how can I.....

maestro · #1 (**permalink**) 06-05-2003

Here''s the scenario that I was faced with last week. How can I keep this from happening??

I rounded the 1st mark ( triangle course) to windward in the back of the pack. The next leg was a reach to the next mark and I made up lots of distance. as I got to within 200 yds for the mark, I passed another boat on my starboard side, but I didn''t have a clean route to the mark. As we both got closer, the other boat was pinching me farther and farther away from the mark. ( I was still ahead of her, but she began to overlap me) I thought about ducking behind her and going inside but she was a bigger boat and easily took all the good air. Anyways, she rounded tight to the mark while I was left way outside with a big turn around the mark.
My question is, how can I prevent her from pinching me?? I knew what she was doing but I didn''t know how to fight her off and get my boat on a better angle to the mark.

Jeff_H · #2 (**permalink**) 06-05-2003

Are you saying that this was a bear away rounding with the bigger boat to leeward and with an inside overlap?

Jeff

paulk · #3 (**permalink**) 06-06-2003

We need more information, like what tack you were on and which side the mark was being left, to determine which rules apply and who was where, when. Sailing World''s Rules section last month talked about downwind legs and taking people beyond the layline - this may be one of those situations.

maestro · #4 (**permalink**) 06-09-2003

I was on a starboard tack coming up on the leeward side. I was carrying lots of speed, so I went past her on the leeward side. She too was on starboard tack. She was overlapped for a short while behind and windward of me. I must say that we both know each other and she asked me politely for room around the mark. Our Sunday races are more fun than competitive, although everyone wants to win. However, she had enough room. what she was doing was pushing me farther away from the mark. She made the mark (it was a turn round the mark to starboard for a beat to the finish line) nice and tight, but I made a really wide turn because I was so off the course I wanted to be on. We played chicken to see who would move first and I clucked....

I''m not really looking for interpretations of rules. I know that at 2 boat lengths from the mark, If she''s overlapped, windward she has rights. I''m looking for tactics to prevent her from doing this to me next Sunday....do I quick tack behind her and go inside to windward and push her?? Do I cut to starboard and make her choose between moving outside of me or being pinched to the mark???

paulk · #5 (**permalink**) 06-09-2003

You have added some details that make it easier to understand the situation you describe. Both boats are on starboard tack, approaching the reaching mark, which is to be left to starboard. The other boat is to windward of you, but is overlapped at the 2 boat-length circle, and calls for room. To avoid this situation or at least improve it, you can do two things. The first might be to head off at or near the two boat length circle, in order to break the overlap. This may require taking the windward boat up well before the 2bl circle, so that you don''t have to head so far down to break the overlap that you''re sailing away from the mark. You may be limited in how you take him up, depending upon how the overlap was established> (...if it was within two boatlengths to leeward of him or not- check the rules.) If you can make the both of you approach the mark from the correct angle, your competititor will have no overlap, and you will not have to give them room. The second, trickier, option would be to give the windward boat all the room they want, but to slow down and cut inside them at the mark at the rounding. Since they''re going so wide, there must be room for you on the inside. This requires excellent boathandling and timing skills. The situation and conditions will determine which method may work the best. The third option is to talk to the race committee about avoiding starboard roundings. Good luck!

maestro · #6 (**permalink**) 06-10-2003

thank you for your thoughts....

It was funny that after the race the skipper walked up to me with a big smile and said thanks for "all that room" I asked for.

I thought about dipping under her but I was riding such a good speed that I thought I''d be able to get past her cleanly before the 2 boat length

Mike C.
s/v "Maetsro"