Cowes Week start line confusion.

[XDC]

Can someone please explain this to me?

“A theme common to many of today’s starts was overly enthusiastic competitors who appeared to have not noticed the inner distance mark was on the course side of the line”

I used to race

 

[shirazchaz]

Simples - competitors thought/assumed that the inner distance mark was ON/part of the line and thus were OCS. The IDM would ideally be on the line but it doesn't have to be...

 

[Debenair]

Presumably competitors ignored the true transit down the line and assumed the IDM was on the line this rendering themselves OCS .

 

[lw395]

I expect the same tide which was taking the IDM over the line was tending to take the competitors the same way?

 

[XDC]

You’re probably right but I always thought the IDM was to protect a committee boat, not a castle

 

[lw395]

Do they still have two start lines, one with an IDM half a mile North of the castle?
The white group IDM would probably be to keep the boats from grounding on the rocks until they're clear of the line.

 

[dunedin]

Often an inner distance marker would be positioned a little bit ahead of the true start line - to avoid the risk of it drifting back behind the line, when it is technically legal to pass outside the inner distance pre start then move further inshore whilst still behind the line

 

[XDC]

Do they still have two start lines, one with an IDM half a mile North of the castle?
The white group IDM would probably be to keep the boats from grounding on the rocks until they're clear of the line.

Surely that’s a navigators responsibility

 

[XDC]

Often an inner distance marker would be positioned a little bit ahead of the true start line - to avoid the risk of it drifting back behind the line, when it is technically legal to pass outside the inner distance pre start then move further inshore whilst still behind the line

Agree with that hence the question and the number of OCS.

The buoy in question is beyond the start line as per my original post

 

[lw395]

Surely that’s a navigators responsibility

You don't exactly get a navigator in a 3 man boat.

What are all these boats OCS? I don't see too many in the results?

Just the normal blather from the commentary, or did lots of boats return to restart?

 

[XDC]

You don't exactly get a navigator in a 3 man boat.

What are all these boats OCS? I don't see too many in the results?

Just the normal blather from the commentary, or did lots of boats return to restart?

Well I found 3 of the 9 Squibs that finished were OCS and took the quote from the official Cowes Week report.

Guess they got it wrong

Should we protest?

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