Dear Dr. Rules:

Let's talk about "crossing situations."

A few weeks ago we were racing J/22 one designs at a big regatta and the following incident occurred: Two boats, GRUMPY and LG&M were leading the fleet to the favored right side of the course in very light air. Both boats were on port tack. GRUMPY was 1.5 boat lengths to leeward of LG&M and slightly bow out on her.

Approaching the starboard tack layline, GRUMPY, still on port tack, hails "Starboard." GRUMPY then holds position for more than two boat lengths and tacks onto starboard (she does not hail starboard again). LG&M holds her course and position the entire time and crosses GRUMPY by about 2 feet as GRUMPY's bow passes through head to wind. GRUMPY does not alter course, she merely completes her tack and continues on her course. Whereupon GRUMPY throws a flag and hails protest against LG&M. LG&M also throws a flag and hails protest against GRUMPY. When the protest is filed, GRUMPY alleges that LG&M is in violation of the rule governing boats meeting on opposite tacks.

Query:

1)Is GRUMPY's protest legitimate under the rules?

2)May LG&M properly file any counter-protests against GRUMPY? (She considered Rule 69 for improperly hailing starboard while on port tack and failure to keep clear while tacking, but filed neither.)

Thanks!
Larry Da Lobster

Dear Larry,

Who are you calling a query? And why is it that all the rules questions involve J/22’s? To quote Rodney King: “why can’t we all just get along?”

Anyway, as always, lets look at the book first and lets start with RRS 13 WHILE TACKING: After a boat passes head to wind, she shall keep clear of other boats until she is on a close-hauled course. During that time rules 10, 11 and 12 do not apply.

You stated that the time at which the boats were closest was two feet as GRUMPY's bow passed through head to wind (but I assume before she was on a new close-hauled course). So Grumpy was obligated to keep clear from that point until she was on a new close-hauled course. You state that she completed her tack and the boats did not collide, further you that LG&M didn’t have to alter course.

GRUMPY’s allegation that LG&M violated the rule governing boats meeting on opposite tacks does not apply because, as we read above, GRUMPY was not on starboard at the time of closest meeting, she was tacking.

To complete our due diligence, lets look at RRS 16 CHANGING COURSE: 16.1 When a right-of-way boat changes course, she shall give the other boat room to keep clear. Here, GRUMPY was the right-of-way boat since she was the leeward boat. Since LG&M did not have to alter course, we’ll say that GRUMPY gave LG&M room to keep clear, as windward boat.

Therefore, protest denied.

Now let’s look at whether LG&M’s counter-protest would have held up had they been filed. Reading RRS 69 ALLEGATIONS OF GROSS MISCONDUCT, 69.1 Action by a Protest Committee: (a) When a protest committee, from its own observation or a report received, believes that a competitor may have committed a gross breach of a rule or of good manners or sportsmanship, or may have brought the sport into disrepute, it may call a hearing.

I would not consider GRUMPY’s call of “starboard” while still on port a “gross” misconduct, I would merely call it a poor choice of words while attempting to warn LG&M they were about to tack to starboard. As for failure to keep clear while tacking, since LG&M didn’t have to alter course, there’s no foul.

So, Larry, get your “Lobster” tail back on the racecourse and act like a gentleman before I put on my oversized bib and start warming up the drawn butter…

Next Issue of Dr Rules: A review of the definition of “serious damage” as determined by the Volvo Ocean Race Protest Committee and an editorial on Lloyds of London’s de-gendering of boats.

Enter the PROTEST ROOM.