Barging on the Start Line

Barging at the start:


A boat is said to be barging at the start when it is sailing below close hauled and to windward of the outside layline to either starting mark. (In practice this appears most often for starboard tack boats at the committee boat or right-hand end of a start line however it is also applicable to the symmetrical situation for the port tack layline to the left hand end of the start line.)

The barging boat has no right to "mark room" because the entire set of Section C rules expressly do not apply a starting mark.

FYI: this exclusion used to be expressed as Rule 18.1(a) in the 2005-2008 RRS.
Any boat sailing close-hauled and to leeward of the barging boat may push the barging boat to windward and the barging boat must keep clear (per Rule 11) even if this means missing her start altogether.

Barging at the start line is a very poor strategy.