If the course is set up so that the race starts on a reach and finishes on a reach, so much the better from the spectator standpoint. Then the boats can fly hulls and look spectacular coming in to the finish, just like the motocross guys do their twists in the air when coming in to the finish.
I like the idea of short course racing close to shore however modern spi cats/mono's are optimised for upwind/downwind racing. Most cats are flying hulls all round the course these days.
The problem with reaching marks is once somebody gets in front, it is *very* difficult to overtake unless the boat in front makes a big mistake. Windward-returns still provide great action plus a bit of suspence - did he get in front or not - we have to wait a min to find out!
I am not a fan of reaching starts either. They don't make for fair racing (1 boat usually winds up with a huge advantage if he pushes the other boats to follow the rules) and in many cases can be plain dangerous.
Michael
