All depends on the class and the level of the event.

There are plenty of classes and events (notably, team racing) where rules as a weapon are entirely an accepted part of the game.

In Hobie sailing, all I can say is that while we are sticklers for rules, one of my most important quotes comes from Wally Myers from several years ago. He simply won't put himself into a situation that would result in a protest. For the most part, that just means sailing around groups that are messing each other up, which is always faster anyway.

That's not to say he's a wuss on the course, quite the contrary, he can be very intimidating. However, he's usually at the front of the fleet, and in the situations where he's playing catch-up, he's more focused on speed to pass the fleet rather than mixing it up with rules.

The class culture helps a lot too. In Hobie racing, there's rarely contact and people often voluntarily do circles when they foul. If not, a polite discussion on the beach usually sets the tone for newbies.

In Opti racing, bumper boats (where no one ever spins) is the norm, to the point that protests are sometimes disallowed over validity, regardless of contact. I'm still trying to wrap my head around that concept...

Mike