Situation:
3 overlapped boats at the weather mark. At position 1, Red boat entered the zone overlapped to windward by Green who was overlapped to windward by Blue boat.
At position 2, Red boat is at the mark and overlapped to windward by Green and Green is overlapped by Blue.
Question:
Part 1 Who is the ROW boat at position 1?
Who is the ROW boat at Position 2?
Part 2 What rules apply at position 1?
What rules apply at Position 2?
Answers:
Question
Part 1 At position 1, Red is the leeward overlapped ROW boat over Green and Blue and
Green is the leeward overlapped ROW boat over Blue.
At position 2, Red is the leeward overlapped ROW boat over Green and Blue and
Green is the leeward overlapped ROW boat over Blue.
Part 2 At position 1, Rule 11 requires both Green and Blue to keep clear of Red.
Rule 11 also requires Blue to keep clear of Green.
Rule 18.2b requires Green and Blue to give Mark Room to Red.
Rule 18.2b requires Blue to give Mark Room to Green.
At Position 2, Rule 11 still applies to Green and Blue boats to KEEP CLEAR of Red.
Rule 18.2b requires both Green and Blue boats to provide Mark Room to Red while at the mark.
Rule 18.2b also requires Blue to provide Mark Room to Green while at the mark.
Rule 18.5 provides that a boat entitled to Mark Room shall be exonerated if she breaks a Section A rule or Rule 15 or 16.
Note: It is important to remember that Rule 18 does not turn off Section A rules!! Rule 11 requires the windward boat to KEEP CLEAR. The requirement for Blue to give Mark Room to Green, also requires additional room for Green to keep clear of Red. The requirement for Green to give Mark Room to Red, also requires Green to hail Blue for the room to keep clear of Red. Remember, that if Green fails to give Mark Room to Red because Blue fail to give Green Mark Room, only Green can be exonerated by Rule 18.5 and Blue would be required to take a penalty.
Note: It is important to remember that if a boat chooses not to round the weather mark, when a line perpendicular to her stern has passed the mark and Mark Room is turned off, Section A rules still apply.
11 ON THE SAME TACK, OVERLAPPED
When boats are on the same tack and overlapped, a windward boat shall keep clear of a leeward boat.
18.2 Giving Mark-Room
(b) If boats are overlapped when the first of them reaches the zone, the outside boat at that moment shall thereafter give the inside boat mark-room. If a boat is clear ahead when she reaches the zone, the boat clear astern at that moment shall thereafter give her mark-room.
18.5 Exoneration
When a boat is taking mark-room to which she is entitled, she shall be exonerated
(a) If as result of the other boat failing to give her mark-room, she breaks a rule of Section A, or
(b) if, by rounding the mark on her proper course, she breaks a rule of Section A or rule 15 or 16.