Welcome to the Rule 13 page. This page gives you the scenarios and answers for Rule 13. Click on the scenario to see the animation and find out which boat(s) should promptly take a penalty.
For more information about Rule 13, see the related ScowLines article or the SailZing post.
Scenario 1 - Tacking too Close
Answer #1 – “Tacking too Close”
Blue should take a penalty. Rule 13 requires Blue to keep clear of other boats until she is on a close-hauled course. The definition of keep clear states:
Keep Clear. A boat keeps clear of a right-of-way boat:
(a) if the right-of-way boat can sail her course with no need to take avoiding action and,
(b) when the boats are overlapped, if the right-of-way boat can also change course in both directions without immediately making contact.
Blue did not keep clear between the time she passed head to wind until she was on a close-hauled course.
Scenario 2 - Tacking too Close
Answer #2 – “Tacking too Close”
Blue should take a penalty. Even though Blue started her tack earlier than in Scenario 1, if you look closely at the scenario, Blue still did not keep clear between the time she passed head to wind until she was on a close-hauled course.
Scenario 3 - Tacking and Luffing on the Starting Line
Answer #3 – “Tacking and Luffing on the Starting Line”
Blue should take a penalty. Blue did not reach a close-hauled course after passing head to wind. Blue failed to keep clear.
Scenario 4 - Tacking and Luffing on the Starting Line
Answer #4 – “Tacking and Luffing on the Starting Line”
There is no penalty. Rule 13 states, in part:
“After a boat passes head to wind, she shall keep clear of other boats until she is on a close-hauled course.”
Blue did reach a close-hauled course after passing head to wind and was on starboard tack. Note that Rule 13 requires keeping clear until you are on a close-hauled course, not until your sails are trimmed. Once Blue was on starboard, Yellow kept clear as the windward boat.
Scenario #5 - Simultaneous Tacks
Answer #5 – “Simultaneous Tacks”
Yellow should take a penalty. Both boats were tacking when contact occurred, since neither had reached a close-hauled course. Rule 13 states, in part:
“If two boats are subject to this rule at the same time, the one on the other’s port side or the one astern shall keep clear.”
Since both boats were tacking, and Yellow is on Blue’s port side, Yellow is required to keep clear.
