A boat or competitor shall give all possible help to any person or vessel
in danger
2.  Fair Sailing
A boat and her owner shall compete in compliance with recognized
Principles of sportsmanship and fair play.
10 ON OPPOSITE TACKS
When boats are on opposite tacks, a port-tack boat shall keep clear of
a starboard-tack boat.
11 ON THE SAME TACK, OVERLAPPED
When boats are on the same tack and overlapped, a windward boat
shall keep clear of a leeward boat.
12 ON THE SAME TACK, NOT OVERLAPPED
When boats are on the same tack and not overlapped, a boat clear
astern shall keep clear of a boat clear ahead.
13 WHILE TACKING
After a boat passes head to wind, she shall keep clear of other boats
until she is on a close-hauled course. During that time rules 10, 11
and 12 do not apply. If two boats are subject to this rule at the same
Part 2 WHEN BOATS MEET
time, the one on the other’s port side or the one astern shall keep
clear.
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 or mark-room
(a) need not act to avoid contact until it is clear that the other boat
is not keeping clear or giving room or mark-room, and
(b) shall not be penalized under this rule unless there is contact
that causes damage or injury.
15 ACQUIRING RIGHT OF WAY
When a boat acquires right of way, she shall initially give the other
boat room to keep clear, unless she acquires right of way because of
the other boat’s actions.
16 CHANGING COURSE
16.1 When a right-of-way boat changes course, she shall give the other
boat room to keep clear.
16.2 In addition, when after the starting signal a port-tack boat is keeping
clear by sailing to pass astern of a starboard-tack boat, the starboard-
tack boat shall not change course if as a result the port-tack
boat would immediately need to change course to continue keeping
clear.
17 ON THE SAME TACK; PROPER COURSE
If a boat clear astern becomes overlapped within two of her hull
lengths to leeward of a boat on the same tack, she shall not sail above
her proper course while they remain on the same tack and overlapped
within that distance, unless in doing so she promptly sails
astern of the other boat. This rule does not apply if the overlap

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SECTION C
AT MARKS AND OBSTRUCTIONS
Section C rules do not apply at a starting mark surrounded by navigable
water or at its anchor line from the time boats are approaching
them to start until they have passed them. When rule 20 applies,
rules 18 and 19 do not.
18 MARK-ROOM
18.1 When Rule 18 Applies
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. However,
it does not apply
(a) between boats on opposite tacks on a beat to windward,
(b) between boats on opposite tacks when the proper course at the
mark for one but not both of them is to tack,
(c) between a boat approaching a mark and one leaving it, or
(d) if the mark is a continuing obstruction, in which case rule 19
applies.
18.2 Giving Mark-Room
(a) When boats are overlapped the outside boat shall give the
inside boat mark-room, unless rule 18.2(b) applies.
(b) If boats are overlapped when the first of them reaches the zone,
the outside boat at that moment shall thereafter give the inside
boat mark-room. If a boat is clear ahead when she reaches the
zone, the boat clear astern at that moment shall thereafter give
her mark-room.
(c) When a boat is required to give mark-room by rule 18.2(b), she
shall continue to do so even if later an overlap is broken or a
new overlap begins. However, if the boat entitled to mark room passes
Head to wind or leaves the zone 18.2(b) ceases to apply.
(d) If there is reasonable doubt that a boat obtained or broke an

Part 2 WHEN BOATS MEET
(e) If a boat obtained an inside overlap from clear astern and,
from the time the overlap began, the outside boat has been
unable to give mark-room, she is not required to give it.
18.3 Tacking When Approaching a Mark
If two boats were approaching a mark on opposite tacks and one of
them changes tack, and as a result is subject to rule 13 in the zone
when the other is fetching the mark, rule 18.2 does not thereafter
apply. The boat that changed tack
(a) shall not cause the other boat to sail above close-hauled to
avoid her or prevent the other boat from passing the mark on
the required side, and
(b) shall give mark-room if the other boat becomes overlapped
inside her.
18.4 Gybing
When an inside overlapped right-of-way boat must gybe at a mark to
sail her proper course, until she gybes she shall sail no farther from
the mark than needed to sail that course. Rule 18.4 does not apply at
a gate mark.
18.5 Exoneration
When a boat is taking mark-room to which she is entitled, she shall
be exonerated
(a) if, as a result of the other boat failing to give her mark-room,
she breaks a rule of Section A, or
(b) if, by rounding the mark on her proper course, she breaks a
rule of Section A or rule 15 or 16.
19 ROOM TO PASS AN OBSTRUCTION
19.1 When Rule 19 Applies
Rule 19 applies between boats at an obstruction except when it is
also a mark the boats are required to leave on the same side. However,
at a continuing obstruction, rule 19 always applies and rule 18
does not.
19.2 Giving Room at an Obstruction
(a) A right-of-way boat may choose to pass an obstruction on

Part 2 WHEN BOATS MEET
(b) When boats are overlapped, the outside boat shall give the
inside boat room between her and the obstruction, unless she
has been unable to do so from the time the overlap began.
(c) While boats are passing a continuing obstruction, if a boat that
was clear astern and required to keep clear becomes overlapped
between the other boat and the obstruction and, at the
moment the overlap begins, there is not room for her to pass
between them, she is not entitled to room under rule 19.2(b).
While the boats remain overlapped, she shall keep clear and
rules 10 and 11 do not apply.
20 ROOM TO TACK AT AN OBSTRUCTION
20.1 Hailing and Responding
When approaching an obstruction, a boat sailing close-hauled or
above may hail for room to tack and avoid another boat on the same
tack. After a boat hails,
(a) she shall give the hailed boat time to respond;
(b) the hailed boat shall respond either by tacking as soon as possible,
or by immediately replying ‘You tack’ and then giving
the hailing boat room to tack and avoid her; and
(c) when the hailed boat responds, the hailing boat shall tack as
soon as possible.
20.2 Exoneration
When a boat is taking room to which she is entitled under rule
20.1(b), she shall be exonerated if she breaks a rule of Section A or
rule 15 or 16.
20.3 When Not to Hail
A boat shall not hail unless safety requires her to make a substantial
course change to avoid the obstruction. Also, she shall not hail if the
obstruction is a mark that the hailed boat is fetching. Part 2 WHEN BOATS MEET
SECTION D
OTHER RULES
When rule 21 or 22 applies between two boats, Section A rules do
not.
21 STARTING ERRORS; TAKING PENALTIES; MOVING ASTERN
21.1 A boat sailing towards the pre-start side of the starting line or one of
its extensions after her starting signal to start or to comply with rule
30.1 shall keep clear of a boat not doing so until she is completely on
the pre-start side.
21.2 A boat taking a penalty shall keep clear of one that is not.
21.3 A boat moving astern by backing a sail shall keep clear of one that is
not.
22 CAPSIZED, ANCHORED OR AGROUND; RESCUING
If possible, a boat shall avoid a boat that is capsized or has not
regained control after capsizing, is anchored or aground, or is trying
to help a person or vessel in danger. A boat is capsized when her
masthead is in the water.
23 INTERFERING WITH ANOTHER BOAT
23.1 If reasonably possible, a boat not racing shall not interfere with a
boat that is racing.
23.2 Except when sailing her proper course, a boat shall not interfere with