Having said all of that, I think there is another way to look at this whole thing. It could very well be that the sail material concern was well known in advance, and the OA, PC and IJ decided the rule infraction wasn't a major issue, and they weren't going to let it become one during the event.
The timing of events makes much more sense under this train of thought, no?
Driving the issue on the next to last day of the worlds....? No... I think somebody wanted the story.
But... I learned a lesson here... If you have an equipment issue with someone (loft)... You can't wait till the last day and toss the stink bomb. And, if I am on a jury... I would want to know when you ID'd the issue and what steps did you take after that. Waiting till the end to throw the bombs is not acceptable. Smart juries see that and use their judgment.
A friend was in an equipment protest years and years ago... He used his 18 wings in a Hobie 18 class race...(He thought he had everyone's agreement and it was hardly a secret that he had wings) At the end of the weekend he was protested and DSQ'd and the protestor moved up the scoresheet.... Pissed him off for years...
Bottom line... the context matters with these equipment protests. Just because the equipment rule has been violated does not give people swords to whack someone at the end of the regatta. Smart juries are needed when people want to be idiots.
Nothing good comes from these last minute BS things.
