Yeah, with the way the rule is today, just about any boat coming upwind could claim he thought he was about to be run over by any nearby spinnaker boat coming downwind hot.
Yell "Protest" and now the guy's got to snuff the chute and do a circle or two...That's a great way to make up for a bad start and hose the guys coming down on you!
I'm thinking this rule might need to be looked at in detail and perhaps updated for today's newer, faster, asym spin boats. I would think some of the faster Mono's with Asym. spins might have this same problem, what do the Melges guys think? I don't go to Sailing Anarchy, ever, but if some of you do, can you ask them if it's ever been a problem?
If the boat going to windward with right-of-way has a "genuine and reasonable apprehension of collision" with the downwind give-way boat and she takes avoiding action, then yes, the boat under spin breaks a rule. If her apprehension is not genuine, or reasonable, or if she does not take avoiding action (and there was no contact), then the GW boat does not.
I think the existing rules are just fine and spinnaker-boat sailors simply need to own up to their obligations. I've served at Melges 24 National and North American Championships as both Race Committee and as Judge and seen them screaming downwind in 20-30kts breeze. I never heard one of them complain about the rules - not even when we disqualified a port-tack boat under spinnaker for contacting a starboard-tack boat going upwind.
>>>By your logic, if I buy a car with a 10" windshield, it's other people's responsibility to stay out of my blind spot?<<<
Jake, if everyone had the same 10" windshield, the driving laws might have to change, for safety, not a competitive advantage, that's all we are saying.
Sorry, I'm not buying this argument. You've proposed unconditional right-of-way (superceding rules 10, 11, and 12) for any boat flying a spinnaker over all boats that are not. You have not proposed any change for when two boats that are both flying a spinnaker meet. That is directly analagous to proposing that car with a 10" windshield have unconditional right-of-way over a car with a full-size windshield - even at an intersection when the normal car has a green light.
<Sarcasm alert on>
I sail a sloop-rig cat (no spinnaker) and I've never had any problem sharing a racecourse with spin-cats. They're fun to watch and look like a blast to sail. Until this thread, however, I've never realized how dangerous spin-cats are - what with that big "blind spot" and all. Obviously, for the sake of safety a rule change is required. Therefore I propose this simple new rule that will solve the problem without impacting the game or conflicting with existing rule application:
"Spinnakers on catamarans are not allowed."
Oh, and cars with 10" windshields should be outlawed too.
<Sarcasm alert off>
Sincerely,
Eric
