Well, I hope that my incident wasn't the only reason for this thread, but we were the I-20 boat out there that managed to suffer some damage to the hull. For those that weren't privy to the front row seats (like Team Tybee), here's our synopsis:
1) Race day (Saturday) conditions were breezy (about 15+), cold and overcast
2) RC had Postponement flag flying. No races for the day had started
3) Our boat was approx 1/3 - 1/2 mile to the left of the start line, waiting in irons.
4) A-cat appeared to our right, approx 20 meters, bearing away on starboard tack, allegedly after a minor collision with another boat.
5) At the time of the collision, our boat was backing up in irons. Other boat was on starboard. Hulls interlocked. A-cat shroud sawed into I-20 snuffer head (damage extent unknown). A Cat port hull dove underneath I-20 port hull, and shroud began sawing I-20 hull under waterline. I-20 crew pushed A-cat hulls away, and A-cat sailed away on starboard with broken port (forward) shroud.
6)Team Alexander's was able to assist A-cat with shroud repair. I-20 sailed back to beach on port to minimize water intake, and commenced repairs. A-cat also sailed into beach, replaced shroud and returned to racing. Incident caused A-cat to DNC two of 6 total races that weekend. I-20 DNC all 8.
To me, there was no basis for RC or protest committee to have to pass judgement. There was no racing going on, we were not on the race course, etc. Just a bunch of boats milling around. Upon seeing A-cat on beach, we apologized for being involved in the crash (NOT for being at fault, mind you), and offered our assistance.
To his credit, A-cat sailor did apologize for the incident on Sunday afternoon as he left for Key West Race week.
Had this incident resulted in more than just a lost weekend of sailing (and about $100 in epoxy, glass, and gelcoat), we probably would have raised this issue to insurance. I would be interested in reading how others would have handled the situation (ASIDE from not sitting in irons!) in a more sportsmanlike manner.
