This is a great debate. I need to think about this a bit more, I'm not sold that mark room entitles you to sail off the course. I could buy that the inside boat can slow down but not tack within the reasonable space considered as mark room, but I don't think they can continue on past the mark room space, and expect to be able to keep the leeward boat from tacking. At some point, mark room ends, and the leeward boat can head the windward to up beyond head to wind.

As I understand it, the windward boat would have fouled by taking too much as mark room. This might be the crux of our disagreement.

Mike