Eric nailed it, Chapter 6.6 of the US Sailing Race Management Handbook recommends 5 to 8 boat lengths.
IMHO fast spin cats should be wider in big air. 5 would be sufficient for Waves.
Overlapping zones is just nuts. You need a race officer, not a judge. I am willing to bet he/she is neither.
BTW, you can always check certification status online.
US Sailing Membership Search My only question, how much boat damage occured?
Basically I am looking for a document of some sort from an "authority" such as US Sailing...
US Sailing Race Management Handbook.
I don't have my copy with me here, but I believe it recommends gates be set 5-8 boatlengths apart. As others have already mentioned, gates too close play havoc with rule 18. For catamarans, I would set gates on the wide side. Due to their speed approaching the leeward mark, "about to round or pass" can extend well beyond 2 boatlengths.