So the crew who has right of way will itself be penalized if there is damage and they will not be rewarded a redress when there is no damage.

And on top of that the crew that was fouled also needs to make a effort to file their protest in time, only to see it thrown out because the fouling crew did a 360.

Like I said, the current racing rules favour crews that foul in many situations. Most often because it is so hard to proof anything and get a succesful protest filed.

Best course of action in this case is to still put the fouling crew into hospital and sink their boat.

Why ?

Because then the fouling crew will have gained nothing by intentional fouling you, something that will likely happen if you let it pass. And the fouling will know exactly why they deserved all the pain and suffering and will do so for the rest of their lives. Much better then looking them up on the beach later which will only give ISAF more reason to punish the crew who actually did nothing wrong.

Just say you never saw him coming and continue to deny all accusations as the other side won't be able to proof the contrary.

Sure, your event is wrecked, but so too is theirs ! Hopefully (for them) they still have enough braincells left to remember that the next time when they consider playing chicken again. And lets not forget that you set an example to all the other crews out there as well and they will think ten times before trying a similar trick. You throw one event but get plenty of room in all future events when you have right of way. So in the end you gain and the other looses.

Like I wrote earlier, I hate to say this but it really does seems the only course of action today and at this level of competition.

It is certainly one reason why I wouldn't want to race at this level even if I had the skills to do so.

Wouter

Err, I wonder if I really want to race anymore when I read this?? God forbid that I dont see a boat coming upwind on starboard while we go downwind under spi.. Intentional ramming and putting people in hospital. Having fights on the beach..

Most of us are recreational racers, we are supposed to be doing this for fun. Take it to the room and have a row on the beach if you need to, but all this talk about hurting people.. I dont think you know what you are talking about. I can as good as guarantee you that you will not feel good if you put someone in hospital, even if they were arseholes on the course. If you dont, you need to talk with a professional.

Rolf,

My comments were made "tongue in cheek"

John

So the calculated risk is that the 360 is worth it if you foul the other guy to such an extent that he capsizes. Like in snowboarding, perhaps the day of the 360 is past. Now a 720 or perhaps a 1080 or 1440 would change the calculated risk/benefit ratio.

S should have gybed. Rish reward on both sides dictates that the gybe is the think to do. Other boat still has to do a turn.

I'm not quite as extreme as Wouter however if P's rudder were to be taken out whilst S was attempting to avoid the collision. Yes sir - when it became clear that the other boat wasn't keeping clear I rounded up as fast as I could however in doing so I hit his rudder - I suppose it is better than a big collision amidships......

For club racing it's a bit extreme but if it were the difference between a podium at a worlds I'd most definately use it.

After one protest where I did the correct thing and avoided a collision I was told at the end of the protest (which I won) by the protest chair - "next time make our life a lot easier and bring back paint......"

Cheers,
Tiger Mike

It is no such thing. It is to avoid a collision if reasonably able to do so and even then there are a few "buts".

Cheers,
Tiger Mike

Hey Simon -

I bet Greg would have gybed, except I think he was on the lay for the finish line and capsized right in front of it. It was a real bummer. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />