I think that the "rulemakers" are thinking about the faster boats, that is why they changed the two-length zone to three-length zone.
(Checkout the rest of that blog as well, very interesting reading).
IMHO sailing is a complex sport and I think that if you would start out with maybe 5 rules,
you will find yourself adding a few rules every race because there is no way those 5 rules would cover every possible situation.
Tony,
This is one of the big reasons I sail cats. There is less emphasis on the minutia within the rules. With a cat it is about boat speed and very basic rights of way and that is about it. My experiece has taught me that using a rule to force you way into or out of a situation has almost always been slower and opens up the potential for an F'n protest, than just eating some ground but keep going fast.
