ROUNDING MARKS.
By the Y.R.A. rule, yachts must give each other room at marks, but a yacht is not justified in attempting to establish an overlap at the last moment, when it may be impossible for the outside yacht to give room. A yacht in rounding a mark, whether she is hauling round or wearing round, always deadens her way more or less, and if a yacht is close astern so as to be only just clear, it is quite easy for her to make an overlap ; but this is just what she is not allowed to do. The overtaking yacht must have, beyond all dispute, established an overlap before the other has altered her helm to round; this means before the other has altered her course and is actually rounding the mark. It frequently happens in light winds that a yacht gets jammed by the tide at a mark, and can only just hold her own abreast of it. A yacht that comes up astern can pass between such other yacht and the mark if there be room ; but, if there be not room, she must pass outside.
In running for a mark to haul round, it is generally prudent (if not hauling against a foul tide) to keep well to leeward of the mark, and haul up gradually to it, so that by the time the mark is reached all the sheets are flattened in ; in fact, the vessel should be almost " brought to " by the mere hauling aft the sheets, and with as little helm as possible. If the yacht has to be " brought to" against the tide, only a short sweep should be made in rounding; but the sheets must be got aft smartly, so that when the vessel is actually rounding the mark they are properly trimmed. This is particularly necessary if the yacht has to be brought by the wind, as, otherwise, when the helm is put down she will not come to quickly, and a yacht that may be astern could, by a better hauling of her sheets, come up and cut her out.
If the mark has to be gybed round and the wind is light, the yacht should be run dead for the mark, and should gybe close at the mark, always allowing for tide. The boom can be handled easily, and the shorter the circle the vessel can be turned in, the better. But if there is a strong wind, and an attempt is made to make a short turn by wearing close round the mark, it will probably end in disappointment or disaster. Instead of attempting a short turn, the vessel should haul up to wind ward of her course a little, and gybe over when one hundred yards or so from the mark ; there will then be time to trim the sheets properly, and the vessel will not overshoot the mark nor lose any ground. When a vessel
is judiciously rounding a mark like this, she may find one ahead that has attempted to make a short turn of it by gybing at the mark, more or less " all standing." This vessel, before she can be met with her helm, will probably fly to ; so look out and go under her stern, if there is room to do so without striking her, and then through her lee. If an attempt is made to keep on her weather, a luffing match will be the result; or perhaps a disastrous collision, as your vessel that gybed first will have great way on, whilst the other, gybing and then flying to, would have almost stopped dead. If a collision under such circumstances did occur, the overtaking yacht would be held to blame, as, although it might have been a lubberly thing to have allowed the leading vessel to fly across the one that was coming up astern, still the latter being the overtaking yacht would have to keep clear. Therefore keep a sharp look-out, and, as before said, if there be room, go under the other vessel's stern, and you certainly will be able to get through her lee. If there be not room to so go under her stern, be ready to give lee helm if necessary to clear her to windward, and you probably will succeed in passing her.
If, when sailing pretty nearly close-hauled, the mark has to be rounded by wearing or gybing, so as to return on a parallel course, the rounding will be an awkward one. If there is much wind it will be prudent to keep well to windward of the mark. Begin to bear up when a hundred yards or so away from it, easing the mainsheet a little, but not touching the head sheets ; then as the yacht is nearly close to the mark hard up ; as the vessel wears round to nearly before the wind, steady the helm and let the boom go over as easily as possible. Be careful not to ease too much mainsheet ; steady the helm directly it is seen that the vessel has had enough to bring the boom over. The object will be to turn the vessel slowly at first, making a long sweep ; then quickly, and then slowly again at the last. In bearing up round a mark in this way care must be taken that neither the boom nor any of the lee rigging touches the mark boat ; and if the markboat is flying a large flag, be careful not to touch it, as although merely touching such a flag would not be held to be a foul, still there would be the risk of the flag getting hung up in some of the yacht's gear, and the boat itself might be dragged alongside.