Well, a distance race like this is not like buoys racing. People are heading off into various potential perils, with no chase boats, and it is imperative that there be an accounting of all the boats that start the race, so we know who is out there.

If Rick had started the race on time, with few if any boats there, he would still have to wait at the starting line for another half hour or so to account for others and to make sure they went through the starting line, and pick up the marks he had set.

It was cold and windy and choppy on Barnes Sound, and by delaying the start, he was able to take shelter back in Jewfish Creek until all the boats assembled for the start.

Everyone wants a fair race with everybody starting properly and together. How else would the results mean anything?

Also, this year was the first without having to deal with the lift bridge on Jewfish Creek. So some sailors were not accustomed to making allowances for current and wind to get through the creek. Others were perhaps over-confident.

At any rate, it is a safety issue more than anything to make sure all the boats that are going to start are there for the start.