Joe, what you have to look at is "what is my fastest course?" Looking at the pics it seems the breeze wasn't really on, and it was shaping up to be crowded on the left gate (always refer to right and left sides of the course as though looking upwind to avoid confusion). Crowded AND the outside of the pinwheel, so lots of extra distance sailed IF you got through clean, which you didn't. Nobody did. Bail right, slow down to make the gybe on the black kite if you have to, give in to win. Odds are, you'd have sailed away from the yelling, slow pinwheel hung up on the other gate.

edit: which i THINK was Tim's original point...