interesting doc....raises a question a bit off topic for this particular thread, but: How many and what various docs are "authoritative" when it comes to resolving racing issues? This particular doc looks like someone's attempt at explaining the rule changes in the most recent Rule book (2005). I know there were many of these types of docs published when the new rule book came out, but how much validity or authority do they really have? In this particular case, the author is making the assertion that 16.2 only applies upwind, while the wording in the rule merely states "after the starting signal" which could be interpreted as any time between start and finish of the race. I'm not saying it is correct or incorrect....I don't know, which is why I am raising the question.

I was under the impression that only the Rulebook and the Casebook were authoritative, and that anything not explicitly spelled out in either of those docs would be left to the judgment of the Protest and Appeal process.