SAILBOARD
WINDWARD MARKAdvanced

Doubt about the overlap

The situation

As the leaders reach the zone at the top mark, it's genuinely unclear whether Sofia (outside) and the boat inside her were overlapped at the moment the first of them reached the zone.

The question

Who gets the benefit of the doubt?

The ruling

If there's reasonable doubt that an overlap was established (or broken) in time, the rules presume it was not (rule 18.2). So if it's unclear whether the inside boat had her overlap when the first boat reached the zone, she's presumed not to have it — she gets no mark-room and must keep clear and round behind. The lesson for the inside boat: establish the overlap clearly and early, well before the zone, or you won't get the room.

Key point

Doubt about a last-second overlap at the zone? It's presumed there wasn't one — get your overlap clearly and early (rule 18.2).

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 — Mark-Room at a Windward Mark.

Related cases

  • Weather-mark pile-up · Windward Mark

    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.

  • 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.

  • Inside at the windward mark · Windward Mark

    Boats approach the windward mark (to be left to port) close-hauled. Green is overlapped inside Blue as the first of them reaches the three-length zone. Nearby, a third boat is about to tack onto the layline inside the zone.

  • 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 guides

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