A boat blocked my tack and my gybe and left me behind the start — isn't that illegal?

Name: Boxed Out At The Start? The Racing Rule Most Sailors Get Wrong
Uploaded: 2026-06-10T12:00:00+12:00
Description: A boat blocked my tack and my gybe and left me behind the start — isn't that illegal? No — Rule 16.1 (give room when you change course) only restricts the right-of-way boat, and the boxed-out boat never had right of way. Driving a rival away from the line is a legal pre-start move; being blocked is not, by itself, breaking a rule. (World Sailing Case 52.)

No — Rule 16.1 (give room when you change course) only restricts the right-of-way boat, and the boxed-out boat never had right of way. Driving a rival away from the line is a legal pre-start move; being blocked is not, by itself, breaking a rule. (World Sailing Case 52.)

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A boat blocked my tack and my gybe and left me behind the start — isn't that illegal?

Next on this shelf — The Start

Pre-Start Luff — The Leeward Boat Can Go Head to Wind (Case 13)

Changing Course as Right-of-Way Boat (Case 6)

OCS But No Horn — Do You Have to Go Back? (Case 31)