Team Race - CALL G 02      

Rule 10 On Opposite Tacks
Rule 11 On the Same Tack, Overlapped

Question
Two boats A and X are running directly downwind, both on port tack. X, the leeward boat, gybes onto starboard without changing course, and her boom hits A's boom. A protests. What should the call be?

Answer
A breaks rule 10. Penalize A.
At position 1 A is required by rule 11 to keep clear. After X gybes, A is required by rule 10 to keep clear. X cannot have broken rule 16.1, because she does not change her course. As A has been keep clear boat throughout, rule 15 does not apply to X.