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Right of way between sailboats: Rule 12 and special case 12 III explained
December 4, 2025 · 6 min · 1K views
What this video covers
COLREGS Rule 12, governing right-of-way between sailing vessels, divides into three sub-rules.Watch Rule 12.1 covers boats on opposite tacks: the vessel on port tack must give way to the vessel on starboard tack.0:51 The mainsail position — not the apparent wind — determines which tack a boat is on; if the mainsail is to starboard, the boat is on port tack and must yield.1:39 Rule 12.2 covers boats on the same tack: the windward vessel gives way to the leeward vessel, again determined by mainsail position.2:26 The standard "both vessels turn to starboard" motor-rule logic does not apply here — only the burdened vessel maneuvers.2:30 Rule 12.3 addresses an ambiguous downwind scenario: a port-tack vessel sailing to windward cannot determine whether an approaching vessel running downwind — possibly wing-on-wing — is on port or starboard tack.3:26 When objective determination is impossible from mainsail position alone, the port-tack vessel must assume the other boat is on starboard tack and give way accordingly.5:43 The mainsail is the sole criterion for tack determination under Rule 12 in all three cases.1:41
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