I raced big boats for almost ten years, and never filed a protest (smalll bunch of boats, 15 of them on really big events). Most situations were solved with a good dose of shouting at the mark and a couple of beers at the dock… situtations were left on the water after the fact.
Most of the time we had fun ( except when the wind dropped below 7 knts)
I haven?t raced on RC yet, not sure if ever will do… Sailing is pure fun in itself… (oh maybe I’m just idiealist)
Chad said, “A starboard boat has to allow the port boat room/oppertunity to finish (no ‘hunting’).”
As I understand it, the no hunting rule goes something like this: if a give way boat is already keeping clear of a right of way boat, the right of way boat cannot alter her course in such a way as to cause the give way boat to no longer be keeping clear. In other words you can’t go out of your way to go after someone (hunt them) and force them into a worse position than they are already in.
I don’t see what that has to do with a port tack and starboard tack boat both going for the finish line. As long as the starboard tack boat maintains her course and does nothing to specifically interfere with the port tack boat’s course, she has the right of way and the port tack boat must keep clear and finish behind her.
I have heard of the “leave room at the finish line” rule, but it was never properly explained to me. I can’t believe that the rules would require a starboard tack boat to give way to a port tack boat at the finish line. If someone can explain how that rule is supposed to work, please do it here we all can benefit from it.