Jay

I think the rules are written as HONOR the ROW because the answer to your question is... it depends.

(Types of boats, skills of sailors... lowest common denominator of sailor on the course, etc etc etc)..
Honor ROW and call you own foul handle it...

Of course, there is a culture that develops... that defines the local understanding of what's too close, and how you behave. The feedback in the system that starboard supplies by hailing protest and then enforced by the PC (usually drawn from other sailors at the reggata) does the job of interpreting the RRS.

BUT this does not shift any responsiblity for Honor the ROW of Starbord and call your own fouls on yourself to the starbord ROW sailor.

A while back the one of the Hobie class NA's had a protest on Day 1 of the event that completely redefined the accepted common interpretation of honor xxx rule (I forget the detals).... The sailors complained a lot and then quickly adapted to the standard set by the PC at the championship. The rules did not change... the HONOR the rule interpetation was reset and then enforced at the National level by the the judge and jury. The sailors got an education... like it or not.. The standards of call your own and Honor ROW do not change and the sailors called the game the rest of the regatta....

[b]It would appear that Jake believes that Starbord must call his foul or he did not foul and that is the standard that he uses. I assert that shifing responsiblity to starbord to call him is not the RRS.[/b]
We disagree.
YMMV.