Clark Chapin said Created: Yesterday 17:45 ID: 21057 

I think Clark makes 3 very good points.

The problem arises from the 'while racing' condition in RRS 44.1.

The rules could be rewritten to remove the 'while racing' condition in RRS 44.1 and provide that when a boat takes a turns penalty after finishing and then crosses the finishing line from the course side before all other boats have finished, this second crossing  shall constitute her finish.

There are some counter-arguments:

If you go to the video - at 3:32, you can see the boom is on the centreline and the boat is head to wind (he even says the boat is "starting to tack") - SCULL 3; at 3:56-57, it's well past head to wind and he says, "Just pump the rudder once, twice, that's not really sculling" - SCULL 3; at 4:19, the boom has crossed the centreline and he's ducked to the far side of it, three pumps of the rudder with the first one crossing the centreline - SCULL 2, SCULL 3.

Slamming the board down doesn't stop the boat going past head to wind, it gives the directional stability to scull down to offset the backing and/or go backwards on a desired direction. 

Ben ... I think there is a new MR Call .. or maybe it was a Rapid Response .. where they discuss, in the context of RRS 16, the concept of a KC boat 'not being able be given room to continue to keep-clear, if the KC was not keeping clear when RRS 16 initially applies.

The reason I bring this up in this context is to possibly frame this in the context of RRS 16 and how Case 50 creates a reasonable timespan of action between RRS 16 and RRS 14.

From RRS 16's POV
Each time a ROW boat changes course, she shall give the KC boat room to KC.  When the KC boat is in an obvious state of KC'ing (let's say P/S .. > 6 BL's apart  ... bow-to-bow course intersection), each time the ROW alters course, there is a reset opportunity for KC to 'continue to KC'.

From RRS 14's POV
A ROW boat need not act to avoid contact "until it is clear" that the KC is not keeping clear.  Rhetorically, RRS 14's "when it is clear" is a single moment in time at which time the ROW boat must act in the time-rhelm of "reasonable possibility".  At that point of time of action, the KC boat assumably is not in a state of keeping clear.  If ROW's action to avoid contact with an KC boat that is not keeping clear involves changing course,  that change of course doesn't effectively create new RRS 16 KC room entitlements to the KC boat already in a state of not keeping clear.  

So, Case 50 spans the space between "Clearly KC'ing" .. where RRS 16 provides new room to KC with a course change by ROW .. and "Clearly NOT keeping clear" where the ROW boat's actions may be too late to avoid contact.  

I am a big believer in online official notice boards.
During covid, when we could sail, we did not want the crush of compeitors by a physical notice board.
We got used to the new systems, and began to prefer them.
It is ok saying the internet may go down, as an outsider at a club, geting access to a printer is difficultt at international wvents you canot bring your own printer, you cam only write so much in a given time.
I do events run from multiple cluds, a crew member had to be dispatched, to check for prptrsy scedule and si changes.
Now all are online generaly, and notifications are given by e mail.
In multi class regattas just posting all the protest time limits was a majour task, now managed from the pc.
Same for hearing schedules, not to aay the ease of the notices then a commirtee is protesting.
Lang live the electronic sysstems.
Do however specify the online system as the official notice board,.
Get the link from rrs post about the venus the qr codes.

And it did a superb event at the Fastnet Schools this weekend - well done!