"Futile to resist." Okay. But I still ask for clarity from WS.
"Others are toying with messaging apps" This really hits home. My local clubs are using WeChat, ubiquitous in the country in which I reside. It's a great messaging app with a ton of great features, but it's extremely weak in other areas, such as search and export. Diagrams on a cellphone? Confirmation of receipt? It's more of a toy than a tool in these areas. Not to mention how well salt water and cell phones mix.
Thanks for your insight, Ben. Deep and well-considered. But I still have some concerns and reservations. Especially when working in a language which isn't native to me.

Michael, thank you first of all for taking the time to put together such a useful summary.
For context, I’m an ILCA sailor myself, racing as a Grand Master at regional and national level — but with results that, let’s say, do not exactly strike fear into the fleet :)

That said, about the infamous "trigger" at start...
I am not entirely convinced by the point about the judge’s (i.e., Rule 42 observer's) position. The observer is indeed astern of the starting line, but it is also true that, in most cases, the boats are not seen strictly from dead astern. Most of them are usually angled by roughly 30 degrees to the line, and the boats to the right of the observer’s RIB may present an even greater aspect, sometimes approaching 70 degrees, especially when they bear off just before the start.

From that kind of position, in my view, acceleration can absolutely be judged. All the more so because the observer also has the surrounding boats as a very useful reference.

To me, the real problem arises when improper technique becomes widespread across the fleet. If everybody is doing the same thing, it obviously becomes much harder to isolate and penalize it consistently (and fairly).

And I think that is due in large part to the proliferation of videos in which coaches — including, and perhaps especially, former world-class champions — effectively legitimize certain practices and present them as acceptable.

Hi Everyone,

We now have a conclusive answer to the question of running Swiss League events for Team Racing.

The updated kSail Events online platform now provides a fully integrated Swiss League scheduling and results service.

There are two types of Swiss League available

The Swiss League formats add to the more standard Team Racing scheduling and scoring formats.  All team racing formats can be used for two, three or four boat teams. 

The updated platform also provides scheduling and results services for Match Racing, League Racing and Divisional Fleet (Pairs) and provides a comprehensive range of tools to aid the running and delivery of scheduled racing.

More information at https://events.ksail.co.uk/ or drop me a line.

Keith
:-)

Hey Mike .. just a bump-reminder to give us your thoughts. - Ang

Warren .. found it.  I haven't visited it since 2021 so it is what it is.  Just to be clear, it was just a simple compilation of all the rules that we should check ..  to see if there was need of a change to those rules (if allowed by RRS 86). 

Spreadsheet: Rules that use Start and the rules those rules touch

There are 2 sheets .. one was based upon the terms .. the next was sorted by the rule.   Anyway .. it was just a WIP worksheet to get a scope of all the places we should look if an NOR/SI approach was used (as apposed to the WS DR). - Ang