How do I know if I'm on port or starboard tack?
Your tack is set by which side the wind hits first: if the wind hits your port (left) side first, you're on port tack; if it hits your starboard (right) side first, you're on starboard. Under Rule 10, a boat on port tack must keep clear of a boat on starboard tack whenever they're on opposite tacks and might collide.
📖 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/mIEv-0HtCsY/">Source: Sailing Kiwi</a></p>Go deeper: books and gear
- Racing Rules Companion 2025-2028 by Bryan Willis — Spiral-bound pocket guide to the current rules.
- The Rules in Practice 2025-2028 by Bryan Willis — Situations round the racecourse, worked through for the current rules.
- BLUESTORM lifejacket — A lifejacket for time on the water.
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