7/30/2010 2:46:34 PM
by Andrew Alberti
Last time I talked about the meaning of the term “proper course”. This month I want to talk about its use in the rules. It is not uncommon for me to hear in a description of an incident one boat claim that the other “was not sailing her proper course”. Many times when I hear this I give a slightly confused look and ask what rule requires the other boat to sail her proper course. Technically there are no rules that require a boat to sail her proper course. There are several rules that use term. Most of them provide limits, but they usually allow some other courses other than just the proper course. Often when I hear this from a boat involved in an incident, none of these rules apply. The first lesson therefore is that unless some specific rules apply (which we will discuss here), boats are not limited to sailing their proper course.
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