To the Shark Fleet at Britannia Yacht Club:

I've been racing sailboats the better part of my life, including two America's Cup campaigns, and still it seems a day never goes by where I don't learn something new. That's the great thing about our sport!

I hope you find these items helpful and interesting. They're reprinted, with permission, from my monthly newsletter "Speed & Smarts". To see a sample issue, and to find out how you can subscribe, just visit our web site.

I wish you a safe and successful season of Shark racing on Lac Deschenes.

Publisher,
Speed & Smarts

Quick Quiz, reprinted from Speed & Smarts, number 47.

3...2...1...Contact!

Here's a renewed look at the question of what to do when you have contact with another boat. Imagine two boats, P and S, sailing in their starting area with 10 knots of wind. Four minutes before their starting signal, P (on port tack) and S (on starboard tack) are reaching straight toward each other (see diagram). Neither boat is keeping a good lookout, so they have contact. According to the rules, what (if anything) must P and S do? Explain this for 3 different contact situations:

1) The contact is minor with no damage to either boat;

2) There is (non-serious) damage to one of the boats;

3) There is serious damage to one of the boats. (Does it matter if that boat is unable to continue racing?)

The incident(s) happened four minutes before the start, so the first question is whether these boats have to take any penalty at all. The racing rules apply between these boats because they "intend to race" and are sailing in their racing area (see preamble to Part 2).

We also know these boats are racing (see definition) because it is after their preparatory signal (the 5-minute gun). Therefore, they can be penalized if they break a rule.

In each of the three situations, P has broken rule 10 because she was on port tack and did not keep clear of S on starboard tack. So P will have to take a penalty.

But how about the contact? Rule 14 says, 'A boat shall avoid contact with another boat if reasonably possible." Was it possible for P or S to avoid this contact? Yes. Either could have avoided the collision on their own if they had been watching. So, in all three situations, both boats broke rule 14. What does this mean for a penalty?

Situation 1 - The contact is minor with no damage.

P broke 14 and is thus penalized. However; she already had to do one 720 for breaking rule 10, so she need not take another penalty for breaking a second rule in the same incident (see rule 44.4b).

S also broke 14, but she is exonerated by the second part of that rule, which says a right-of-way boat "shall not be penalized unless there is contact that causes damage." Penalty summary:

P: One 720 S: No penalty

Situation 2- There is damage (non-serious) to one boat.

P's penalty is the same as in Situation 1 - one 720 for breaking rules 10 and 14 in the same incident. S broke rule 14 again, but this time she must take a penalty because she could have avoided contact that caused damage. S may do a 720 because rule 14 is in Part 2 of the rulebook (see rule 44).

Note it doesn't matter which boat is damaged. If there is damage to either (even if you damage your own boat),this is considered damage by rule 14. Penalty summary:

P: One 720 S: One 720

Situation 3 - There is serious damage to one of the boats. (Does it matter if that boat is unable to continue racing?)

As in Situation 2, both boats break rule 14 and cause damage, and therefore they must accept a penalty. However; they are not permitted to do a 720 in this case. According to rule 44.1, a boat that causes serious damage "shall retire." So that is what P and S must do.

If one boat is damaged and can't continue racing, she could ask for redress. However; she may get redress only if the damage occurs "through no fault of her own." Since both boats broke rules, both are at fault to some degree, so they probably would not get redress. Penalty summary:

P: Retire S: Retire

Watch for more items from Speed & Smarts coming soon!