Trapped against the shore
The situation
Two boats beat up a shoreline overlapped on starboard. Green is the leeward boat, close to the shore and running out of water; Blue is pinning her from windward. Green will run aground if she holds on.
The question
Green needs to tack to avoid the shore but Blue is in the way. What can she do?
The ruling
Green may hail “Room to tack!” Under rule 20 the hailed boat (Blue) must respond — either tack as soon as possible, or immediately reply “You tack.” She can't just ignore the hail. Here Blue tacks first to open room, then Green tacks behind her. While tacking, rule 13 still applies to both — neither has rights until back on a close-hauled course.
Trapped against an obstruction and need to tack? Hail “Room to tack” — the other boat must tack or tell you to.
Opens the situation on the boat-length grid — scrub it and see exactly how the boats meet. Free, no account needed.
Rules cited
See the underlying rule: Rule 20 — Room to Tack at an Obstruction.
Related cases
- “You tacked right into me” · Upwind / Beating
Beating along a shoreline, leeward Green is running out of water and hails “Room to tack!” to Blue, who is pinning her from windward. Blue says nothing and holds her lane. Green tacks to avoid going aground and the boats touch. Blue protests Green for tacking into her.
- Pinned and can't tack · Upwind / Beating
Mid-fleet upwind, Theo is pinned: a boat sits right on his windward hip, so he can't tack without hitting her, and he's stuck in bad air.
- Port meets starboard on the beat · Upwind / Beating
Both boats are beating to windward and their courses cross. Green has the wind on its starboard side; Red has it on the port side.
- Tacking too close (the lee-bow) · Upwind / Beating
Red, on port, tacks onto starboard close ahead and to leeward of Green, who is on starboard. As Red passes head to wind and settles, Green has to change course to avoid her.