SAILBOARD
WINDWARD MARKAdvancedChallenging

She hit the mark — and isn't penalized

The situation

Inside and entitled to mark-room at the windward mark, Green is squeezed by outside boat Blue, who fails to give her enough room. Pinned, Green's hull touches the mark. Blue protests Green under rule 31 for touching the mark.

At first glance

Touching a mark is touching a mark — Green hit it, so she owes a One-Turn Penalty under rule 31. Open and shut.

The question

Green clearly touched the mark — can she really escape the penalty?

The ruling

Yes — Green is exonerated and Blue is the one penalized. Green was entitled to mark-room and was forced into the mark because Blue didn't give it. A boat compelled to break a rule (here rule 31) while taking the mark-room she's owed is exonerated under rule 43; she does no turn. Blue broke rule 18.2 by failing to give mark-room. The boat that touched the buoy walks; the boat that squeezed her pays.

Key point

Forced onto the mark while owed mark-room? You're exonerated (rule 43) — the boat that squeezed you broke 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

  • Clipping the weather mark · Windward Mark

    Squeezing around the windward mark in a crowd, Zoe's bow nudges the buoy as she rounds.

  • Denied room at the windward mark · Windward Mark

    Approaching the windward mark, Finn comes in on the port-tack layline, overlapped inside a starboard-tack boat that is also laying the mark. Finn hails for mark-room as the inside boat, is refused, has to bear away, and protests for being denied his room.

  • The inside boat who tacked in · Windward Mark

    Short of the layline, Ella tacks from port to starboard inside the zone, ending up overlapped inside a boat that has been on starboard fetching the mark since before the zone. Ella calls for mark-room as the inside boat; the boats nearly touch and she protests.

  • 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.

Related guide

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