We had an incident at Frensham the other day where I was following another IOM about 6 boat lengths behind on starboard on a reach. The mark we approached was to be rounded to starboard. The boat ahead of me miss judged the mark and passed the wrong side. It tacked and then bore away to round the mark correctly as I approached and the returning boat claimed mark room. We collided, I was outside boat and I decided to do a turn but was not convinced I was in the wrong.
Does anyone know the ruling here.
On checking the rulesI think at 4, 5 and 6, as the other boat tacks, I enter the zone and no overlap is established by virtue of the other boat tacking. Therefore I have rights?
Tricky situation Nigel. I think you need to dig into the actual rule 18 (mark room) here. Does the rule apply - reading 18.1, yes, one boat is in the zone and nothing else in that section turns it off. Usually, you have to look at the situation when the first boat reaches the 4 boat length circle, the zone. In this case the other boat did this and was clear ahead and so gained mark room under 18.2(b). Did they lose it when they did a circle? Yes, 18.2(d) shuts off rule 18,2(b) and (c) when the boat with mark room passes head to wind which they did at position 4.5. But suddenly 18.2(a) turns back on an…
Rule 18.1 & 18.3 come in play. Boat N did not establish an overlap nor mast abeam, prior to entering the “Zone”. Therefore boat N had to give way to the boat who was in the Zone and had established priority. IMHO.