Yachts & Yachting – April 2018

A

s the dinghy scene has

moved increasingly

to windward-leeward

courses, so we have

seen gate marks

used more often at both the top

and bottom of the course.

Even in those symetrically

spinnakered fleets sailing triangle/

sausage courses, gates have become

popular as a replacement for the

leeward mark. Alongside the greater

tactical options on offer from

gates comes an increased chance

of significant gains and losses,

and a need to clearly understand

the mark approach rules.

CHOOSE A SIDE

There are three key considerations

when it comes to choosing which gate

mark to round: which side of the course

is advantageous to head to – this you

should have worked out ahead of the

race (though it is a moveable feast

as racing progresses); which side of

the gate is favoured; and which side

will provide the best rounding.

Working out which side of the gate

is favoured is much the same process

as for determining bias on a startline

(for the leeward gate, but in reverse

for the windward) - you are simply

looking for the mark furthest up the

course. This will provide you with the

shortest distance to sail on the next leg.

Tactically, you should know which

side of the course you would like to

go, but if the gate is seriously skewed

it can be worth rounding the opposite

gate for the distance advantage and

then tacking or gybing towards the

favoured side. Factors to consider here

are the cost and risk of a manoeuvre. If

it is very windy and the combination of

favoured side of the gate and favoured

side of the course would mean a gybe-

set, you must weigh up the risk of the

manoeuvre against the potential gain.

Left

If clear air is a

priority, choosing

the opposite mark

to the pack may

be worthwhile

If you are sailing a hiking boat and the

combination of course/gate bias would

mean hardening up to round the mark

and then tacking to the other side of the

course this is much lower risk and can

put you in a strong position to windward

of those choosing the opposite side.

Giving yourself the best chance to

perform a slick rounding and be best

placed to make ground on the next

leg should factor into your decision

making process. It is all well and good

planning to take the right hand gate

mark, but if that means being stuck in

dirty air for the entire beat is it worth

the advantage of either being on

the right side or gaining the distance

advantage? This can sometimes mean

making a last minute change to your

plans. Think ahead about how switching

sides of the gate may affect you; how

much loss are you happy to accept

to head to your favoured side?

SIMPLIFY THE SITUATION

Often the biggest source of confusion

at gate marks occurs several lengths

out, when boats are heading into the

three-boat length circle, particularly if

gate marks are close enough that these

circles, denoting rights, are overlapped.

As ever, planning is key and the

further away you decide which mark

to round the better (ideally you should

have in mind the mark you want to

round when you start a leg, so you

can plan your approach). Particularly

downwind in a fast asymmetric, getting

the right side of the fleet to ensure

you have rights is a process that is

set in motion at the start of a leg.

Once you know the mark you are

aiming for, you can remove the other

mark from your consideration and

the rules for rounding remain the

same as they would for a regular

mark... it just so happens a number

of nearby boats are sailing to a

different mark that is close to yours.

TRANSOM LINES

An often-misunderstood aspect of

the mark-room rule, and one that is

particularly salient to those racing

downwind at significant angles, is

how the overlap between boats is

established. Here, an imaginary line that

runs across the transom is where an

overlap is taken from. Thus coming into

a mark at a tight angle, means as soon

as you hit the three-length circle you

are handing rights to huge number of

boats, leaving you wide of the mark.

You must weigh up the risk of the

manoeuvre against the potential gain

IN ASSOCIATION WITH MANUFACTURERS OF PERFORMANCE HARDWARE

GATE MARKS

Two leeward or two windward marks increase tactical options and

reduce congestion, but they can be confusing for the uninitiated

RULES AT PLAY

Until boats enter the three-boat length circle,

normal rules apply. Thus port-starboard (Rule

10) remains in effect. This is often misjudged on

fast boats going downwind and the angles can

make things tricky. In 15 knots and upwards a

trapeze asymmetric boat will usually take at least

three boat lengths to drop a spinnaker, so port-

starboard will apply until around that point.

Also bear in mind that many classes will bear

off substantially to allow the crew to douse the

spinnaker; if you sail into the zone while doing

so, your angle will significantly change and those

who looked likely to be entitled to mark-room

(Rule 18) may find themselves not overlapped.

Be clear on when you think you have entered

the zone and make it equally clear to those who

do not have room. But remember these dynamic

changes in direction with many boats and a small

space of water can still lead to collisions. Rule 14

states that the onus is on sailors to avoid a collision.

You must give them room and protest later.

IMAGE: RICHARD LANGDON/SAILING ENERGY/WORLD SAILING

April 2018 Yachts & Yachting 65