Maugan17,
There's no question that someone should TRY to cause another to capsize...that's not what this is about. It's about one boat trying to protect their wind using the rules that are in place. If I was in a situation where a faster boat was overtaking to weather, I would do my best to luff...that's racing. It doesn't mean that I would force contact or purposely make the other boat flip. If that does happen, the problem/fault lies with the overtaker not being prepared for a defensive luff, and by not knowing how to control his own boat in that situation.

You can't just toss the rules away "trying to be a nice guy"...this can create it's own dangers...people begin to expect that and then we no longer know in advance when the rules will apply and when people will be "nice".

Sailing rules are there to make sailing safe, just like the rules of the road. I get pissed off at four-way stop signs when one person tries to be "nice" and doesn't accept their turn to go across the intersection and instead tries to wave others across...causing mass confusion and danger.


Mike.
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Who's the [censored], the guy who defended his clear air or the guy who broke the rules to try and take it?


I don't really give a crap what the rules say,

If someone causes me to capsize on the course because of some maneuver they pulled and there was nothing I could have done about it, then that person is going to hear about it later.

You're stuck in the "rules of sailing say I can do this" while I'm more in line with the "rules of being a good person and caring for the well-being of others and their property say that I shouldn't."

Too many people think that because their "racing" means that they can be a douchebag and get away with it because they're playing inside the rules. I know my opinion isn't popular amongst those "serious" or "competitive" or "driven" racers.

Again, just so we're clear, I'm not talking about using the rules to give you an advantage on the course, I'm talking about using them to cause an accident that otherwise wouldn't have happened.

Mike Dobbs
Tornado CAN 99 "Full Tilt"