It's not an exact science, and we're talking about the back of the fleet here. You have to take a (small) leap of faith here, this really is the most fair way to do this, and if nothing else, it's the best tool to eliminate the #1 complaint of too much sitting around between races.
Trust me, you CAN have TLE and FOW, and everyone's lives work out just fine...
Mike
PS: If you really want your brain to melt, two other very highly respected IROs (who also happen to be judges) showed me that this can be done for handicapped fleets as well. That takes major cajones...
Speaking from experience, when I [was] in the back of the fleet I'd cut the race short and tell the RC to DNF me ... it's not like I needed the points!
To me I'd rather line up and try again ... you learn alot more when you're in close proximity to other boats!
