But WP may not always have a way out - there could be other boats above him who are going to pass behind S who WP will have to hail for room to tack before he could bail out that way. I don't think it's fair to say that it's always WP's fault - remember that the obstruction doesn't have to be another competitor. It could be a boat racing in a different class or (and this comes from the heart!) a commercial ship.