Dealing with obstructions
Watching the videos of AC75s hurtling toward the boundary zone, listening to the tactical conversations and weighing up the options has been fascinating for those of us dreaming about getting back onto our waters. Though the racing rules for the AC sailors are subtly different, the tactical options, and the strategies that drive them, are exactly the same as those we face on our race course at home, whether we are roll tacking up the creek against the tide, or in the middle of a posse of port tackers approaching a starboard tack boat at the windward mark.
In this feature we’ll take a few classic racing scenarios involving obstructions, look at the strategic options, the tactics that might be useful, and the relevant racing rules, (rule 19 and 20: you’ll find them if you dig deep enough at www.sailing.org). We’ll stick to situations involving obstructions that are not also marks: there are some variations for them.
