00:00These boats are flying towards each other at 100 km per hour without brakes.
00:07Hi, I'm Lisa Dan Manon, Olympic silver medalist,
00:12and I'm going to break down one of the most important concepts in high-speed racing.
00:16Right-of-way.
00:18It's the rule that keeps the boats apart until it doesn't.
00:21Because when teams get it wrong, especially with tall boats on the racetrack,
00:25things can get seriously chaotic.
00:28Let's dive in.
00:30Rule one, port versus starboard. Who has the right-of-way?
00:34When two boats are crossing, who goes first?
00:37It's just like a roundabout or a stop sign, except both vehicles are doing 80 km per hour
00:42and the closing speed is 160 km per hour.
00:45And it all comes down to athlete judgement.
00:48The rule is starboard, the boat that has the wind hitting its right-hand side, has the right-of-way.
00:54Right-of-way with Spain, indicated by that green circle.
00:57As you can see here, Australia has right-of-way over Emirates Great Britain,
01:01as the wind is coming from this direction,
01:03and hitting the right-hand side of their boat, and GBR's left.
01:06In Sao GP, these calls have to happen fast.
01:11That's why strategists on board run across the boat to check for crossing situations.
01:16But even with the best athletes in the world, mistakes still happen.
01:23Here, Australia had right-of-way as the starboard boat, but the USA didn't spot them.
01:29The Americas had to do an emergency task, and Australia still had to avoid.
01:33If there was contact, it's not just damage that hosts the team's chances,
01:38but both teams could be penalised if the powers that be believe they didn't do enough to avoid a crash.
01:43It's a lot to wrap your head around, but luckily for fans, Sao GP broadcasts make it easy.
01:50Just look for the green circle, which means right-of-way, and the red circle means a giveaway.
01:56For Australia here, they've got to keep clear of New Zealand.
01:59So how do boats avoid disaster in this situation?
02:02There are three ways to safely handle a right-of-way when coming together.
02:06Let me show you how.
02:08First, there's cross ahead.
02:10It's a bold move if you think you can make it.
02:13Teams have to be confident they're going to get across the other boat.
02:16Get it right, and you consolidate again.
02:19But if you get it wrong, it could be a penalty from the umpires.
02:22Penalty, Italy, relative France, port tack boat not keeping clear.
02:27Then there's the dip behind.
02:29It's the safer option, but it's an art in and of itself.
02:32Time it well, and you don't lose too much.
02:35Time it late, and you give your rival a huge lead.
02:38Finally, there's tack early.
02:41You won't see this too often with how competitive these athletes are,
02:44but this is where a team wants to avoid a crossing before it even happens.
02:48Oh my word, this is so, so tight.
02:51Now let's look at what happens when a right-of-way situation doesn't go to plan.
02:56This moment shows exactly why a right-of-way decision needs to be made early.
03:01There's been an incident between Germany and Brazil on the race course,
03:04and there's damage to the Brazilian boat.
03:07Eric Heil didn't quite make his mind up in time,
03:10and it cost his team everything.
03:12This is where the most experienced teams stand out.
03:15They've seen these situations before.
03:17They could read the closing speeds,
03:19and they know when to commit or when to bail.
03:22It's not just about the rules.
03:24It's about instinct, timing, and trust in the call.
03:27Rule two, windward versus leeward.
03:31Who gets to hold their lane?
03:34Now imagine two boats heading in the same direction,
03:37flying side by side.
03:39Who gets to push the other off their line?
03:42It all comes down to who's closer to the wind.
03:45The leeward boat, the one further from the wind, has right-of-way.
03:49They're allowed to hold their lane, defend their position,
03:52and even push the windward boat out of the way with a move we call a luff.
03:57It's like forcing your opponent to slam on the brakes,
04:00and their boat becomes unstable.
04:02Nothing. Nothing.
04:04There we want. Nothing. There we want.
04:06Nice work, guys.
04:08Enough.
04:09The windward boat, the boat closer to the wind, must keep clear.
04:12They have to either slow down, steer away, or risk a penalty.
04:20In the worst-case scenario, we see boats fly up high
04:23and slam into the water in a nosedive.
04:27Think of it like trying to squeeze your way to the front of a concert.
04:30You've got your elbows out, holding your ground.
04:33That's the leeward boat.
04:35The one beside you has to move or get muscled out.
04:39This rule becomes absolutely critical in the pre-start,
04:42the race to mark one, and the dash to the finish.
04:46That's where we typically see boats going in the exact same direction,
04:50and teams weaponise this rule to get an advantage when it matters most.
04:55Let's take a look at how this is played out in racing.
04:58Here, the Kiwis took the inside line at the final mark.
05:02This gave them the leeward position with a win coming from the Aussie side.
05:06With them both fighting to win the race,
05:08it was a perfect time to weaponise the leeward rule.
05:12The Kiwis forced Australia to move out of their way,
05:15and that makes the Aussies unstable,
05:17which at 90 kilometres per hour is not for the faint-hearted.
05:20And they slam into the water, letting New Zealand take the win.
05:24Kiwis, fight!
05:26Coming up, coming down, fight!
05:28The Aussies' mistake was letting the Kiwis take that inside line at the mark,
05:32giving them the leeward position.
05:34If they could have forced New Zealand wide, they would have won it.
05:38This shows how tactical and ruthless these no-contact rules can be.
05:43Alright, that's already a lot to process, right?
05:48Now let's take it up another level.
05:50Rule three is mark-room.
05:53Who gets the inside line?
05:55At each turning mark, if boats are arriving at the same time,
05:59the question is, who gets room to round?
06:02At SailGP's gate marks, boats can choose to turn left or right,
06:06but if multiple boats arrive at once, only one gets the inside line.
06:10And here's where the traffic jam starts.
06:13Just like F1 drivers fighting for the apex, positioning is everything.
06:17Oh, Berlin gets pushed wide!
06:19If you don't give enough room or you push your way in without rights,
06:23expect a penalty.
06:24Or worse, contact.
06:26Germany must keep clear!
06:28Whoa!
06:29So how exactly do you know who gets room at the mark?
06:33Look for that yellow circle on the broadcast.
06:35That's a three-boat length zone.
06:38Once the first boat enters that circle,
06:40mark-room rules kick in and everything changes.
06:44The key thing is when the first boat hits the circle,
06:48the overlap is determined and whether or not the inside boat
06:51has rights to round as they wish.
06:54Now, what is overlap?
06:56We use the back of the outside boat to judge it.
06:59If any part of the inside boat is ahead of the back of the outside boat,
07:03the inside boat is what we call overlapped.
07:06And they get roomed around.
07:08But if there's no overlap, no matter how aggressive the inside boat is,
07:12they've got no rights to get past.
07:15So in SailGP, even if you're on starboard,
07:21if someone's overlapped inside you,
07:23you've got to give them space to do the tack and get around the mark.
07:26This rule makes the gate marks one of the most tactical, high-stake moments in SailGP.
07:32It is Rockwood, Denmark, full Viking mode.
07:34Get mark-roomed and you round tight with the advantage.
07:37Miss it?
07:38Give your rival an upper hand.
07:40So what have we learned?
07:42There are three essential rules of racing.
07:44Port versus starboard, the right-of-way when teams cross as they make their way around the course.
07:49Wynwood versus Leeward, the right-of-way as teams fight it out in a straight line.
07:56And finally, mark-room, the right-of-way when teams come together rounding the yellow gate marks.
08:02The top teams don't just sail fast.
08:04They make smart calls under pressure, weaponising the rulebook to position themselves in ways that give them the advantage.
08:12It's about judgement, aggression at the right moment and ice-cold decision-making.
08:18All while flying at 100 kilometres per hour.
08:21If you nail it, you gain bid.
08:24If you hesitate, you are history.
08:42If you answered all the way to flighting easily, you will have to make smart calls.
08:55Woo!
08:56Andibles are perfect!
09:01It's a pretty important challenge, alliant.
09:03It's considered for magical systems.
