The "Sans Assistance" rule has been something of a joke for me for a long time...
Any outside assistance ought to be clamped down upon, but I can't help feel it's overlooked by race organisers because they know it would discourage sponsors and therefore competitors!
All part and parcel of my love for the Jester Challenge.
I reckon that allowing outside assistance only encourages competitors to push their boats harder than safety and seamanship would suggest. They simply need to decide what the object of the race is and legislate accordingly. The Jester Challenge has done just that.
Alternatively, they could insist that Darwin's theory of natural selection is on display in every vessel.