Racing Rules: Proper Course

How many times has someone yelled “Proper Course!” to you while racing? What does it mean? And is your shouting competitor right? Let’s start at the beginning.

Proper Course is a defined term in the Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS). It’s only one sentence:

“A course a boat would sail to finish as soon as possible in the absence of the other boats referred to in the rule using the term.”

The definition further notes there is no proper course for a boat before her starting signal. This makes sense because it is impossible to define the fastest way to sail around the course when you and your competition are all trying to kill time before the starting gun.

Now let’s look at the one sentence a bit more closely. First, the definition starts with “A course a boat would sail…” not “The course a boat would sail…” This means there can be multiple courses that would result in the fastest finish time. Reach up now or reach up later to make the leeward mark? Generally, the boat with the proper course limitation can determine which of those proper courses to select.

Next, note that proper course is your course if the other boats referred to in the rule citing proper course were not there.

There are only four rules that include the term proper course:

5: Start Gun: Yellow may continue to sail above close hauled per RRS 17. 2–4: Yellow luffs almost to head to wind before start signal. Blue keeps clear. 1: Overlap is established more than 2 BL to leeward. RRS 17 off. 50 seconds to starting signal.

RRS 17, 18.2, 18.4, and 24.2. So the presence of other boats with respect to all the other rules still apply and can affect your proper course. In other words, my proper course may be to tack, but RRS 16 (Changing Course) and RRS 13 (While Tacking) still apply since there is no mention of proper course in either. So even though I may be able to sail above my proper course per RRS 17, it doesn’t necessarily mean I can tack even if that’s my proper course.

RRS 17 is where most of the confusion regarding proper course arises (we’ll leave the other rules for another time). Basically, it says that you can sail whatever course you want and altering that course as you please (subject to all the other rules’ restrictions) except if you establish a leeward overlap on a boat from behind that boat and you were within two of your hull lengths of the windward boat when you established the overlap. Note that it's the length of your boat, not the other boat. Note also that RRS 17 does not apply when the weather boat crossed you and immediately tacked, i.e., was subject to RRS 13 when the overlap was established. And finally, for you old timers, there are no longer any specific restrictions against sailing below your proper course.

First of all, since there is no proper course before the start, a boat that establishes an overlap to leeward from clear astern has the right to luff the windward boat, subject to the restrictions of RRS 15 and 16. In other words, they can luff as they please as long as they give the weather boat the opportunity to keep clear. But that right has a time limit—as soon as the starting signal is made, all boats have a proper course. Since most starts are to weather, that proper course is normally close hauled. So, if you’re above close hauled at the start gun and there’s a boat to weather of you, you are required to bear away to close hauled if you acquired the overlap with two lengths of the other boat (very common)—and assuming there isn’t a boat to leeward of you preventing you from bearing away to close hauled. You also don’t need to bear away below the pin end of the line since your proper course is to pinch above that mark, and then bear away to close hauled.

“Seventeen off” and “Seventeen on” are two of the most frequent calls made as on-the-water umpires communicate developing scenarios with each other. Make sure you’re cognizant of it whenever you establish an overlap before the start. And if you’re the boat to weather, you need to be aware of it so you can insist the leeward boat bears away at the start gun.

After the start, where does RRS 17 most often come into play? I think it’s on the run, when sprit/asymmetrical spinnaker boats approach a symmetrical spinnaker boat sailing a lower course. Sorry all you old school, symmetrical kite folks, but you have to watch out for this and allow the sprit boats to sail their course. Either jibe before it becomes a problem or prepare to come up so you can do so as soon as the overlap is established.

And you sprit boats still have to give the symmetrical spinnaker boats an opportunity to keep clear. Remember, the symmetrical chute boat is clear ahead and has right of way until the overlap is established. The symmetrical boat doesn’t have to start maneuvering to keep clear until there is an overlap. So if there is a huge speed differential, be sure to provide needed time to stay clear.

Another limitation on the leeward boat: your proper course is normally assumed to be the course when the overlap is established. The sprit boat cannot come up after establishing the overlap in order to try to clear her air quicker. This is true even if you don’t force the weather boat to alter course. Don’t try to convince the protest committee you were deliberately sailing slower than you should have so you can reach up after establishing an overlap.

Further, the limitation on sailing above your proper course lasts as long as the boats are overlapped. You can’t start to come up as soon as your kite starts to get clean air ahead of the weather boat. You have to wait until your stern has cleared the weather boat’s spinnaker before you can head up. But there is one exception to this, you can sail above your proper course as long as you promptly sail astern of the weather boat. So if you’re stuck to leeward and subject to RRS 17, you can still luff above proper course and tack to cross behind the weather boat.

Charlie Macaulay owns the Farr 39 ML, Absolutely, is a US Sailing Judge and Judge Instructor, and is a member of the Board of PHRF-NW.