I'm sailing short-handed — do I get extra room at an obstruction?
No. Under Rule 19.2(b) the outside boat owes the inside boat room to pass an obstruction, but 'room' is measured against a competent crew of the normal number for the boat — an imaginary yardstick, not the crew you actually brought. Your crew's size or experience never changes the room you're owed. The same fixed standard applies to mark-room and everywhere 'room' appears in Part 2. (World Sailing Case 103.)
📖 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/cYd6o5xyBNA/">Source: Sailing Kiwi</a></p>Go deeper: books and gear
- Tactics Made Simple by Jon Emmett — Racing tactics, explained simply.
- The Sail Racing Bible — A complete guide to dinghy racing.
- The Rules in Practice 2025-2028 by Bryan Willis — Situations round the racecourse, worked through for the current rules.
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