Winter has got a hold of us. Two months from now I look forward to being back on the water. With the two kids under 4, I burned out sailing last year and put the boat away in mid October, a month early. Now I regret that.
Sailing fever is hitting early this year. Normally I feel this way in March. At least then I can begin to work on the boat. This time of year, there is nothing to do except write about sailing in a blog.
So I will dust off the rulebook and get into some scenarios. I have written some commentary with rules on my website. For two years I tried to write down the emotions and rule situations in the same place. I think I have learned some lessons from that experience. I also have some better tools to try for diagramming situations.
I may skip my yearly rules class this year. I have not been asked and I am not ready to take the initiative. In its place, I hope to discuss some rules here. Hopefully the images and rules paste into this well. If not, I will post a link here to the pdf blog and allow a comment area. I have appreciated the feedback I have received and think it best to make that possible online. I hope that will keep my paranoia from getting me in trouble and quitting.
OK. I'll start with the basics.
Starboard
Right.
Green.
Port
Left.
Red.
Starboard
Right.
Green.
Port
Left.
Red.
You are said to be on starboard tack when the wind is coming over the starboard side of the boat. Port tack is the opposite. Starboard tack has right of way over port tack. There are a few exceptions like inside the 3 boat-length circle.
Now we'll get a little deeper.
The tack you are on is decided by the opposite side of the boat that the boom is on. So if you are reaching on starboard tack, then the wind coming over the starboard side will push the boom to the port side.
One application of the above concept is when you go dead downwind. At this angle the boom will lay naturally to either side. Since starboard has right away, it is a good idea to let the boom lie to port. This puts you on the tack with rights. This does not consider any other outside situation such as other boats and marks.
When tacking upwind, the boat's bow will round up into the breeze. Once the sails begin to flap on the other side, you have gone past head to wind. You will then come down to a course where the sails will fill when trimmed all the way in. This is said to be on a close-hauled course.
Now let's get as deep as we'll get tonight.
Say you are sailing upwind on starboard. As you go above a close-hauled course you retain your rights. Those rights go away as soon as you cross head to wind. Rule 13 explains this. You are the keep clear boat until you come back to a close-hauled course. If two boats are tacking the the same time, the boat to port has to keep clear. A boat astern must also keep clear during simultaneous tacks.
Let's look at another application downwind. Say you are behind another boat dead-downwind and you are both on starboard. Let's imagine you catch them and establish an overlap to leeward. At this point you are not allowed to take them above your proper course due to the limitations in rule 17. If you want to take them up, you can gybe the boat quickly to port and then back to starboard. If you gybe twice like this, you will have the full leeward rights under rule 11. I would only do this to elimnate any argument about my proper course. I bring it up mostly so you will wary of this if you are the other boat in this scenario.
Windward Leeward next time.
