Scooby, I'll let you know if I hear back from Dave Perry or any of the other judges that I know. Do you have any judges in your area that you could ask and get back to us on their opinions?

As for Jack and any others concerned about simplicity for beginners, all I can say is that we try to make sure that those of us at the top and in the middle of the pack understand the rules enough to help the newbies learn. We make lots of efforts at the local level to hold learn-to-race seminars, etc. But, if we can't come to agreement on the rules ahead of time, we discuss it and if needed, consult with judges ahead of time or worst-case, in a protest (doesn't necessarily mean the rules need to be thrown away).

I recall my first year of racing Hobies in 1997. Through complete dumb luck, I was the third boat to the weather mark in a 30+ boat H16A fleet at Wildwood. I got passed by about 8 boats on my way to the gate. Once I got there, it was pretty clear that I had absolutely no clue what I was doing, so everyone avoided each other and I did two circles (just to be safe).

What is my point? When you're new, you have to be humble enough to assume that you're probably wrong and not to push your luck in tight situations. Always ask questions, you can always protest later.

I've raced with hundreds of people over the years, and can honestly say that I've only run into two or three people that gave bad advice or took advantage of newbies on the water. They were never at the front of the fleet, and I have not seen any of them in many, many years.

As tikipete alludes, there's a reason that you never see certain people at the front of the fleet go to the room. They know that screwing with one boat and forcing protests loses the rest of the fleet. It's better to stay clear and pass them later.

Mike