Port and Starboard. Best tactics.

[savageseadog]

If you're on starboard approaching a port tacker that won't tack, on a collision course the choice is to tack or bear off astern, collision isn't an option under the rules as currently written. The problem with passing astern is that the offending boat may claim it wasn't a give way situation. The problem with tacking is that you may want to continue on the course you're on and if you tack too close you can end up in the wind shadow of the other boat, if you don't tack close-to then the offender will claim there wasn't an issue. It seems to be a no win situation for the starboard tacker?

 

[flaming]

Not really. Port might claim it wasn't an issue, but in any protest the onus is on them to prove you did not have to alter course.

A cheap camera mounted on the back of the boat can very quickly prove helm movement. Not the whole story of course, but a very good bit of evidence to suggest that you took action.

 

[Robert Wilson]

Fit one of these on the front and
RAM 'em

Note the camera mount on the poop deck, as suggested by "flaming"

 

[Foolish Muse]

This situation happens so very often in racing that the offending boat on port must be taught that it will not be tolerated, or else it will happen all the time. The moment that the starboard boat dips, they must shout "Protest!" and raise the red flag. If the port boat does not do its circle, then it should be taken to the protest room. All that is necessary is the crew on the starboard boat to say that they had to change coarse to safely clear the port boat. The port boat will really have no argument against that statement. If the port boat changed course, then the evidence is clear.

I can't imagine the carnage if one boat starts to think that it need not keep clear on port. This situation happens a dozen times in every race. It would destroy the whole race process.

 

[Triassic]

I guess my tactics would rather depend on whether they are only going to just fail to pass my bow, or if they will just fail to clear my stern.

In the first case the fastest way is to make a small dip early and pass their stern, however this isn't as obvious to "witnesses" and makes it harder to argue about later, so it's tempting to make a big dip at the last possible moment, ease the sails to suit so it's very obvious what you are doing, and protest them. This sacrifices your own boat speed and position the most so if you're match racing another 3rd boat in the fleet it may not be the best overall choice so it depends on circumstances.

If it's a case of them not quite going to clear my stern, which is the less common scenario because it's usually so obvious they aren't trying to squeeze past, then I'll tack and lee bow them. This also gives you the most time to "communicate" with them as they slowly drop below your stern, although it's high risk as the slightest misjudgement on your part means they may roll over you.

 

[DFL1010]

The other thing to bear in mind is what the other boat will do.
If (s)he can't see you under a big overflapper, then suddenly does, their natural instinct might be to alter to stbd to pass astern of you. If you're altering to port to pass astern of them, there'll be tears before bedtime.

Of course, if they think they can cross ahead, and are committed to it, then ducking is probably the play.


Also, if it does go to the room, Case 50 is your friend.

When a protest committee finds that in a port-starboard incident S did not change course and that there was not a genuine and reasonable apprehension of collision on the part of S, it should dismiss her protest. When the committee finds that S did change course and that there was reasonable doubt that P could have crossed ahead of S if S had not changed course, then P should be disqualified.

 

[drakes drum]

This situation happens so very often in racing that the offending boat on port must be taught that it will not be tolerated, or else it will happen all the time. The moment that the starboard boat dips, they must shout "Protest!" and raise the red flag. If the port boat does not do its circle, then it should be taken to the protest room. All that is necessary is the crew on the starboard boat to say that they had to change coarse to safely clear the port boat. The port boat will really have no argument against that statement. If the port boat changed course, then the evidence is clear.

.

You obviously believe in justice, freedom and apple pie! I was the stand on boat in just such a situation but my protest went failed in part because the other skipper lied through his teeth and in part because he was IRC like the protest judges and I was NHC. Life never is black and white.

 

[Keen_Ed]

Read WS Case 50.

http://www.sailing.org/tools/documents/20132016ISAFCaseBookUpdatedJan2015-[18282].pdf

 

[Birdseye]

ERROR 404 page could not be found.

 

[Keen_Ed]

This Link works.

 

[sarabande]

I've just thought of a splendid wheeze to deal with this.


We fit lowpower 'fan' beam lasers, say purple, on the bow of every racing boat. The beam projects where the St yacht will be, far ahead of its physical presence. Sensors on the P boat will indicate via an electric shock to the helmsman's nether regions, and via visual presence to the crew, that the St boat is on a collision course.

Stage 2 is a proximity function to the laser, which resolves the approaching collision situation by firing a sub-lethal surface skimming missile equipped with a sail cutting beam to neatly slice a hole in the P boat's genoa.

A learning curve independent of protest committees.