Stuart,
My experience in racing has been poor. As a rookie my 18 was t-boned and destroyed. I seriously considered never racing again. Changed my mind, entered several races and had fun. Then got into another issue, was discouraged again. I find that the majority of sailors at regattas are great people and fun to be around. There are always a few exceptions. Racing is very fun, you learn alot, and if you can turn off the competitive side its more fun. I plan to race again this year with my wife. We will not try to get on the line for starts, back down whether we have rights or not, and just have fun. I'm not willing to sacrifice the experience of racing over a few instances. I feel I did the right thing both times, don't know that the other skippers can make that same statement without fear of lightning. Go to races, stay back out of the way and learn. My 2 cents.