One thing that I'll never claim to be an expert on is the rules. For some reason, I can read technical documents, software development APIs, and historical documents from the 19th century just fine, but as soon as I try to read rules, I first get lost trying to reconstruct the scenario in my head, then I get frustrated, then I get bored and give up.

My solution to this problem is to sail with a guy who knows the rules - and to not get myself in a position where I'll be forced to know an obscure rule.

When in doubt, I'll go ahead and do the spin to alleviate any offense incurred, whether legitimate or not. I'm sure there are people who will say this is a bad thing to do, and it probably is, but the last thing I want is for there to be an angry person waiting for me when I get back to the beach.