But I also think that many RC's want a game of musical chairs on the line. IE... not enough room for the fleet to fit on the line with some boats forced into a second row start... Somehow... they feel that this is esential to a well run sailboat race... and I think they are listening to the wrong group of racers here.
Hear hear!
Remember... the point of the start is not to define a race winner... rather... just get the race going fairly!
Winning the start, or at least getting a good start, is so important that it might well decide the winner. Having a poor start is much worse than a blown tack or another mistake later on.
Bargers are scary, especially when they try to squeeze in between you and the RC boat while you have lots of boats to your leeward with nowhere to go. You can't give room and just have to hope the barger backs off.. Using a "barger boyou (tm)" is a "very good thing(tm)"!
Another common situation is the one where a windward boat is about to be pushed over the starting line by a leeward boat. Leeward hails "up up up" while the windward boat replies "Hey, you are pushing me over" and stays put.
My personal favorite is the ones who still hail "mast abeam- no luffing rights"
