Rule 19, Room to Pass an Obstruction
CASE 3
A leeward port-tack boat, hailing for room to tack when faced with an oncoming
starboard-tack boat, an obstruction, is not required to anticipate that the
windward boat will fail to comply with her obligation to tack promptly or otherwise
provide room.
CASE 11
When boats are overlapped at an obstruction, including an obstruction that is
a right-of-way boat, the outside boat must give the inside boat room to pass
between her and the obstruction.
CASE 23
On a run, rule 19 does not apply to a starboard-tack boat that passes between
two port-tack boats ahead of her. Rule 10 requires both port-tack boats to keep
clear.
CASE 29
A leeward boat is an obstruction to an overlapped windward boat and a third
boat clear astern. The boat clear astern may sail between the two overlapped
boats and be entitled to room from the windward boat to pass between her and
the leeward boat, provided that the windward boat has been able to give that
room from the time the overlap began.
CASE 30
A boat clear astern that is required to keep clear but collides with the boat
clear ahead breaks the right-of-way rule that was applicable before the collision
occurred. A boat that loses right of way by unintentionally changing tack is
nevertheless required to keep clear.
CASE 33
A boat that hails for room to tack before safety requires her to tack is entitled
to receive room under rule 20.1(b), but by hailing at that time she breaks rule
20.3. An inside overlapped boat is entitled to room between the outside boat
and an obstruction under rule 19.2(b) even though she has tacked into the inside
overlapping position.
CASE 41
If an obstruction can be passed on either side by two overlapped boats, the
right-of-way boat, if she chooses to pass it to leeward, must give room to the
other. If the right-of-way boat chooses to pass it to windward, she is entitled
to room to do so, and the other boat must keep clear. There is no obligation
to hail for room at an obstruction.
CASE 43
A close-hauled port-tack boat that is sailing parallel and close to an obstruction
must keep clear of a boat that has completed her tack to starboard and is approaching
on a collision course.
CASE 49
When two protests arise from the same incident, or from very closely connected
incidents, they should be heard together in the presence of representatives
of all the boats involved.
Rule 20, Room to Tack at an Obstruction
CASE 3
A leeward port-tack boat, hailing for room to tack when faced with an oncoming
starboard-tack boat, an obstruction, is not required to anticipate that the
windward boat will fail to comply with her obligation to tack promptly or otherwise
provide room.
CASE 10
When two boats are involved in an incident and one of them breaks a rule, she
shall be exonerated when a third boat that also broke a rule caused the incident.
CASE 11
When boats are overlapped at an obstruction, including an obstruction that is
a right-of-way boat, the outside boat must give the inside boat room to pass
between her and the obstruction.
CASE 33
A boat that hails for room to tack before safety requires her to tack is entitled
to receive room under rule 20.1(b), but by hailing at that time she breaks rule
20.3. An inside overlapped boat is entitled to room between the outside boat
and an obstruction under rule 19.2(b) even though she has tacked into the inside
overlapping position.
CASE 35
When a boat is hailed for room to tack at an obstruction and replies ‘You
tack’, and the hailing boat is then able to tack and avoid the hailed
boat, the hailed boat has complied with rule 20.1(b).
CASE 54
When a boat approaching an obstruction has hailed for room to tack, the protest
committee should normally accept her judgment as to when safety required the
hail. When the hailing boat observes no response to her hail, she should hail
again more loudly. If after hailing she waits only a short time before tacking,
she deprives the other boat of a choice of actions and risks contact with her.
If a boat fails to keep a lookout she may fail to act reasonably to avoid contact.
CASE 101
When, in reply to her call for room to tack when close-hauled approaching an
obstruction, a boat is hailed ‘You tack’, and when she does so and
is then able to tack again to keep clear in a seamanlike way, the other boat
has given the room required.