It can be the competitors as well who do not keep a good lookout. On Sunday, during our Western Championships, I was slowly moving towards the start line on starboard, with over three minutes to go. There was another Spitfire below and forward of me. I watched a Tiger coming towards me on port. He suddenly decided to gybe around before he reached me. He hit the other Spitfire broadside at speed. His starboard hull hit the rear crossbeam end on, and drove up over it. The open end of the traveller track sliced a 2 foot strip of glass and resin from the bottom of his hull. His spinnaker pole hit the mainsail at what would be head height if someone was standing on the tramp. There is a black line right accross the Spitfire mainsail showing where it hit. The mainsail was eased out, so the pole did not go through it. The Tiger rode right across the back of the Spitfire and slid off over the rudders. A slightly bent tiller cross bar was the only damage to the Spitfire.
The crew who who had their backs to the Tiger were lucky, because they saw the Tiger in time and rolled out of the way. If the Tiger had hit them further forward, a spinnaker pole or a hull in the back, or back of the head could have been fatal.