Well the 2009-12 rules define "the zone" as three boat lenghts (first boat hitting the zone)and the rules were split out into three relevent rules.

SI's can change this back to two boats or increase it to 4 boat lenghts. (Annual meetings will need to address this issue as they rewrite the SI's and generate new NOR's for next season)

Given the new rules which dispense with the notion that your obligation was increasing and then locked in.... Now, your obligations slam into place at the point the SI's declare.

So... what should the cat fleets do for the SI's they write? Stay with the published rules... or change them per event.

and what should we recomend to the OA for the SI's of events we participate in?

What will the IHCA and the NAHCA do with their SI's?

IMO, we should change to the new ISAF rule standard of 3 boats. The most important aspect of a rule change is that everyone be on the same page. So... just like the starting sequence changes.. I think we should go with the flow and make the change to the now standard 3 boat lenght zone. IMO it will be much easier to tell some one... NEW RULES NOW... Pretty much the same except Now the two boat lenght circle is three boat lenghts... don't complain get a rule book for the next event. In multiclass regattas... it will eliminate confusion.

thoughts?

Previous debate on this issue was made without a full understanding of the new rules and IMO should be reconsidered.