The Racing Rules of Sailing

Mark Room at Downwind Finish, Rules 10 v 18

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Daniel Hewlette
Nationality: United States
Multiple keelboats at a downwind finish, all with spinnakers flying. There are additional boats finishing nearby, but this question focuses on the 3 boats finishing at the edge of the line. How do rules 18 and 10 (and possibly 43) play out here, when a boat on port required to give mark room (B giving room to A) must force a starboard boat (C) to jibe to do so at the finish.

Situation:
Finish line is between the committee boat (not shown) and the illustrated pin (which must be left to starboard).

Boats A and B are on port tack; Boat C is on starboard tack. Wind is from behind and all
boats are on a run, with spinnakers flying. At position 1, when Boat A enters the Zone:

  1. Boat B is overlapped with Boat A
  2. Boat C is overlapped with Boat B
  3. Boat C is also overlapped with Boat A, via the overlap with Boat B

At position 2, Boat B hails Boat C to alert them they (Boat B) must be given room. Boat C continues on a collision course with Boat B.

At position 3, Boat C get close enough to cause Boat B to deviate, eliminating the room Boat A needs to finish. No contact is made. Boat B yells “Protest.”

Also at position 3, Boat A, seeing the potential collision and no room to make the finish, begins to turn away and prepares to abandon the race. 

At position 4, Boat C jibes and sails away from the mark, giving Boat B enough room to head up and provide room for Boat A to finish.
  1. Does C owe mark room to B? Even if it requires C to jibe from starboard to port?
  2. Does C owe mark room to A?
  3. Should B have broken 10 while complying with 18, denied A room, or something else?
  4. Does 43.1 (b) exonerate B for breaking 10? Is 43 relevant here at all?
  5. B protested C for not providing room, but C felt they had the right of way. Who would prevail at a hearing?

Anything I've not covered/considered here?

I've looked at several cases that address part of this situation, but haven't seen this exact one yet. If you know of a case or other disambiguation of the rule taking 'priority' here, please share!
Created: Yesterday 17:57
Tips
100 WIND
2026-05-03 - Al Sargent

Comments

Format:
Wayne Balsiger
Nationality: United States
Certifications:
  • Regional Judge
Forget about this being a finish line.
This is a leeward mark. Therefore 18.1(a) and 18.2(a) Giving Mark-Room applies. All the same as any leeward mark overlap situation.
Mark-Room is defined.
Created: Yesterday 18:18
Tips
50 WIND
2026-05-03 - Al Sargent
Satish Kumar Kanwar
Certifications:
  • International Judge
  • International Race Officer
1. Refer Definition : Clear Astern and Clear Ahead; Overlap  One boat is clear astern of another
when her hull and equipment in normal position are behind a line abeam
from the aftermost point of the other boat’s hull and equipment in normal
position. The other boat is clear ahead. They overlap when neither is clear
astern. However, they also overlap when a boat between them overlaps both.
These terms always apply to boats on the same tack. They apply to boats on
opposite tacks only when rule 18 applies between them or when both boats
are sailing more than ninety degrees from the true wind.

Therefore all three boats were overlapped at the Zone as they were sailing more than ninety degrees from the true wind.

2. Rule 18.1 (a)  applies
(a) Rule 18 applies between boats when they are required to leave a mark on the same side and at least one of them is in the zone (Boats were overlapped when A reached the zone at position 1 and entitled to mark room.)

3. 18.2 (a) (1) applies and  Giving Mark-Room (a) When the first of two boats reaches the zone,
(1) if the boats are overlapped, the outside boat at that moment shall give the inside boat mark-room;
In our case B is to give mark room to A; and C is required to give mark room to both A and B.

4. B breaks rule 10 against C; but she will be exonerated under rule 43.1(b) as she is sailing within the mark room entitled to her from C and comply with her obligations to A.

C DSQ under rule 18.2(a)(1) 
Created: Yesterday 18:36
David Taylor
Nationality: Australia
Certifications:
  • Regional Judge
  • Regional Race Officer
Satish' analysis looks most excellent to me.

He doesn't answer Q5 directly but effectively deals with it in his Q3 answer. If C felt they had ROW and that this somehow overrules rule 18, I suggest they read the preamble to Part A the last sentence of which says "However, some rules in Sections B, C and D limit the actions of a right-of-way boat." Rule 18 is one of those ;-) C is toast!
Created: Today 08:22
Al Sargent
Nationality: United States
My perspective on your questions:
1) yes
2) yes
3) yes
4) yes
5) B would prevail because C didn’t give enough room for A to pass the finish mark per your drawing. A’s starboard side, boom, and/or mainsheet is about to hit the finish mark. 
Created: Yesterday 21:14
Question 3: I assume A did not obtain its overlap on B from clear astern as that would be difficult at their point 1 positions. But even if it did it does not really matter.
Rule 11 requires B to keep clear of A therefore B infringes A when she pushes her down from her existing course. B’s defence would be that C failed to give sufficient room for B to meet her rule 11 obligations to A.
(Room and therefore Mark Room include space to comply with obligations of part 2 rules which include R11)
There is an argument that at position 2, B could have and therefore should have gybed which means A would have to as well. That might exonerate C for its later infringement
Created: Yesterday 22:36
Chin In
Nationality: Malaysia
Certifications:
  • National Umpire
  • National Judge
Agreed with Satish Kumar, we had discussed similar case in our group chat before... 
Created: Today 00:46
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