Good points by all, and I am certainly no expert at rules of the road, but isn't the overtaking boat required to give way to the boat being overtaken? I guess this would also apply because the overtaking boat is to windward...



I know the visibility is an issue with spins. In my humble opinion, if I'm going to throw up something like that, it's my responsibility to do my best to control it. Sure, I don't like when Waves pop out from seemingly nowhere, and I feel bad when I have to dump/alter course to avoid a collision, but it's ultimately my job to control my boat.



That being said, I have less than optimistic feelings towards non-spin boats that use their rights to push overtaking boats all over the course. Again, my understanding of the "rules" is that the overtaking boat gives rights, but only if the boat overtaken holds course and speed. Purposely causing a spin boat to dump as you head it up is not very sportsmanlike, and since very few of us do this for a living, I doubt it is necessary. As I see it, a race is won by the team that makes the fewest mistakes, not the team that barges the rest of the fleet into trouble.



But that's just me, I guess. I treat slower boats as any other on-course hazard. I could just as easily have happened upon a sea turtle or manatee, who's direction and speed is much less predictable!