Outside-in gate at the windward mark

Outside-in gate at the windward mark  - by John Ball

Thanks and congratulations to the sailors, IOMICA, MYA, and the volunteers who put on a great show at the 2026 IOM World Championship at Datchet Water, UK.

The windward mark.

Initially, we saw the conventional windward mark with an offset, but many boats arrived together, on both starboard and port tacks and there were many incidents. The RC switched to an outside-in windward gate.

The outside-in gate has one big advantage – it usually splits the fleet over the two marks, reducing congestion, but it also has one big disadvantage – there is no longer an offset mark to separate the boats rounding and bearing away from the boats still approaching each mark. Look at the diagram, below.

Boats rounding the right-hand mark – mark to port, is quite conventional, with the proviso that while the boat bearing way is on stbd and has ROW over an approaching port tack boat, the stbd tack boat is subject to R 16.1 as she alters course. Green cannot just turn down and interfere with Blue. As they are on different legs, R 23.2 also applies, and the ROW boat is not interfering IF she is sailing her proper course.

Boats rounding the left-hand mark – mark to stbd, has all the issues of a stbd rounding – see my web site

https://sites.google.com/site/johnsrcsailingrulesandtactics/

and Chapter 3 bonus item – ‘Weather Mark – the ‘Dreaded Marks to Stbd’, but with no offset, they have the additional problem that they are on port and as they bear away to the run, have to stay clear of any approaching stbd tack boats. Yellow has to stay clear of Pale Blue. As they are on different legs, R 23.2 also applies, and the ROW boat is not interfering IF she is sailing her proper course.

John