7:00 PM at NHYC. Certified judges will be present to answer any and all questions you might have about the Racing Rules of Sailing for 2013-2016. A whiteboard with magnetic boats will be used to help visualize on-the-water situations as they change over time.

Don’t go into the Championship with lingering questions about the rules. We will be entertaining questions such as:

1)     Can you have contact with another boat and not have broken a rule?

2)     If two overlapped, close hauled, starboard tack boats reach a windward mark to be left to port, does the leeward boat have to fall off at the mark, or can it continue to sail on, taking the windward boat with it?

3)     Can boats on opposite tacks be overlapped?

4)     If a boat running on port tack overlaps to leeward a boat running on starboard tack, and then jibes, does he (she) then have luffing rights?

5)     Does a boat which tacks from port to starboard inside the 3 boat length circle ever have rights to mark room?

6)     The committee boat is a mark and an obstruction. Is an inside boat, overlapped to windward, entitled to room at the obstruction before starting?

7)     Is a boat ever required to sail her proper course?

8)     Does a boat which is sailing above close hauled have to fall off to a close hauled course at the starting signal?

9)     Can you take a penalty turn anytime before the finish of a race to exonerate yourself of a rule infraction?

 

Answers:

 

1) No

 

2) Yes or no, depending on how the overlap was established

 

3) Yes , if both are sailing more than 90 degrees from the wind

 

4) Yes

 

5) Yes

 

6) Yes, unless approaching the starting line to start (barging)

 

7) No

 

8 ) Sometimes yes, sometimes no. It all depends on how overlaps with adjacent boats were established.

 

9) No. A penalty must be taken as soon as possible after the time of the incident.

 

What’s your question? Come and get the answer. Find out once and for whether you were right or wrong in past incidents. This should be a really interesting and fun evening!

We hope to see you there!