http://www.highoctaneonedesigns.com/

Looking at the 1st photo on this page...what options exist for the boats in the picture about to round a leeward mark? Who can come out smelling like a rose, and who is screwed?

Sorry, my photo posting skills are lacking.

in my ho, the group of four boats about to round are screwed. the inside boat with rights is so close to the mark that it will carry the other three in her group wide during the rounding. the 'last boat' appears to have an inside overlap on the boat to her outside. a gybe by the outside boat looks risky, she needs to give the 'last boat' room and opportunity to keep clear. looks to me that the 'last boat' should be able to do a 'seamanlike rounding' and come away from the mark well to windward of the other boats (not including the first two) and at least pick up some positions...whaddya think?

Pretty Obvious to me.

One at the mark is around.

Next will be RUS as he can clear the bow of NOR. He doesn't have rights on NOR but I don't think NOR can manage to hit him if he tries. Speeds could vary so I might be wrong. They are obviously overlapped so NOR has rights on RUS.

Next is the inside boat NOR. Inside and overlapped on all the others.

Next is RUS 4. Inside the other two

Next is FIN. He'll have to just wait on RUS 4 and take his turn.

Next NED then GRE then CHN. Pretty simple rounding other than 2nd and 3rd.

Mike Hill

CHN's best option is to kill some speed and let the pinwheel go by - round close to the mark and try for a high lane (clear air). Tack away if they can't maintain clear air.

RUS, FIN, NED are screwed - on the outside of the pinwheel.

GRE has an option to jibe and try to cut in behind the pinwheel, but CHN may prevent it if they jibe along with them. They are not within 2 BL of the mark, but they will be almost as soon as they jibe.

Except that as I see it, the second boat around, Rus2, was probably clear ahead at the 2 boat length zone. It is only because they are rounding up that an overlap developed.

I don't think they are rounding up (except I'd call it heading up, rounding up has that connotation of the sails overpowering the rudder causing it). It's all a guess of course without seeing it in motion, but I'd bet they were overlapped outside the zone. Besides, if RUS was ahead, it would be heading down that would create an overlap...wouldn't it?

NOR will be forced to make a tight rounding and will certainly be leaving a nice gap coming out of the mark. RUS4 or any of the others need to slow down [early drop] and try to get in there - or it will be a long wait in the procession. RUS4 will have no rights if he does this however
My son is thinking about this sort of scenario as he will be in the F18 fleet at Eurocat [Carnac] next week - 100 F18s already registered!

I will concede that I probably mixed heading up and mark rounding together to arrive at rounding up.

I am interpreting this picture as the end of the run for them. They are sailing deep and dousing the spinnaker. If we were to back up everyone 3 boat lengths to when RUS entered the 2bl zone there was only one boat ahead of a line drawn along its transom. It was the gybe to transition to upwind that brought NOR in front of this line.

Slow down to round, as Mbounds points out....

This is an Olympic-class race, and they're rounding to starboard... Um... Go to the other gate??? I know, that's probably just as busy.

I think GRE is the most screwed. She is just about overlapped by CHN. As Matt said, they're not yet at the zone. There's no way GRE can get to the zone without gybing or going super-deep, either maneuver will cause an instant inside overlap for CHN. Besides, isn't GRE is too close to CHN to gybe without fouling CHN?

All in all, this is what makes one-design sailing so much fun!

Mike

Agreed.
Butt, if one of the lower boats decides to luff a few boats up, and the boats in the rear see the oppotunity to slow down and round the mark clean they can come out sparkling.

Not that that would ever happen.....