MATCH WINNER

34 MATCH WINNER The match racing rules are explained by double women’s match racing champion Mary Rook.

THE

Masterclass

Port tack, give way boat can manoeuvre as quickly as she wants as long as she keeps clear, RRS 16 does not apply to give way boats

Have you ever been on the start line, going around a buoy or just heading in the direction you want to go and other boats around you seem to be shouting rules that you do not understand?

Do not worry - double women’s match racing champion and British Keelboat Academy Coach Mary Rook can help. Here she offers up four key points to remember in those last seconds before the start gun:

1 The give way boat can manoeuvre as quickly as she likes – as rule 16 does not apply to a give way boat there is no requirement for her to give room

as she changes course. As long as any right of way boats do not have to avoid her, she can nip in and out of spaces as they appear.

2 If you are ‘locked in’ by the committee boat, another boat cannot force you to hit the committee boat – once you are overlapped with the committee boat and unable to tack behind it, any boats who are sailing to leeward of you cannot luff you to a point where you would hit the committee boat. Word of warning, though. If the leeward boat has not changed course since before you were overlapped with the committee boat then you have to keep

If you are positioned by the committee boat and unable to tack, a boat that sails in to leeward cannot force you to hit the committee boat

When a boat is clear astern of you on the line, you are not required to take any avoiding action until she is actually overlapped to leeward of you

Even if you have overlapped from astern, you can luff to head to wind after the start to get around the pin end mark clear, and if you sail in to a gap that is not there you will likely break Rule 11. Do not forget, though, if you are not overlapped with the committee boat then the leeward boat can luff you, and if you are at risk of hitting the committee boat you may need to tack out or stop the boat as you cannot barge into a space that is not there.

3 If you have stopped on the start line then a boat coming in fast from behind cannot hail for you to come up until they are overlapped to leeward – it is very common for boats coming in late to the start to charge in to leeward of a boat yelling “up, up, up” long before they are overlapped to leeward. While there is no overlap you are the right of way boat and do not have to respond, and even when the other boat does eventually gain an overlap they must initially give you room to keep clear. You DO NOT have to anticipate that another boat will gain right of way over you until they actually do.

4 If you are at the pin end of the line you can luff to head to wind, if necessary to get around the buoy. Even if you gained your overlap on any boats to windward from clear astern, Rule 17 allows you to sail your proper course, which would include luffi ng to get past the start mark if needed. Once past it, though, if Rule 17 applies you must return to your proper course, which is likely to be close hauled.

Want to know more? Mary will be offering up more top match racing tips in a series of videos going live on the RYA Dinghy Racing Channel on Youtube. Check them out at youtube.com/DinghyRacingChannel

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