Lining up on starboard before the start, the boat just to leeward waited, then turned hard up into me at the very last second — is she allowed to do that?
No. She is the leeward boat, so she has right of way and you must keep clear (Rule 11), and she is allowed to luff. But when a right-of-way boat changes course, Rule 16.1 says she must give you room to keep clear: enough space to respond promptly and in a seamanlike way. Turn that late and there is nowhere for you to go, so she breaks Rule 16.1. And no rule makes you anticipate her luff. If she wants the gap shut, she has to luff early.
📖 Want more situations like this one? Bryan Willis's The Rules in Practice 2025-2028 works through the rules as they happen round the racecourse. (affiliate link)
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<p><a href="https://sailing.kiwi.nz/v/IfuvElHJe98/">Source: Sailing Kiwi</a></p>Go deeper: books and gear
- Ronstan Clear Start race timer — A countdown timer made for sailing starts.
- The Rules in Practice 2025-2028 by Bryan Willis — Situations round the racecourse, worked through for the current rules.
- Tactics Made Simple by Jon Emmett — Racing tactics, explained simply.
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