Every week, we present you with a question about your boating license. To help you validate your knowledge, or to discover new and unexplored areas. This week, we tackle a question on the rules of the road when sailing.
Starboard tack, king of the seas
At sea, the saying goes: "Starboard tack, king of the seas", which means that a sailboat sailing on starboard tack is favored over all the other boats - or almost all the other boats, since some ships with little maneuverability will themselves be favored. A yacht is said to be on "starboard tack" when the wind is on its starboard side. This is the case for the yacht I'm on. I'm sailing on starboard tack, so I'm privileged.
Priority or privilege?
For your information, the RIPAM, which governs ship safety, does not refer to priority ships, but rather to privileged ships. Indeed, the number 1 rule when sailing is to avoid collision. So you never have priority.
Starboard against starboard
I'm sailing on starboard tack, but on closer inspection, the yacht whose course I'm about to cross is also on starboard tack! Who should go first?
When two yachts are sailing on the same tack, whether port or starboard, it's the one that's closer to the wind's bed, i.e. upwind, that's favored. In our case, it's the yacht I'm passing that's closer to the wind's bed than I am. By going downwind, I have more room to maneuver to bring her down or luff up, and avoid a collision. So I have to let him pass. Answer B is therefore the correct answer to this question.
