Getting back to the original topic,
One of the main reasons that the weather (or offset) mark is a dangerous place with spinnaker boats is that the crews are so busy hoisting the kite and adjusting things, they may be more likely to take their eyes off the road.
A boat is expected to maintain a lookout at all times, even when setting a spinnaker. Lapses of attention can be hazardous anywhere on the course.
While this won't fix all the problems, one major help here is to have a separate (longer) weather mark (and offset) for the spinnaker boats. Won't help much in a 50-boat spinnaker fleet, but will help a ton in mixed fleets.
I don't quite follow that logic, at least for catamarans. Spinnaker cats generally sail much deeper than sloop and uni-rigs. If different types of catamarans rounded the same mark, the spinnaker boats would tend to sail below the non-spins. After that, things are not really different than anywhere on the downwind leg. What am I missing?
There are other issues that can happen elsewhere on the course that cannot be easily addressed with rule changes. The primary one is spinnaker boats on the edge of control when it's blowing like stink. They have to bear off (a lot sometimes), which can be unexpected for boats going upwind.
This is why boats sailing downwind in heavy air jealously guard their escape lane to leeward. If another boat occupies that lane, the windward boat will often gybe away. This holds true for non-spin boats as well - and even monohulls that sail hot angles downwind. I don't think any rule changes are needed.
... the worst thing on a course (for all of us) is any boat that is sailing around, knowing that they can't see.
Absolutely! Sailing blind is an invitation to disaster. Keep a good lookout; know what boats are nearby; and make a plan to keep clear before the boats actually meet.
Regards,
Eric
