Who has right of way in sailing — port or starboard?

Under Rule 10 of the Racing Rules of Sailing, a boat on starboard tack has right of way over a boat on port tack. The port-tack boat must keep clear.

What is mark room in sailing?

Mark room is the room a boat needs to sail to a mark and then to round or pass it on the required side. Under Rule 18, when boats are overlapped approaching a mark, the outside boat must give the inside boat mark room.

What does Rule 11 say in sailing?

Rule 11 of the Racing Rules of Sailing covers two boats overlapped on the same tack. The windward boat must keep clear of the leeward boat.

What is Rule 17 in sailing?

Rule 17 says that if you become overlapped to leeward of another boat from clear astern, and the overlap begins within two of your hull lengths, you may not sail above your proper course while you remain overlapped.

What is room to tack at an obstruction?

Under Rule 20, if you are approaching an obstruction and need to tack to avoid it, you may hail another boat for room to tack and avoid her. She must respond either by tacking as soon as possible, or by replying 'You tack' and giving you room to tack and avoid her.

Sailing Kiwi — Racing Rules of Sailing Explained Simply (RRS, Right of Way, Mark Room)

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Latest videos

Short-Handed? You Still Don't Get Extra Room (Case 103)

A small crew doesn't earn you extra room.

She Said "You Tack" — Then Won the Protest (Case 101)

"You tack" gives you room — not right of way.

One Radio Call Got Her Disqualified (Case 100)

Ask for tactics on the radio and you're out.

Must You Dodge an Out-of-Control Boat? (Case 99)

Right of way doesn't mean you must risk your own boat.

Is a Jockey Pole Legal? (Case 97)

One word — sheet vs guy — makes it legal.

The Black Flag Mistake That Ends Your Series (Case 96)

Race the restart and your black flag becomes permanent.

The Windward-Mark Mistake That Disqualifies You (Case 95)

Tack inside the zone and every line afterwards loses.

He Touched Your Boat on Purpose — and You Got DSQ'd? (Case 73)

Fake a foul by touching a boat — that's the foul.

New Right of Way? Give Room First (Case 93)

New right of way? Give room before you luff.

Case 105 — Luffed Downwind: Why Holding Your Course Gets You DSQ'd

Running on port, luffed by starboard — hold your course and you're out.

Keep Clear Means Their Gear Too (Case 91)

Clear astern means keeping clear of her gear too — even a kite that's flogging.

The String Rule: Did These Boats Start? (Case 90)

Pull your track tight like a string — it must leave every mark on the right side.

Avoiding the Crash Isn't the Same as Keeping Clear (Case 88)

No contact isn't proof you kept clear — if she had to swerve, you broke Rule 10.

Even the Right-of-Way Boat Must Avoid Contact (Case 87)

Right of way doesn't excuse you from avoiding a crash you still can't prevent.

When You Can Cross the Finish Line Either Way (Case 82)

A finish line you can't read lets you cross either way — first crossing counts.

Your Mark-Room Doesn't Survive Your Own Tack (Case 81)

Mark-room gives you room to round — it doesn't survive your own tack.

The Late Recall and Your Right to Redress (Case 79)

A recall flag forty seconds late earns you redress, not last place.

Is Covering a Rival Cheating? (Case 78)

Covering to win is fair. Covering out of spite breaks Rule 2.

Two Contacts at the Mark, One Penalty (Case 77)

Two contacts at the mark — only the mark-touch is penalised.

Mark-Room Is a Floor, Not a Cap on Right of Way (Case 75)

Giving mark-room doesn't take away the other boat's right of way.

When the Other Boat Isn't Racing, the Racing Rules Switch Off (Case 67)

Meet a boat that isn't racing? The racing rules switch off.

Already Disqualified? Covering a Rival Can Get You Banned (Case 65)

Already out? Sitting on a rival anyway can get you banned.

You May Take Inside Room You Weren't Owed — At Your Own Risk (Case 63)

That gap on the inside? You're allowed to take it — at your own risk.

You Owe Mark-Room to the Boat That Overlaps Inside You (Case 59)

Out wide to be fair? You still owe the boat that overlaps inside you.

You Finish At The Line — Limit Marks Have No Required Side (Case 58)

You finish at the line — a limit mark past it has no required side.

About to Hit the Rocks — Room to Tack at an Obstruction (Case 54)

Trapped near the shore — how to hail for room to tack at an obstruction.

"Leeward Boat!" — Do You Have to Move Instantly? (Case 53)

The leeward-boat hail on the line — Rule 15 gives you time to respond.

Boxed Out At The Start — Is That Legal? (Case 52)

Boxed out at the start — why it's legal, and how right of way really works.

Forced to Bear Away at the Start? You're Exonerated (Case 51)

The start-line concertina — Rule 43 exoneration when you're forced down.

No Contact Is Still a Foul — Rule 10 (Case 50)

No contact isn't the test — if starboard has to avoid you, port has fouled.

The Boat That Touched No One Got Disqualified (Rule 19.2(b))

Right-of-way boat as an obstruction — the outside boat owes inside room.

The Fake "Starboard!" Hail Breaks Two Rules (Case 47)

The fake 'Starboard!' bluff breaks two rules — and Rule 2 means DSQ.

She Came From Behind, Then Luffed You Up — Can She Do That? (Case 46)

Leeward boat can luff up TO her proper course — even when she came from behind.

Pinned Between Starboard and the Bank — Can I Call for Room? (Case 43)

Port keeps clear of starboard — even pinned against the bank.

Overtaking a Slower Boat to Leeward — When Does Right of Way Flip? (Case 41)

Rule 12 → 19.2(b) → 11 → 15, in the space of one overtake.

She Answered "You Tack" Instead of Tacking — Is That Legal? (Case 35)

"Room" is what you need to manoeuvre — not a cushion.

She Hailed for Room Too Early — Can I Ignore It? (Case 33)

A bad hail doesn't free you from responding.

OCS But No Horn — Do You Have to Go Back? (Case 31)

No horn doesn't save you if you know you were over.

Clear Astern on Starboard — How Is the Foul Mine? (Case 30)

Blanket the boat ahead and cause contact — that's on you.

Fouled at the Start, Won the Protest — So Why Scored DNS? (Case 28)

Win the protest, skip a mark, still go home last.

She Dove Into the Gap Below You — Did You Owe Her Room? (Case 29)

A boat under way isn't a "continuing obstruction" — could you have given room from the start?

You Tacked onto Starboard at the Mark and Got Hit — Why Are You Out? (Case 27)

Tack too close and the crash is yours — even when she hits you.

We Collided at a Mark With Damage — How Can BOTH Be Disqualified? (Case 26)

Right of way is not a right to collide — keep a lookout.

I Rounded the Leeward Mark Cleanly — How Am I Disqualified?

Mark-room ends when you leave the mark astern.

How Much Mark-Room Am I Actually Owed? (Rule 18)

No fixed amount — what you need in the conditions.

You Fouled a Boat and Did Your Turns — But There Was Damage (Rule 44)

Take a turn for a foul; retire if you caused damage.

You Tacked in Front of a Starboard Boat — Whose Fault? (Rule 13)

Rule 13 ends at close-hauled — then you owe room.

You Overtook to Leeward — Now Give Room (Rule 12 → 11 → 15)

Overtaking to leeward — take what's yours, but not instantly.

Starboard Squeezes Between Two Port Boats Downwind — Who's Wrong?

Continuing obstruction is not a get-out clause.

The Boat Behind Won't Tack at the Mark — Can She Do That?

A boat behind owes you mark-room — not a tack.

Can the Leeward Boat Head Up On Me? (Case 14)

The leeward boat doesn't owe you a straight line to the mark.

Pre-Start Luff — The Leeward Boat Can Go Head to Wind (Case 13)

The pre-start luff trap — Rule 17 doesn't apply before the gun.

She Came In From a Different Angle — Can I Shut the Door? (Case 12)

It looks like barging — it isn't. Inside the zone you owe mark-room.

Two Boats Passing a Starboard Boat — Who Owes Room? (Case 11)

Rule 19.2(b) overrides Rule 11 at an obstruction.

Changing Course as Right-of-Way Boat (Case 6)

Case 6 — the right-of-way boat lost the protest.

The Wrong Way to Hail for Room to Tack

The hail most sailors get wrong at obstructions.

Tacking at the Windward Mark — Port or Starboard? (Case 9)

The Rule 18.3 trap at the windward mark.

Rule 15 — You Just Acquired Right of Way (Now Give Room)

Rule 15 — acquiring right of way.

Rule 17 — Proper Course After Gaining a Leeward Overlap

Proper course, after gaining an overlap from clear astern.

Room to Tack at an Obstruction (Rule 20, Case 10)

Port tack trapped on the layline. What you're allowed to call.

Leading Into the Mark — How the Inside Overlap Formed (Case 2)

Mark room: how the inside overlap formed and what you owed.

When the Starboard Boat Still Gets Penalised

When the right-of-way boat still gets penalised.

Rule 11 — Windward Boat Keeps Clear

Same tack, overlapped — who has to move?

Rule 10 — Port and Starboard: Who Has Right of Way?

The most common rules mistake at club level.

What this is

Most sailing-rules content is written for judges. Sailing Kiwi is for you — the sailor on the boat, in the moment, with three seconds to decide.

Every video takes one rule, one real protest, or one case from World Sailing's casebook, and shows what you should do at the tiller. No jargon. Distances in boat-lengths. Time in seconds.

New video every few days. Built in Tauranga, New Zealand.