Team Race Call G3
If a boat's sail does not fill after a gybe, she is not sailing yet with the sail on that side of the boat, so her windward side determines the tack she is on.
Question 1
B and Y are overlapped on starboard tack on a very broad reach. Y is subject to rule 17. Without changing course, Y gybes, allowing her boom to go right across and her sail to fill on the new tack. She then immediately gybes back and luffs B. B responds to the luff and protests. What should the call be?


Answer 1
No penalty.

Because Y’s sail fills in a running position after the gybe, she is sailing by the lee, and has therefore changed tack and rule 17 ceases to apply. When she gybes back onto starboard tack, rule 17 does not apply.

Question 2
The circumstances are the same except that Y’s first 'gybe' is performed by pulling the boom just across the centre-line, flicking the boom so the sail fills on the new side, and then immediately pushing the boom back to the previous side. Y then luffs, B responds and protests. What should the call be?

Answer 2
Penalize Y.

Y is never sailing by the lee. Therefore her windward side determines the tack she is on. Because this does not change, she remains on starboard tack throughout the manoeuvre and therefore breaks rule 17 when she luffs.
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