This summer we had a protest in the Star Fleet which reminded me of one of the differences between our sport and most others. It was a crossing situation, going up wind. The Stars tend to come close to each other. A three foot gap when crossing is not considered close enough to comment on. This was a lot closer. The skipper on port thought they would cross clean. The skipper on starboard did not. He ducked to miss and protested, sighting rule 10, Opposite Tacks: port is to keep clear of starboard.
Of course we will never know for sure if they would have crossed or not. The only way to be sure they would not have made it involves broken boats. Not a desirable out come as Bill has enough to do just now. So the protest committee is inclined to give the ducking right of way boat the benefit of the doubt.
Even though she has rights, the starboard tack boat does have an obligation under rule 14 to avoid contact. Her skipper, if he thinks they are going to collide, is to act while there is still time to miss. Enough time for that skipper and crew, not the protest chair and crew, or any one else. If the protest committee is not sure, they usually assume that the skipper is the best judge of his own capabilities: he ducked when he had to.
This would imply that the gap needed to cross clean varies with the fleet you are sailing in and it does. The less maneuverable the boat, the sooner one needs to duck. The more risk adverse the skipper, the sooner he will duck. This last is effected by the seriousness of a possible collision, which is in turn effected by displacement and wind strength. Not to mention the skipper’s level of experience/confidence. There are lots of variables that determine how much space it takes to cross. Again, if the protest committee is not sure, they usually assume that the skipper is the best judge of his own boat: he ducked when he had to.
Being so trusted puts a lot of responsibility on the skipper of the right of way boat. He is expected to be fair to the other boat by holding course as long as he safely can: to duck and protest only when he is sure he has to.
This is not the way it works in other sports. For example in football the pass receiver does not get to decide if he was interfered with. And it is perfectly OK for him to fake a foul. If he falls down to try to draw a foul, even when not touched, he is considered smart. It is all part of that game.Not sailing. More is expected of sailboat racers. We are trusted by our rules and hopefully by our fellow racers. In turn the rules expect us to be trust worthy and “do the right thing” even when no one is watching. And for the most part, sailors have lived up to that expectation. Which is one of the things I like about our sport.
Steve Worcester, Star 6932