I probably should have spoken up sooner but I was present on the beach on Sunday where Skip said he wanted to get (and I paraphrase) a second opinion. He never denied responsibility. Shame on those who said he did. I wasn't present during the discussion at the house around the video.

I've been in this situation the first year I started sailing and it's a very easy trap to find yourself in. I had a boat on top of me that I felt prevented me from aborting my reach into the starting area - but I didn't know my rights too well and I really couldn't anticipate what was going to happen next. All I knew was that I didn't like the angle I was coming in at the start line but I felt like I couldn't escape. My focus was on the boat above me and the committee boat I was approaching. Next thing I know, I have a Hobie 16 bow on my trampoline and a skipper screaming bloody murder at me.

If you've been racing for a while reaching/barging/starting becomes second nature - but this incident does require some anticipation to prevent if there is a crowd of boats at different angles. If you can't see this potential before hand, once you get into it, the escape routes are narrow and few (if existent).