Roy Smith wrote:

Walt wrote:
o Rule 22.2 (interfering with another boat) has been modified to
include boats on another lap or leg of the course. This is truly
new - you can't change course if your only purpose is to interfere
with a boat on another leg of the course.

How do you define "another leg of the course"?

I'm not sure. Lap and leg are not defined terms in the definitions.

Lets say I'm match racing and manage to push the other boat over early.
I start properly. May I interfere with the other boat's efforts to get
back across the start line to restart?

My opinion is that everything that happens before the first mark is the
first leg, so I'd say that this would not be prohibited by the new rule
22.2. But that's just my opinion - I don't have anything serious to
back it up. You raise a good question.

Also, I assume "interfere" means to obstruct the movement of. If I
intentionally sail so as to give the other boat bad air but not actually
make her change course to avoid me, have I interfered with her?

I think that would qualify as interference.

Personally, I'm more troubled by the "different lap" provision - this
could cause some real trouble in practice since it might not be obvious
that another boat is on a different lap. I've got enough trouble
sometimes remembering how overlaps were established, now I've gotta keep
track of which boats are on which laps. Fortunately I don't sail in
very many races where boats lap one another.


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//-Walt
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