I'd like to give a shout out to those that do acknowledge their fouls and take their lumps.

I had an incident in the Mid Windters this past weekend. Approaching the leeward mark under spinny, we were heading deep/low in light air...trying to soak down to the starboard layline while on starboard gybe. one B.L. fro mthe mark we might have made it...then hit a big kelp patch, boat stopped, and rudders stopped turning...we drifted into the mark while trying to gybe to the layline. Then the port rudder caught the ground tackle...we were in a world of hurt. Whilst I was frantically working to lift the rudder blade to stop dragging the mark along, our closest competitor in second place rounded us to the outside. When I next looked up, all I saw was him dead infront of my bows, broadside. We were still parked and I could not judge if there was contact. He went past...we went straight into our penalty turn...lots of shouting (at the gods...not the other boat) and cussing on my part. We settled in and rounded the mark, now a few hundred yards behind in second. Then we see the leader (Bob Sherman) do a penalty turn of his own...didn't know what for. We took back the lead and went on to beat in him an extremely close regatta (ultimately decided by tie breaker in my favor). Later at the club he told me our spin pole bridle fly (a TELOCAT) had brushed his port stay...my boat was on starboard at the time, he on port. He took his penalty. CLASSY!

Here we are making a much more tidy mark rounding...Bob in hot pursuit.