Windward and Leeward are fighting for position on a downwind leg of the course.  Leeward clearly has rights.  Windward fails to yield.  Leeward hails Windward who refuses to respond.  Frustrated, Leeward comes up to Windward and intentionally “taps” her rail.  Both parties exchange angry words and demand action from the M.A.S.T. Race Committee at the conclusion of the race.

The Race Committee should:

I. Ignore the whole thing since there is no way to tell who was right.
II. Admonish both boats for breaking the rules.
III. Disqualify Windward for failing to yield when it was clear that Leeward had rights.
IV. Disqualify Leeward for unsportsmanlike conduct for intentionally hitting Windward.

See the answer below.
 
 
 
 

Answer:
  In this case, there is no dispute that Windward was required to yield and broke the rules by failing to do so (see Quiz #1).  Failing to give way represents a hazard to other racers and the Race Committee should provide appropriate guidance to the skipper of Windward.  In many clubs Windward would be disqualified, but M.A.S.T. has a strong tradition of not allowing protests, preferring to work through educating its members.

  The Race Committee also needs to consider Leeward’s conduct in intentionally initiating a collision.  Lets look first at the Racing Rules of Sailing.

14 AVOIDING CONTACT
A boat shall avoid contact with another boat if reasonably possible. However, a right-of-way boat or one entitled to room
(a) need not act to avoid contact until it is clear that the other boat is not keeping clear or giving room, and
(b) shall not be penalized unless there is contact that causes damage.

In many clubs, this is interpreted to allow an intentional “tap” which can be used in the Protest Room to demonstrate that the offending boat did not meet their obligation to keep clear.

However, the M.A.S.T. Racing manual takes priority over the Racing Rules of Sailing:

“In tandem with these thoughts, let us respectfully request and remind our racers to always keep a look-out /hailer; that sailing into dangerous situations regardless of rights must be avoided; and that our tradition is to never call a protest committee hearing.”

“Safety first is THE most important rule for MAST racers.  Be particularly careful at the start.  Keep your crew on the look-out for other yachts at all times.  When in doubt, STEER CLEAR!”

In M.A.S.T. racing initiating an intentional collision is never acceptable no matter how minor or potentially justified under the Racing Rules of Sailing.  Leeward broke the most fundamental M.A.S.T. rule in intentionally creating a situation where a misjudgment or unexpected change could have caused damage or injury.

The correct answer is B.   Both boats broke the rules and were responsible for creating a hazardous situation.
 

   If you have a rules situation that you'd like to see covered in the quizzes, send an e-mail to mast_yc@geocities.com  There's a wealth of information on the racing rules at Art Engel's site  http://www.racingrules.org/   including a rules guide and some additional quizzes. A current rules book is included as part of membership in U.S. Sailing – check for membership information at  http://www.ussailing.org   The rules are posted on the International Sailing Federation Web site at http://www.sailing.org