What I found interesting was how the role of the OCR being a selection event for the US sailors has an impact on the game by influencing your judgement and actions on the water.

Watching the medal race video... there are two or three close P/S crosses. In each case starboard bears off and takes ports stern. So... the usual culture of the game, keeps the traffic going smoothly... No protests involved. So.. there is an expectation in how the pro's play the game...

until two US boats can't agree on a cross and Protest and DSQ results. Did the selection process screw up the normal expectations game?

For the Gary haters... Gary Jobson, being the keelboat monohull sailor that he is..., explains this as... Oh... perhaps Starboard did not want port tacking underneath and waved them through. rather then tack and lee bow starbord.

So...is it a culture of expectations in the pro level olympic fleet ... Or actual signaling of cross/no cross?