SAILBOARD
WINDWARD MARKIntermediate

Clear ahead at the zone

The situation

Noor reaches the zone clear ahead of the boat chasing her. The chaser dives inside at the very last second, shouting for room.

The question

Does the boat that was clear ahead at the zone owe the diving boat room?

The ruling

No. When a boat is clear ahead as she reaches the zone, the boat that hasn't reached the zone — the one clear astern — must give her mark-room (rule 18.2(a)(2)), not the other way around. The chaser can't manufacture an inside overlap inside the zone and demand room; Noor is entitled to round, and the chaser keeps clear and rounds behind. (Had they been overlapped at the zone, the inside boat would get the room — but clear-ahead at the zone wins.)

Key point

Clear ahead at the zone gets mark-room from the boat behind — a late dive inside doesn't steal it (rule 18.2(a)(2)).

Play this on the board

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 18.2 — Windward Mark — Clear Ahead at the Zone.

Related cases

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    A pack of Optis converges on the windward mark on starboard. As the leaders reach the three-length zone, Kai is overlapped on the inside of the boat next to him; behind, boats are stacked up.

  • Inside at the windward mark · Windward Mark

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  • Tacking in the zone · Windward Mark

    Short of the layline, Ella tacks from port to starboard inside the zone, right in front of a boat that has been on starboard since before the zone and is fetching the mark.

  • Port-tack layline trap · Windward Mark

    Approaching the windward mark, Finn comes in on the port-tack layline and meets a starboard-tack boat also laying the mark. Finn calls for mark-room because he's the inside boat.

Related guide

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