Life used to be much simpler when the port boat had to give right of way to the starboard boat, PERIOD. Now it's like, well, gee, if the port boat people aren't paying attention, the onus is on the starboard boat to avoid them, and the starboard boat is the one that gets punished? If there is contact, the protest committee has to be psychic and decide who is telling the truth about the situation and who was thinking or not thinking what at the time. It's ridiculous!
Wishy-washy rules are not rules.
Rules need to be pretty black and white, cut and dried, and easily understandable for new sailors (as well as existing sailors), if we want to attract more people to the sport of sailboat racing.
Nobody has any problem learning the rules for driving a car in traffic. Why can't we make it that easy for for people to learn how to drive a sailboat in traffic?
