Mike
I don't get this notion of " a serious or important regatta" requiring more attention to the technical rules.

I think you need one set of rules and standards .... period. Otherwise, this is a slippery slope which can only lead to to somebody feeling screwed. "Hey... I am not an insider... how was I to know that in THIS regatta that the blah blah rule would be enforced to the letter but not in that regatta.

The Hobie world has a comp tip requirement... they don't have tiers of regattas... Rather, they have the discretion to issue a waiver for up to two events to a sailor with an all metal stick (my area). The rules are clear. If the hobie sailors did not like the rule... they can change it... for the prescription problem where they can't change it.. ... class culture should control. Do you know of any hobie rules which have two tiers?

In the Tybee case, The Tybee class has moved the gear requirement down into the SI's... While there may be no rules difference, the practical effect is to make the requirement explicit for the race. More importantly, they make it clear that modifications to the PFD did not compromise the PFD prescription rule. Good for them.

As Tony observed...Sailors could have just stuffed one CG jacket into a hull and worn what they wanted. But it looks like they made a CG jacket part of the race.

I thought about the SI rule change some more.
I would not be thrilled with adding the no protest rule to the SI's. I think that this shifts responsibility (no matter how small) away from the sailors to the PRO's and regatta organizers. I never think this is a good idea. Therefore, in this catch 22 circumstance... an unwritten class standard of no protests demonstrates the proper judgment rather then the rules addition to the SI's.

My view is that if a class determined that a PRESCRIPTION rule of sailing should be nullfied with a no protest standard... you do not need a guide dog to see the class standard... Moreover, the class practice simply restricted your ability to protest on this equipment rule. ... if you want to comply with the prescription you could or easily adjust and turf the class IV before the first race.