AJAY BALRAM ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS
ON RACING RULES

1) what does this mean" you cannot tack in my waters .
2) Two boats heading towards the windward mark in opposite tacks ,the one which is sailing on port tack ,tacked in to a lee-bow position approx 1 boat length ahead of starboard tack boat....After sailing one and half boat length , collision occurred (both beams touched at first contact).After collision both boats continued in the same tack(starboard tack).What rule(s) apply?
3)How do the above situations differ in individual racing and that of team racing?
Q 1:
There is no specific rule which says you cannot tack in another boats 'water'. This is more of a colloquial sailing term. It essentially means ' do not tack in a manner or in or into a position relative to me which is in breach of the right of way rules ( Part 2 of RRS).

Let us examine various ways that can happen.

In all examples boat A is the tacking boat and boat B the one who apprehends breach of rules with regard to it.

1) A approaches B and tacks just ahead of him. While A is tacking ( after it passes head to wind and until it is on a close hauled course) it is subject to Rule 13 and has to keep clear of other boats -including B.During this time A has no rights under rule 10,11&12 ( port -starboard,windward -leeward and clear ahead-clear astern).In fact under Rule 13 even if A is on starboard tack and B on port tack A as tacking boat has no rights under Rule 10( port -starboard) .Once A is on a close hauled course on her new tack RRS 10,11&12 once more apply between the two boats.

An important point to remember is that until A has attained a close hauled course B does not have to start taking any action to avoid contact with her, even if B is give way boat.

Basically this is what the call ' dont tack in my water' can convey - 'you are tacking so close to me that if I start taking action to avoid a collision after you have completed your tack I will be unable to keep clear'.

2) A approaches B and tacks to leeward of it. Until it has completed its tack A is subject to Rule 13 ( windward-leeward do not apply so A has to keep clear till it is completed its tack and is on a new close hauled course). Once A is out of the application of Rule 13 it is then leeward boat to B with right of way under rule 11. However at that stage Rule 15 starts applying : When a boat acquires right of way she shall initially give the other boat room to keep clear....

Thus if A tacks too close to B so that B does not have the room to keep clear ( as windward boat) A is in breach of Rule 15. Again B does not have to start trying to keep clear till A has completed its tack.

To summarise "dont tack in my water' has no direct relevance under the racing rules but can be considered a form of 'friendly' warning that rules could get transgressed under one of the above situations.

The exceptions to this arise when two boats on opposite tacks are in the two boatlength circle around a mark of the course.That is dealt with in Q2 below.

I think that covers the situations that can arise.

Very often this hail is used to frighten a less experienced sailor from tacking to give a close cover.

Q2:
If the two boats are on different tacks outside the two boat length circle around a mark of the course( not the starting mark)then Rule 10 ( s'bd-port) applies and if they are on the same tack RR11 applies.See answer to Q! above.

If one of the boat tacks within the two bl circle then RRS 18.3 would switch on, and take precedence over RRS 10,11&12.This is a common situation at the windward mark when some boats come up on the port layline and other on the starboard layline- and where a lot of hails of 'dont tack in my water" are heard!.You have not mentioned the wind/boatspeed so it is difficult to say which boat is at fault.

Q3:
There is no basic change in the answers whether it is team racing or fleet racing.