It's a common misconception that gates were invented to "lessen the traffic found in big fleets with a conventional mark rounding." Gates were used in the last America's Cup - a match race where only two boats are on the course!

Gates add strategic and tactical elements to racing. They provide another "passing lane" so that sailboat races don't necessarily turn into the parades that they often are.

Two examples - taken from this past weekend at the Hobie 14 North Americans (14 boats - hardly a big fleet).

Scenario 1:
Dan Borg is leading going into the gate. I'm a couple of boatlengths behind. Normally, I would have no choice but to round behind Dan, try to point above him (not going to happen if you know Dan's pointing ability) or foot past him (not going to happen either). Tacking a 14 is slow and painful and best avoided in the moderate air and big chop we had.

The PRO had properly skewed the gate so that the favored mark (right) led to the less favored side of the course. (Left/Right are always looking upwind.)

Dan takes the unfavored mark and goes left towards the favored side of the course. I go right. Dan is forced to cover me (tack) AND he took the unfavored mark AND when I tack, I'll be on starboard. See how that can work? Turns out I blew my tack to starboard, but I would have had him if I hadn't.

Scenario 2:
Again, Dan's leading into the gate, followed close behind by Bill Jeffers. They go left. No way am I getting in that parade, so I go right. Dan can't tack to cover because Billy's on his hip (and on starboard tack). I look up the course - lo and behold, here comes some pressure on the right side (it was light air).Big header, too. I dig into the pressure / header, flop over to starboard tack to say in the puff and I'm almost laying the weather mark. I ended up with a 100 yard lead around the mark.

Gates aren't about big fleets. They're about tactics. Hobies have been using them at our North Americans since 1994. They're hardly new anymore.