Thanks, Gene and John. Our ham-fisted attempt wasn't to recreate the
RRS 30 system, it was to keep boats out of the finishing area on laps
of the course between starting and finishing. We have boats of widely
differing speeds sailing different courses, and could end up with a
boat under spinnaker hauling butt to finish, only to have to deal with
a slower close hauled boat going back to the weather mark. The intent
is to keep the slower boat out of the finish line for safety purposes.

The reason that we allow someone to correct an error of going through
the line is that the Southern Chesapeake Bay gets some crazy currents
at times, and is possible for a boat to drift across the line without
the helmsman being able to prevent it. Under those drifting
conditions we are less concerned about the posibility of collision.

We are constrained by the shape and size of our Willoughby Bay and
cannot offset the starting line. I'm also not an favor of
"requesting" that competitors do something - there needs to be a
consequence.

It is not a problem that the RC would have to protest a competitor for
violating the line. It doesn't happen often enough for that to be an
issue.

The main question is whether the SIs have to use the word
"obstruction" in defining the area to be avoided, or is the fact that
it is a prohibited area enough to make it an obstruction for the
purposes of Rules 18 and 19?

Gene - Best of luck with the Lakefest Regatta next weekend. I wish I
could be there. It is a wonderful event!

Jim Williams
Willoughby Racers
Norfolk, VA

Allan" wrote in message u...
If it is desired to treat the line as an obstruction, that is, creating
an entitlement to room under RRS 18, then the SI should explicitly
designate the thing as an obstruction.

But by designating start/finish lines as obstructions, you are
destroying the principles that allow one boat to force another over at
the start.

The effect of your local SI is a rather ham-fisted attempt to do what
the Flag I, Flag Z and Black Flag starting options in RRS 30 provide in
a carefully thought out way (with effective penalties, that won't
require a protest hearing). Why not use the carefully developed rules
provided?

The RRS don't provide a specific rule to keep the finish line clear, but
if this is really a problem, bearing in mind that the SI probhibition
will require a protest hearing to deal with an infringer, then it can
probably be dealt with better by:

* _requesting_ boats not to cross or re-cross the finish line except
when finishing (in the SI, or general notices), (this works fine with
several clubs where I race) and

* locating the finish line sufficiently away from nearby rounding marks
so that boats that are racing do not come near it, for example, 200 m to
windward of the windward mark of the course, or to leeward of the
leeward mark, if a downwind finish.

John