OK, let's back up a bit.

There are clear rules in place.

There are unwritten cultural practices that are also in place.

The only real problem comes up when there is a conflict of the two, and there are sailors willing to use that as a weapon.

I think we've all essentially agreed that we all sail in classes where we know what will get protested, and clearly what won't, regardless of what the rules say. In our classes, at typical regattas, for situations that are undesirable, it is much more common for the group to talk to an offending sailor rather than protest them. It is only when the infraction is viewed to be more damaging to the class' health, and the sailor was warned and does not comply, that such protests are typically lodged.

There are, however, events (and likely, classes) where protests over minutiae should be expected. As mentioned much earlier in the thread, this would be anything remotely resembling an important event, such as a ladder event, nationals or higher.

So, other than making safety rules not protestable by a boat, and ensuring that the event measurer, OA and PRO is onboard with what the class desires, there shouldn't be any real issues for 99.9% of our racing.

For the "important" events, suck it up as part of the game.

John, does THIS help?

Mike