Racing sailors frequently encounter situations where port and starboard tackers converge on the open racecourse. While the rules clearly give right of way to the starboard tacker, there’s often a calculated game of chicken that can happen during these encounters. Understanding how to navigate through the intersection can make the difference between maintaining your tactical advantage and losing critical boatlengths.
Tack or Cross? It’s Starboard’s Decision
When two boats are approaching on opposite tacks, the starboard-tack boat has right of way while the port tack boat must keep clear. We all know the rules are as simple as that. However, the starboard tacker may have a tactical or strategic play to make: maintain the right of way by making the port boat tack or duck, or waive that right and allow the port boat to cross.
When the port-tack boat hails and asks: “Tack or Cross?” What’s the starboard tack’s boat best course of action?
“The short answer is, ‘It depends,’” explains Sailing World Racing Editor, Mike Ingham. “But I love hearing that hail as a starboard tacker because that means they’re deferring to me for my choice. So, I can either say, ‘tack,’ and I can keep going that way…or I say ‘cross.’”
This decision often comes down to the starboard boat’s broader race strategy. If the starboard tacker wants to continue in their current direction, having the port boat tack in front can be detrimental, forcing the starboard boat into dirty air or requiring a double tack to escape.
“Often when I want to keep going, the last thing I want is to get stuck in somebody’s dirty air or have to double tack if I want to keep going,” Ingham notes. In such cases, allowing the port boat to cross means giving up a small immediate advantage for a larger strategic gain.
Tactical Considerations for Starboard Tackers
The key consideration is whether the port tacker could execute a successful lee bow tack if forced to tack. This maneuver, where the port boat tacks in front and to leeward of the starboard boat, can significantly disrupt the starboard boat’s progress.
“Let’s say you lose a half a boatlength in the tack,” Ingham explains. “That means they’ve got to be at least halfway in front of you, a half a boatlength in front of you. If it’s a full boatlength loss per tack, they have to be almost crossing to pull off a lee bow.”
In most cases where a port tacker asks “tack or cross,” the situations involve small ducks that cost the starboard boat very little while preserving their tactical plan. The starboard tacker might lose less than half a boatlength but can continue sailing in their preferred direction.
Clear Communication is Critical
The language and timing of communication between boats is paramount in these situations. Port tackers must hail early and clearly to give starboard boats time to assess and respond.
“You better say it—you can’t just say it once quietly, and you can’t say it late,” Ingham emphasizes. “Very early, you have to repeat yourself…‘tack or cross, tack or cross.’ Maybe even sooner.”
Body language also plays an important role. “When I’m doing it, if I’m in that port boat, I am looking straight at them, and I’m also taking my arm, and I’m pointing through…You hear a hail and see my arm, you know I’m asking, even if it’s noisy.”
For larger boats with crews, preparation is essential. The entire team should be ready for either scenario before the hail is even made.
“If they say ‘tack or cross’ or don’t say anything at all, the starboard tacker has no obligation to respond,” Ingham points out. “If I’m the port tacker, it’s a courtesy, and I am fully ready to do that tack instead, and the team knows that.”
Taking Control as the Starboard Tacker
Rather than waiting for the port tacker to initiate the conversation, experienced sailors often recommend that starboard tackers dictate the action.
“I’ve done that a lot,” says Ingham. “I’m the starboard tacker. They don’t say anything… I’m like, well, I really don’t want them to leebow. And I’ll just say, ‘cross, cross, cross.’”
This proactive approach gives the starboard boat control of the situation. If the starboard tacker wants to go right, they might prefer to force the port boat to tack, effectively taking their lane and bouncing them to the left side of the course.
“If you don’t do that, it might look like this: you tack instead of pinging them, you want to go right… and maybe you pinch them off eventually, or maybe you’re now at their mercy,” Ingham explains. “Much better off flushing them out early. It’s a really nice move to essentially take their lane and leave yourself options.”
Understanding the Rules and Cultural Norms
Interestingly, the racing rules don’t specifically address this practice of asking “tack or cross.” As Ingham points out, “The rule book has no provision for this directly. There’s nothing that says if you waive your rights, then this happens. So this is purely a cultural thing in our sport that’s practiced quite regularly and efficiently.”
This does create a gray area if conflicts arise, however. If a starboard tacker allows a port boat to cross but then a collision occurs—perhaps because the starboard boat couldn’t bear away quickly enough—the basic right-of-way rules still apply.
“For the most part, I think that the starboard still has right of way,” notes Ingham. “So, really, you’re taking a little bit of a chance if you’re the port tacker doing this, but it’s tried and true. I can’t think of a race day that I don’t use it.”
These interactions build the community aspects of racing. When you allow another boat to cross, you’re creating goodwill that might be returned later.
“It’s a little bit of a live and let live sort of thing,” Ingham observes. “If you just wave somebody through, they’re pretty happy… And next time that crossing comes and it’s your turn, they’re more likely to say, ‘cross, cross, cross.’ He let me through once.”
This reciprocity benefits everyone on the racecourse, making for better racing and fewer conflicts.
Advice for Less Experienced Racers
New sailors sometimes feel intimidated when more experienced competitors hail “tack or cross.” Ingham emphasizes that the hail is merely a request, not a demand.
“I ask all the time. And I’m never trying to make them do something they don’t want to do,” he clarifies. “I’m always trying to give them an option, and I’m not expecting them to give that to me. And I’m certainly not angry with them if they don’t.”
Understanding this can help newer sailors feel more comfortable making their own tactical decisions rather than feeling pressured to comply with more experienced racers.
