The situation:
A boat is attempting to round a windward mark to be left to port in light air, but due to adverse current they misjudge the layline. An attempt to shoot up and around at the last minute, combined with an overeager spinnaker hoist, brings the boat to a dead stop against the mark. They are eventually able to tack onto port, but an incoming starboard tack boat causes them to tack back early. They touch the mark a second time but are at last able to round. The boat promptly gets well clear, takes a single turn penalty, and continues the race. Approximately 20 seconds passes between their separation from the mark and the second contact.
We will, for the sake of my ego, pretend that this is hypothetical and does not in fact describe a situation I found myself in recently.
Questions:
- Would both contacts with the mark be considered a single incident, or two?
- If its a single incident, then can you imagine any situation where a boat breaks a rule and then, before they are able to get well clear, breaks another rule, that you would consider to be two separate incidents?
- If it is in fact possible for a boat to break a rule in a second incident before they are able to get clear and take a penalty for the first incident, would the penalties basically "stack"?
Multiple incidents each with an unexonerated rule breach => an RRS 44 penalty for each incident.
PS: For instance ... you hit the mark on the proper rounding-side, spin around the mark doing a gybe and tack and hit it again at the end of the penalty turn ... you'd need another penalty-turn for the 2nd hit.
I would suggest that you read US Appeal 65, which addresses whether two occurrences were one or two incidents.
US Appeal 65
The test of whether two occurrences were one or two incidents is whether the second occurrence was the inevitable result of the first. A boat intending to protest another boat for two incidents during a race, no matter how close in time, must inform the protested boat that two protests will be lodged.