Racing Rules of Sailing
US SAILING
SUMMARY OF THE RULES THAT APPLY WHEN BOATS MEET
Simplified, Condensed, Unofficial
Below is a summary of the sailing rules that apply most often on the race
course. This summary is intended as an aid to sailors and not as a
substitute for the Racing Rules of Sailing, a copy of which all racing
sailors should own.
RIGHT-OF-WAY RULES PORT-STARBOARD. Port-tack boats
must keep clear of starboard-tack boats. (Rule 10)
Note: You are "keeping clear" of another boat when she doesn't have to
avoid you.
WINDWARD-LEEWARD. When boats are overlapped on the
same tack, the windward boat must keep clear. (Rule
11)
ON SAME TACK, ASTERN-AHEAD. When boats are on the
same tack and not overlapped, the boat clear astern must keep clear.
(Rule 12) Note: One boat is "clear astern" if she's entirely behind
a line through the other boat's aft-most point, perpendicular to the other
boat. The other boat is "clear ahead." Two boats are "overlapped" if
neither is clear ahead of the other.
TACKING TOO CLOSE. Before you tack, make sure
your tack will keep you clear of all other boats.
(Rule 13)
LIMITATIONS ON RIGHT OF WAY If the other boat must
keep clear, you have "right of way". Even if you have right of way, there
are limitations on what you can do: AVOID CONTACT. You must avoid
contact with other boats, but a right-of-way boat will not be penalized
under this rule unless the contact causes damage.
(Rule 14)
ACQUIRING RIGHT OF WAY. When you do something to
become the right-of-way boat, you must give the other boat a chance to get
away from you. (Rule 15)
CHANGING COURSE. When you change course, you must
give the other boat a chance to keep clear. (Rule
16)
ON THE SAME TACK; PROPER COURSE. If you are
overlapped to leeward of a boat on the same tack, and if just before the
overlap began you were clear astern of her, you cannot sail above your
proper course (i.e., the course that will take you to the next mark the
fastest) while you remain overlapped. (Rule 17.1)
PASSING MARKS AND OBSTRUCTIONS There is a set of
special rules for boats that are about to pass a mark or obstruction.
However, these special rules don't apply between boats on opposite tacks
on a beat to windward. (Rule 18.1) Except at
a starting mark, you must give boats over-lapped inside you room to pass a
mark or obstruction, and boats clear astern must keep clear of you.
There's a two-length zone around marks and obstructions, and a boat's
rights and obligations with respect to another boat are "frozen" when the
first of them enters that zone. If you are clear astern of another boat
when she enters the zone, you must keep clear of her until both boats are
past the mark or obstruction, even if you later become overlapped inside
her. (Rule 18.2) TACKING NEAR A MARK. Don't
tack within the two-length zone at a windward mark if you will cause a
boat that is fetching the mark to sail above close-hauled to avoid you, or
if you will prevent her from passing the mark. (Rule
18.3)
ROOM TO TACK AT AN OBSTRUCTION. When boats are on
the same tack on a beat and come to an obstruction, the leeward boat gets
to decide which way they are going to pass it. If the leeward boat hails
for room to tack, the other boat must give it to her; but the leeward boat
must give the other boat time to respond before she tacks.
(Rule 19)
OTHER RULES Before your Preparatory Signal, and
after you finish, don't interfere with boats that are about to start or
are racing. (Rule 22.1)
If you break a rule while racing, get away from other boats and do two
360-degree turns; if you hit a mark, do one turn.
(Rules 20 and 44) Note: Sometimes the Sailing Instructions require
you to fly a flag acknowledging that you broke a rule, instead of doing
turns. (Rule 44) If you start too soon, keep
clear of others until you get behind the line again.
(Rules 20 and 29)
Courtesy of
UNITED STATES SAILING ASSOCIATION
Box 1260, Portsmouth, Rl 02871
To order the 2001-2004 Racing Rules of Sailing, call
1 800 DS-SAIL-1 or order online:
www.ussailing.org
Copyright © 2001 United Stales Sailing Association
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