Forum: The Racing Rules of Sailing
A Puzzler for the Holiday
P
Angelo GuarinoNationality: United States
Certifications:
- Regional Judge
- Fleet Measurer
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So .. this is a different sort of challenge. It's a bit of a 'dance on the head of the pin' (I know .. surprise, surprise coming from me) ... but here it goes ....
Rule 30.1 states:
Rule 30.1 states:
30.1. I Flag Rule
If flag I has been displayed, and any part of a boat's hull, crew or equipment is on the course side of the starting line or one of its extensions during the last minute before her starting signal, she shall sail across an extension to the pre-start side before starting.
If flag [Z/U/Blk] has been displayed, no part of a boat’s hull, crew or equipment shall be in the triangle formed by the ends of the starting line and the first mark during the last minute before her starting signal.
Now, looking at the above rules, they are structured completely differently ..
- 30.1's structure is ..
- "If I flag .. and any part of boat .. is on course side .. [then] she shall sail across ...".
- 30.2/3/4's structure is .. [emphasis added]
- "If flag Z/U/Blk, [then] no part of boat ... shall be in the triangle .. "
So here are the (eye-roll deserving) questions .. I ask that you defend what ever position you take by siting the rules that apply or cases that influence the interpretations of the applicable rules.
Questions:
Questions:
- When Z/U/Blk flag is flown, since the rule states that no part of the boat shall be in the triangle in the last min .. if a boat is approaching them but not approaching to start ..
- Is the triangle an excluded area? (why/why not)
- Is the triangle an obstruction in the last min? (why/why not).
- Since the triangle intersects the RC and the pin on certain sides, is the opposite side of those marks "required sides" (why/why not).
- If you find logically that there there is a required side to the starting marks in the last min when Z/U/Blk is flown, can 18 apply between boats as they approach them .. if they are not approaching them to start?
Comments
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Curiously we've had reason to ponder this exact 'anomoly' and we decided the triangle is not an exclusion zone or a mark of the course. the way the flag rules are written ostensibly makes sailing into the triangle an option albeit with severe adverse consequences. ie the rule does not say you shall not sail in the triangle, rather it gives consequences of doing so.
Splitting hairs perhaps but my take is that the triangle is not a navigation hazard nor a mark and is therefor not an obsturction so the rules for rounding or passing marks and obstructions do not apply other than the marks as start marks.
How is the language found in 30.2/3/4 different from the common language found in SI’s describing “exclusion zones”? ... for example ... “no part of a boat shall cross the zone bounded by buoy A, B, C etc....”
The phrase 'excluded area' is not a term known to the RRS. The term has no meaning. It is irrelevant to any rules dispute whether it is an 'excluded area' or not.
The triangle area is not an object that a boat could not pass without changing course if shew were sailing directly towards it and one of her hull lengths from it.
It is not an area designated in the SI as an obstruction. To 'designate' and area as an obstruction requires clear express words in the SI like 'the triangle ... is an obstruction'. An area cannot be 'designated' by inference.
The triangle area does not comply with the definition of Obstruction and is not an obstruction.
The phrase 'required side' is not (since 1995) a term known to the RRS. The term has no meaning. it is irrelevant to any rules dispute whether there are any 'required sides' or not.
'Required side' has no meaning. Unnecessary to answer.
1-2) No, an "area" is not an "object", so does not satisfy the definition Obstruction
2) No, the "required side" is the side that satisfies 28.2(a)
3) No, per Section C preamble
Q1. 1. The triangle is not an “excluded area” unless it is named as such. Excluded area is not a defined term in the rules and although its an expression often used in SIs it is only given meaning once a requirement is set out or a penalty is applied in which case it describes an area in relation to which the requirement or penalty applies. The requirement may be stay out of, or to remain in, the exclusion zone or area and for a specified time period. For instance the for the start of the Rolex Sydney to Hobart the SI’s specify an exclusion area that competing yachts MUST sail through. It is the spectator craft that are excluded from the exclusion area.
That means a properly starting boat enters the triangle inches before crossing the starting line when the SI defines the line as the course side of the marks.
The drawing is supposed to be a graphical representation of the words used in 30.2/3/4, which is “ends of the starting line”. Therefore, being across the line will be the same as the base of the triangle, however that is defined in the SI’s
or called by the linesman.That triangle base will intersect the pin-object [on the course-side]
some place/mannerand that intersectionwill[might appear to] have the effect of describing a side of the pin a boat shall not pass in the last min.I tried to warn everyone that this was "a different sort of challenge" .... because I put a couple "red herrings" in there to hopefully make you say, 'hmmm .. wait a second here .. " (which didn't fool anyone).
This is how I would answer it, which incorporates answers already given. I'm not saying what follows is "correct" (since I made the entire thing up) .. so if you feel my solution is in error somehow, please provide corrections.
Here I go ..
This was the first distraction and it didn't fool anyone. As many posted, the term "excluded area" doesn't mean anything in the RRS, so calling it such has no effect.
In several different past threads, we've discussed the effect and effectiveness (or lack thereof) of SI's that define/section-off water that boats are not allowed to sail into. SI's can call them whatever they want .. "exclusion zones, restricted area, no-sail zones, etc...", but unless these SI's are carefully worded, they may not have the effect the authors intended and if these areas are not specifically designated as an Obstruction, then they are not obstructions unless they meet the definition of obstruction for other reasons.
This is another "red herring".
"Required Side" (or some derivation of that phrase) occurs several places in the RRS in relation to a Mark ..
Let's break-up the word into "required" and "side" .. and take "side" first.
"Required/Specified/Same Side" all have the word "side" in them.
In the RRS, the object/noun to which the word "side" refers depends upon how and where it is being used.
When "required side" is used in relation to a mark, it is always in the context of a larger phrase that includes a verb. These verbs are "round, pass, or leave". For instance Mark-Room's use ..
These verbs refer to the action of a boat and therefore, required/specified/same side, when referring to marks, though the word "side" is always closest to the work "mark" and we commonly associate the "side" to the mark .. this mark "to port" .. that mark "to starboard" .., it is not the side of the mark but the side of the boat(s) being referenced as these boats 'round', 'pass' or 'leave' it.
So, thinking about a "side of the mark" in the drawing is bogus, it's the side of the boat. In the drawing below, both boats are passing the mark outside of the triangle on opposite sides.
Since there is no "side" imposed by the existence of the 30.2/3/4 triangle, therefore there is no required side.
Since we didn't "find [logically] that there there is a required side", the answer to 3 is also NO
First I defer to your better research about 'required side'.
Before studying your complete solution above, here is my solution.
Excluded or Prohibited Areas
Rule 28.2 Required Side
Mark-Room at starting marks under rule 30
Last one first ..
IMO, this is correct. 30.1 is worded in a significantly different way than 30.2/3/4. 30.1's and 30.2/3/4's structures are as follows:
30.1 doesn't impose any restriction on the boat. It simply states if a boat finds itself in the condition, it must take the specified action. IMO, if 30.2/3/4 also used the same structure, I think the entire remaining discussion would be more obviously moot.
For instance (and risking a kerfuffle) , rewriting 30.3 in 30.1's 'no restriction' form (replacing “no ... shall be” with “and any ... is”):
nopart of a boat’s hull, crew or equipmentshall be[is] in the triangle formed by the ends of the starting line and the first mark during the last minute before her starting signal. If a boat breaks this rule[,]and [the boat] is identified, she shall be disqualified without a hearing, but not if the race is restarted or resailed.But, that's not how 30.2/3/4 is written.
I've been thinking through this trying to make sure I didn't miss something ... so here is my best whack at explaining how I see why 18 never applies to starting marks when 30.2/3/4 is in effect.
In my last post, I broke apart "required side" and focused on the term "side" and that it means the 'side of the boat' the mark is on when the boat is doing the verb (rounding/passing/leaving) .. and it is not .. 'the side of the mark'. I ended with this image below, showing 2 boats passing the mark outside the triangle on opposite "sides" .. Blue to starboard and Yellow to port .. showing that there isn't a "side" which is common to all boats.
So for the rest of the argument, I think I'd focus the other-half of "required side"... on "required”.
What "requires" a boat to sail any course in a race? I think the answer to that is RRS 28.
Let's look at the following drawing under 30.2/3/4 with less than 1 min to start at the pin-end.
The starting gun goes off a position #5. Prior to the gun, while 30.2/3/4 is in effect, Green leaves the pin to starboard, Red leaves the pin to port and both boats have clean starts. No rule broken and no penalties.
Arguably, RRS 28 starts applying to Red at #1 but at least at #3-4, but does not apply to Green until position #8 (on prestart-side and approaching line to start). The important point is that both left the pin-mark on opposite sides of each other because they were not "required" to leave or pass the mark in any way or side until RRS 28 starts to apply.
Let's make it a little more questionable .. again starting gun goes off at #5 under 30.2/3/4
This time we have boats on the course-side of the line, outside of the triangle in the final seconds. At first blush one might think that because they both have to get to the prestart-side of the line before starting and the boats are overlapped, and 30.2/3/4 says ‘no part of the boat shall be in the triangle’ that Blue might owe Yellow mark-room because as 18.1 states ..
But as you can see, Yellow is not actually required to leave the mark to the same side as Blue. By slowing her speed and awaiting the starting gun, yellow was able to wait-out the triangle-restriction and "leave" the pin to starboard while Blue left it to port prior to RRS 28 taking effect for both boats (@#6 for Blue and @#8 for yellow).
In fact, I would argue that Yellow didn’t “leave” the pin mark at all before position #5 while 30.2/3/4 were in effect. At position #5, Yellow still had time to maneuver and “leave” the pin to either side, but choose to pass it to starboard.
So .. how I see it, even though 30.2/3/4 states that no part of the boat shall be in the triangle, there is neither a "requirement" to leave/pass nor a common "side" on which to leave/pass the starting-marks .... prior to the boats approaching them to start at which time RRS 28 kicks-in. Once they are approaching to start, the preamble to Section C excludes 18 and therefore RRS 18 can not apply at any time to the starting marks under 30.2/3/4.
creates the problem of each boat deciding where the obstruction lies.
Most obstructions encompassed by the rules are visible and predictable.
Recognizing the line by taking range bearings from each end of the line
is easy. Not so for the other legs of the triangle.
Avoid "solutions" that create unsolvable post-race arguments, or worse,
pre-start monitoring requirements of the RC beyond sighting the starting line.
> "probably should be) designated as obstructions in the Sailing Instructions"
What I was trying to say was that when the SI specify a 'prohibited area', by whatever name, they probably should also designate that area as an obstruction.
If a 'prohibited area' is not designated as an obstruction, then a right-of-way boat can 'herd' a give way boat into the prohibited area then protest them for breaking the SI.
If the prohibited area is designated as an obstruction, an outside right-of-way boat must give a boat inside room at the area boundary.
Even though the area boundary may be difficult to observe, making it an obstruction still works: for the outside boat to claim that the inside boat broke the SI, she has to admit that she did not give rule 19 room.