The upwind beat — crossings, obstructions, and room to tack

Rule 10 — Port and Starboard: Who Has Right of Way?

The most common rules mistake at club level.

Rule 11 — Windward Boat Keeps Clear

Same tack, overlapped — who has to move?

Rule 15 — You Just Acquired Right of Way (Now Give Room)

Rule 15 — acquiring right of way.

Room to Tack at an Obstruction (Rule 20, Case 10)

Port tack trapped on the layline. What you're allowed to call.

The Wrong Way to Hail for Room to Tack

The hail most sailors get wrong at obstructions.

Two Boats Passing a Starboard Boat — Who Owes Room? (Case 11)

Rule 19.2(b) overrides Rule 11 at an obstruction.

You Tacked in Front of a Starboard Boat — Whose Fault? (Rule 13)

Rule 13 ends at close-hauled — then you owe room.

She Answered "You Tack" Instead of Tacking — Is That Legal? (Case 35)

"Room" is what you need to manoeuvre — not a cushion.

She Hailed for Room Too Early — Can I Ignore It? (Case 33)

A bad hail doesn't free you from responding.

You Fouled a Boat and Did Your Turns — But There Was Damage (Rule 44)

Take a turn for a foul; retire if you caused damage.

Pinned Between Starboard and the Bank — Can I Call for Room? (Case 43)

Port keeps clear of starboard — even pinned against the bank.

The Boat That Touched No One Got Disqualified (Rule 19.2(b))

Right-of-way boat as an obstruction — the outside boat owes inside room.

No Contact Is Still a Foul — Rule 10 (Case 50)

No contact isn't the test — if starboard has to avoid you, port has fouled.

About to Hit the Rocks — Room to Tack at an Obstruction (Case 54)

Trapped near the shore — how to hail for room to tack at an obstruction.

When the Other Boat Isn't Racing, the Racing Rules Switch Off (Case 67)

Meet a boat that isn't racing? The racing rules switch off.

Is Covering a Rival Cheating? (Case 78)

Covering to win is fair. Covering out of spite breaks Rule 2.

Even the Right-of-Way Boat Must Avoid Contact (Case 87)

Right of way doesn't excuse you from avoiding a crash you still can't prevent.

Avoiding the Crash Isn't the Same as Keeping Clear (Case 88)

No contact isn't proof you kept clear — if she had to swerve, you broke Rule 10.

Short-Handed? You Still Don't Get Extra Room (Case 103)

A small crew doesn't earn you extra room.

She Said "You Tack" — Then Won the Protest (Case 101)

"You tack" gives you room — not right of way.

Must You Dodge an Out-of-Control Boat? (Case 99)

Right of way doesn't mean you must risk your own boat.

He Touched Your Boat on Purpose — and You Got DSQ'd? (Case 73)

Fake a foul by touching a boat — that's the foul.

Right of Way Won't Save You From Rule 14 (Case 123)

Both boats disqualified — right of way doesn't cancel Rule 14.

Who Chooses Which Side of the Obstruction? (Case 124)

The right to choose the side belongs to whoever has right of way right now.

The Room-to-Tack Hail Must Relay Down the Line (Case 113)

The room-to-tack hail must ripple all the way up the line — or nobody gets out.

Starboard Luffed Into You, Then Protested — and Lost (Case 147)

You can't luff a boat into a breach and then protest it.

Hold Your Course and Still Get Disqualified (Case 125)

At an obstruction the outside boat owes room for the whole group.

Rule 16 — Right of Way Is Not a Licence to Chase

Chase a boat with your course changes and Rule 16 throws you out.

When Covering Becomes Cheating — Rule 2 (Case 34)

Covering to win is legal; covering only to ruin a rival is Rule 2.

Who Owes Room at a Wall? Rule 19 at an Obstruction

The right-of-way boat picks the side — and that decides who owes room.

The Right-of-Way Boat Aims at the Wall — Who Owes Room?

Rule 19 owes no room until the right-of-way boat picks a side — but Rule 11 never waits.

Two Boats, Opposite Tacks — Who Gives Way? (Rule 10)

On opposite tacks, port keeps clear of starboard — every time.

Beating Upwind on Opposite Tacks — Who Gives Way? (Rule 10)

Beating upwind on opposite tacks — port keeps clear of starboard.

Rule 11 — Same Tack, Overlapped: Leeward Has Right of Way

Same tack, overlapped — windward keeps clear of leeward, every time.

Opposite Tacks Closing Upwind — Read the Tack, Not the Gap

The tack decides the crossing, not the gap between the boats.

You Hit a Mark AND Another Boat — Does One Penalty Cover Both?

Hitting a boat and a mark in one sequence can mean two separate penalties.

Starboard vs Port — Identifying Your Tack Under Rule 10

Knowing which side the wind hits first is the whole of Rule 10.

Boats Meeting at an Angle — Same Tack, Not Opposite Tacks

Check the boom, not the heading — it decides Rule 10 versus Rule 11.

Same Tack and Overlapped — The Basics of Rule 11

Same tack, overlapped — windward keeps clear of leeward, no exceptions.

Starboard Had to Bear Away — That Alone Proves Port Broke Rule 10

The crash bear-away is the evidence — no contact needed to lose the protest.

You Gybed But Never Tacked — The Penalty Turn Doesn't Count (Rule 44.2)

A circle isn't a penalty — the rule counts one tack and one gybe.

Opposite Tacks Converging — The Tack Decides, Not the Gap (Rule 10)

Port keeps clear of starboard — the tack decides the crossing, not the gap.

Does a Penalty Turn Need Both a Tack and a Gybe? (Rule 44.2)

Gybe but no tack? The penalty didn't happen — the foul is still live.

The Tack You Were Forced Into Doesn't Count Towards Your Penalty (Rule 44.2)

Count the turns only after you're well clear — the forced tack is not yours to claim.

Port Hits Starboard — Who Is Disqualified, and Who Gets Redress? (Rules 10, 14, 62.1(b))

Rammed on starboard — she's disqualified, and your score can be repaired.

Windward vs Leeward — Who Actually Has Right of Way? (Rule 11)

The same-tack fundamental — closer to the wind means you move.

A Tacking Boat Has No Rights — The Late Port-Tack Duck (Rules 10 and 13)

Tacking away from starboard too late — Rule 10 hands you straight to Rule 13.

She Luffed You to Head to Wind and It Was Legal (Rule 11 vs Rule 17)

A leeward boat that arrived by tacking is never capped by Rule 17.

Reaching Boat vs Close-Hauled Boat — There Is No Close-Hauled Rule (Rule 11)

Right answer, wrong reason — position decides it, not point of sail.

Two Boats Beating Upwind — Read the Boom, Not the Shouting (Rule 10)

Not who's ahead, not who shouts — the boom tells you the tack at a glance.

She Hailed “Room to Tack” and You Answered “Starboard” — Wrong Answer (Rule 20)

Two lawful answers to the hail — and “Starboard” isn't one of them.

You Crossed Clean on Port, She Dodged Anyway and Protested — Nobody Pays (Rule 10, Case 50)

A dodge she didn't need isn't avoiding action — but Case 50 makes every close cross a bet.

She Tacked Under Your Bow and You Had to Luff — She Pays (Rules 13 and 15)

A tack that makes you move first is a tack too close.

"Room to Tack" on Opposite Tacks? You Don't Have to Tack (Rules 20.1 and 10)

Rule 20 is same-tack only — on opposite tacks, port keeps clear.

Hailed "Room to Tack" at a Starboard Boat and They Said "No, I Can Cross" (Rules 20.1 and 20.2)

A starboard boat is an obstruction — hail, and if refused, duck and protest.

A Boat to Leeward Shouts "Please Tack!" — Do You Have To? (Rules 11 and 16.1)

Nobody has to tack on request — but leeward can luff you to head to wind.

You Can Just Cross Her — Do You Take It or Tuck In? (Port-Starboard Crossing Tactics)

Can just cross a starboard boat? Cross if you want the right — the next shift may shut the door.

Same Speed, Same Start — So How Did Blue Get So Far Ahead? (Tack on the Headers, Sail the Lifted Tack)

Headed? Tack — the same shift lifts you toward the mark on the other tack.

Left Corner, Right Corner or the Middle — Who Won This Beat? (Corners Are for Gamblers)

A corner is a bet on one shift — the middle keeps you in the race.

You Have To Duck the Starboard Boat — Bear Away Early or Late? (The Good Duck)

Duck late and close, then straight back up: worth a length and a half.

You Ducked the Starboard Boat and She Bore Away Into You — Who Gets Penalized? (Rule 16.2)

Upwind, starboard may not bear away onto a port boat that's ducking her.

You Can't Cross a Starboard Boat — Duck, or Tack Under Her Bow? (The Lee Bow)

Tack ahead of her bow and she's in your bad air; a length late and she rolls you.

A Starboard Boat Is About to Cross You — Tack Away, or Slow Down and Keep Your Lane?

Easing and passing behind her stern beats tacking into her bad air.

Dark Water on the Right, Two Boats in the Way — Do You Duck Them to Reach the Wind?

Half a length to duck two boats bought more than two lengths of wind.

You're Leading Upwind — Do You Sit On Her Wind, or Let Her Breathe? (Loose Cover)

A loose cover keeps you between her and the mark, off her wind, with no tacking duel.

She Tacks On You Every Time — Keep Tacking, or Fake It? (Escaping a Tight Cover)

Head up like you're tacking, let her cover, then bear away into clean air.

The Wind Goes Right, Then Left — Layline or the Middle? Which Boat Wins Both Times?

Head towards the shift you expect, but reach the layline late, close to the mark.

Level Halfway Up the Beat, One Wind Shift Later — Who's Ahead? (Leverage)

One wind shift turns the line between two level boats, so stay near the middle and reach the layline late.

She Never Hailed "Protest" — Is Her Protest Valid? (Rules 60.2, 60.4 and 10)

No hail, no valid protest. But the boat that did hail can still get the port boat out.

Late to the Layline on Port — Tack Under the Queue or Duck the Lot?

Tacking under the queue costs two boat lengths. Duck the last boat and tack just above the layline.

Pointing at the Mark in Current? You're Sailing a Curve. Aim Off Instead

Your bow points above the mark, but your track runs straight to it. Aim off for current.

Sailing a Reach in Gusts: Bear Away and Weave Instead of Sailing Straight

Bear away to ride the gust, turn up in the lull. The weaver beat the straight line.

Sailing a Reach in a Fleet: Go High With the Pack or Sail Straight?

The pack curves high and pays for it. Go low enough for clean air and sail straight.

A Faster Boat Is Passing You to Windward on a Reach: Let Her Through or Defend?

Turn up early, every time she tries. She is the windward boat and must keep clear.

Your Protest Names the Wrong Boat: Can the Jury Still Disqualify the Boat That Broke the Rule? (Rules 60.4 and 63.2)

A valid protest naming the wrong boat lets the jury protest the right one.

Someone Else Shouted "Protest!": Can You Still Protest? (Rules 60.2, 60.4 and 63.4)

Someone else's hail does not count for you: shout "Protest!" yourself, or your protest is invalid.