Mark,

A PRO doesn't WANT to get in this position, he is REQUIRED to once he volunteers for the job.

Have you raced on a course run by PU? What he wrote was indeed the standard, and he has expressed his concern numerous times at the lack of support in this area. Of course, he is a realist, and makes the most out of what is given, otherwise, you're right, many times there would be no races.

I disagree with your assessment of undercutting a skipper responsibility. It is the responsibility of the PRO and OA to provide the racing. It is the responsibility of the skipper to sail or not. If the PRO and OA cancel the racing, what has been undercut? The skipper can still go on the water (usually, sometimes the OA won't allow that).

"What happens if you loose a powerboat on the course... now you are below "your safety level"... are you to cancel racing for the day?"

That may very well be the case if the conditions warrant. This is a very serious issue, for all the reasons listed (lawyers, etc.). Not to mention, we're talking about people's LIVES here.

No one is talking about shifting the burden solely to the safety boats. The burden is shared with the competitors, and anyone else on the water for that matter.

Race management training reinforces the lessons that we all learn on the water. Sometimes, the best answer is to be extremely generous with redress.

Mike