Again, like the other zone situation that Artemis was in last week, Japan would have been better served just to sail around the mark and stay outside the zone (keeping it straight up port/starboard). They would have passed Artemis as they slowed in the tack and been gone.
I'm not well versed in the rules so I'll ask a dumb question: if Japan had stayed out of the zone then they wouldn't have had to give room and then there would have been no penalty? They were not very far from being out of the zone, another 5-10 feet and it could have been a very different result.
BTW that took some big ones to pull off!
Absolutely right. If they were outside the zone (which wasn't far), it would have been a simple port/starboard I do believe.
I did a little more reading this morning and they really hacked up the match racing version of Rule 18 for this event. I was working on some of the edit revisions and I'm not completely sure this is in the final version, but rule 18.3 seems to turn off the bit where the inside overlap boat needs to round the mark tightly if it's a gate. They only need to round the mark tightly if it's a
mark....The marks at the top of the course are a gate....so sounds like Sweden knew the rules there and didn't need to make a close turn to the top mark...just needed to stay in the zone.(assuming this made it to the final revision...I'll keep digging).
edit; I got to the final version and it did get some other changes...I've updated it here - the same point exists...the overlap and tacking and sailing "no further than needed from the mark" ONLY applies at a mark and not a gate.
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&...ub3RpY2Vib2FyZHxneDpiMWU3ZmY2OWY2ZGQ1OWIOfficial version:
18.3 Tacking or Gybing
When an inside overlapped right-of-way yacht must tack or gybe at a mark to sail her
proper course, until she tacks or gybes she shall sail no farther from the mark than needed
to sail that course. Rule 18.3 does not apply at a gate mark or a finishing mark, and a
yacht shall not be penalized for breaking this rule unless the course of another yacht was
affected by the breach of this rule.
