Avoid creating risk of collision

I agree with most comments, however with sail against sail, it is a matter of perception of 'close' racers have a different idea of close to cruisers generally.

In club racing I have been called a leaky Red coloured dinghy racer having told a starboard boat to hold its course while I ducked their stern - far closer than they were happy with, and closer than I would cruising.

I have also been abused for coming within 100 yards of a cruiser. It is all relative,

Arriving single handed on Starboard and a fully crewed race boat leaving on Port causing me to follow rule 2 with a 45 degree alteration of course to avoid collision and getting 'friendly waves' from the oblivious crew.
 
I'm used to sailing in this

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Motor cruisers and visiting saling boats seem upset when we sail 6 inches from them.
 
Chiara’s slave said:
6 inches is a comfortable margin when racing. Unless you’re the port tack boat crossing a starboard tacker, in which case it’s several litters of kittens.
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That is fine, unless of course you have failed to notice that the cruiser whose transom you are shaving is towing a dinghy on a long painter. Not me I hasten to add, but a fellow RHOD sailor who was some way ahead, he wasn’t after the ensuing fracas.😀
 
Airscrew said:
I was taught, in all seriousness, Rule No1 (thats Colregs Rule 0.9 ;)), dont hit anything, and dont spend time debating ColRegs when you could be avoiding the near-inevitable.
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True, once you’ve reached the point that it’s inevitable otherwise. But if you’re a starboard tack boat, say, you should stand on until that point, or you’ll cause the sort of confusion that leads to an incident.
 
Chiara’s slave said:
True, once you’ve reached the point that it’s inevitable otherwise. But if you’re a starboard tack boat, say, you should stand on until that point, or you’ll cause the sort of confusion that leads to an incident.
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That would be my normal manner but if I wish to give way to a boat racing on port tack I will do so either by tacking out of the way or by making an unmistakable course change.
 
Airscrew said:
I was taught, in all seriousness, Rule No1 (thats Colregs Rule 0.9 ;)), dont hit anything, and dont spend time debating ColRegs when you could be avoiding the near-inevitable.
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Rule zero of racing should be:
Keep away from the muppets.

It's never fast getting drawn into stress with idiots, whether you are racing, cruising your boat or towing it down the motorway.

An old hand at racing in the Solent taught me to try to spot the troublemakers and the accident-magnets and just not get near them. Let them quarrel among themselves and slow one another down, meanwhile sail around them.
 
Chiara’s slave said:
Personally, whilst I might go that close to another race boat, I wouldn’t do it to a cruiser.
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Racing rules have a proper definition of 'keeping clear'.
It might sometimes be more demanding than the colregs version, because the right of way boat in RRS has the right to alter course without the keep clear boat being in the way.
 
johnalison said:
That would be my normal manner but if I wish to give way to a boat racing on port tack I will do so either by tacking out of the way or by making an unmistakable course change.
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Very considerate, and best for both parties. As a cruiser, finding yourself the give way boat in a big fleet would be a nightmare. Prior planning and preparations prevents panty pooping!
 
Chiara’s slave said:
Very considerate, and best for both parties. As a cruiser, finding yourself the give way boat in a big fleet would be a nightmare. Prior planning and preparations prevents panty pooping!
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I have, on occasion, found it quite bracing pottering upwind down Itchenor Reach when the XOD fleet was in full cry. :)
 
benjenbav said:
I have, on occasion, found it quite bracing pottering upwind down Itchenor Reach when the XOD fleet was in full cry. :)
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We went there for Points Week, last year. We moored the tri on a public buoy opposite the club almost. My poor wife spent about half an hour one morning avoiding a collision with X80, who was attempting to make ground against both wind and tide. Every tack they arrived back to our moored boat, and had to be fended off by foot. They upbraided her severely for unladylike language🤣
 
At the risk of drifting the thread, does anyone know how the misconception arose that when a boat is racing it becomes the stand on vessel in almost any circumstance when it meets a boat that's not racing?

Sometimes it's just arrogance ('I know the rules but I'm going to ignore them because I'm a superior being') but I get the feeling that sometimes a racing crew genuinely believes it's written in some regulation or code and that I'm just an ignorant cruising sailor who's never been taught it.

Of course, competent racing crews know the rules and follow them, more or less.
 
jbweston said:
At the risk of drifting the thread, does anyone know how the misconception arose that when a boat is racing it becomes the stand on vessel in almost any circumstance when it meets a boat that's not racing?

Sometimes it's just arrogance ('I know the rules but I'm going to ignore them because I'm a superior being') but I get the feeling that sometimes a racing crew genuinely believes it's written in some regulation or code and that I'm just an ignorant cruising sailor who's never been taught it.

Of course, competent racing crews know the rules and follow them, more or less.
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It’s explicitly not what you suggest. IIRC every regattas/race I’ve taken part in has had a line in the race instructions to the effect that IRPCS must always be obeyed.
 
john_morris_uk said:
It’s explicitly not what you suggest. IIRC every regattas/race I’ve taken part in has had a line in the race instructions to the effect that IRPCS must always be obeyed.
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That may be true for organised events, but I think he may have a point about an urban myth developing at a club level. The only regatta that I have taken part in within my memory span included a rule that any skipper making a protest would be questioned by the race committee while standing in a cold shower.
 
jbweston said:
but I get the feeling that sometimes a racing crew genuinely believes it's written in some regulation or code
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I believe that to be true. On occasions , this is the only conclusion you can come up with.
I very much doubt that race committees try to hit this point home.
In my early days, racing was pretty much all there was. Things have changed now but local racing hasn't Many sailing areas effectively have a defined racing area. This Works very well if you have the space.
 
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