Windward leg, with a Spreader mark. Boat A infringes at the 1st windward; Continues, reasonably i think, because only 8m to the Spreader mark and little space to do turn it (without carnage in amongst boats still approaching the 1st windward). On way to Spreader, Boat H is slightly overlapping from astern and to windward. Boat A carries on past the Spreader mark in order - aiming to be polite - to get clear before doing the penalty turn. But, in doing so, Boat H itself is therefore unable to bear away onto the run.

Boat A had, prior to Spreader, acknowledged their infringement and their need to do a turn.

Is there a rule against 'sailing above proper course to the next mark' at a bear away mark - I can't remember. Or, if not, does a boat with a penalty to take need to keep clear regardless of (normal) rights?

Edited February 8Feb 8 by Colin Helliwell

Hi Colin,

I think the appropriate rule here is R 21.2.

21.2 A boat taking a penalty shall keep clear of one that is not
Bottom line - the boat is not subject to R 21.2 until she is clearly starting to take her penalty turn. Until then she has all the rights and obligations of a boat that is racing. So the boat that is slightly overlapped to windward has to stay clear under R 11. For example, if the boat began to luff up prior to tacking, and complied with R 16.1 Altering course, the windward overlapped boat must stay clear.

Proper course does not apply as there is no mention of proper course in the rules that apply here.

The main question is 'is that boat making any effort to get clear 'as soon as possible' to being taking their penalty? An incident at the weather mark or on the offset leg is always a challenge as the leg is very short, and as boats bare away to reach to the offset, they speed up - often beginning to plane.

John

Thanks John.

Difficult to judge against that - Boat A didn't luff to tack, just carried on in straight line, aiming to get out to the side of the (run) rhumb line. They were, essentially, trying to get clear asap to take the penalty... yet pushed Boat H wide/high in doing so....

In that sense, were they arguably not making adequate effort to keep clear'...?

Edited February 8Feb 8 by Colin Helliwell

In that sense, were they arguably not making adequate effort to keep clear'...?

That would be up to a Protest Committee to decide - my take is going straight on for a couple of lengths before starting to luff up for a tack to get clear of the mark may be ok.

John

Additional homework!

Read the Call Book for Radio Sailing, Call P5 and especially answer 2, and also Call P6.

John

When taking a penalty turn a boat CAN turn either way - my preference is to bear away first to gybe before tacking