RULE 14
Avoiding Contact
A boat must avoid contact with another if reasonably possible — even when it has right of way.
Right of way is not a licence to hit another boat. A boat must avoid contact if reasonably possible, though a right-of-way boat (or one entitled to room) need not act to avoid contact until it is clear the other boat is not keeping clear. A right-of-way boat is only penalised under rule 14 if the contact causes damage or injury.
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Opens the animation on the boat-length grid — scrub it, edit it, or use it as a starting point. Free, no account needed.
limitationcontactcollisionlast-resort
How it interacts with other rules
- Rule 10 — On Opposite Tacks · limited by
Rule 14 limits the right-of-way boat under rule 10: it must still try to avoid contact.
- Rule 11 — On the Same Tack, Overlapped · limited by
Applies equally to leeward/windward situations under rule 11.