Is there anyone on this forum who atended bothe the M/1OR Worlds last year and the IOM Worlds this year?

If so I would be very interested to read their opinion on the windward gates used:

M/10R: inside out gate with offset marks on both sides of the gate

IOM: outside in gate

In particular I wish to know if, in your opinion, different gates:

• reduce the number of incidents at the windward mark;

• distribute or concentrate the fleet at the start of the run;

• allow boats to bail out if they mis-mis-judge the lay line, or which to avoid a congested mark

• facilitate the work of the observers and umpires;

• facilitate the setting of fair courses.

As a judge/umpire a both events I have a personal opinion which I wil reveal if this thread has some replies. I may well be that my opinion will be very different ffrom that of competing sailors.

No PRO/umpire experience from me, not even that much RC sailing. My racing is typically a single spreader, though an outside-in was also used at our Open this weekend.

One thing I sense though is that the efficacy of any method can still be upset by the angles. It's not always practical - esp. at events lesser than the Worlds kinda level - to be moving marks constantly, but a heavily shifting wind can result in laylines wandering such that any method can end up messier than the 'theory'. And of course the distances between multiple marks, and even distance/bearing from Control Area. A degree of 'horses for courses' perhaps, or [apologies for any earworms] 'it aint what you do, its the way that you do it'..?

At the M & 10R Worlds we raced with the "classic" windward mark / dog leg, a windward gate inside out and finally the gate plus spreader marks. I didn't sail the IOM Worlds but have sailed multiple regattas incl. the last German M nationals with the outside in gate.

The outside in gate is my least preferred option. If you are at the front of the fleet this creats a choke point where you are forced through the middle of the course with boats approaching / crossing from both sides on their way to the respective side of the gate. The videos of the last major IOM events provide a host of examples where front runners loose numerous places due to incidents caused by bunching up all of the fleet.

The inside out gate in France worked well (allthough some managed to forget about the spreader and were DSQed multiple times) as it separates beating and running boats and was tactically challenging.

However, depending on the lay of the land, the course and prevailing wind a windward mark with dog leg can work just fine.

I have sailed last IOM Worlds and I have watched last day of M Worlds with inside out + spreader.

Outside in gate is somehow dangerous when boats downwind cross boats upwind just after the mark, but it reduces the incidents at windward mark(s) compared with classic spreader.
My opinion is to avoid this option if gate is far away and if there is a lot of wind and use usual spreader. If boats are far and fast, you risk hits, and strong ones.

Inside out + spreader is maybe the best option to avoid incidents, but :
1/ it's a nightmare for mark layers to get something fair
2/ Boats are so much separated at the beginning of the run that if you are on the wrong side, you are dead...

The same without spreaders is easyer for mark layers, but you still have to go around windward boat on the layline before going downwind. So course is somehow shorter for boats not leading.

To use Gordon's questions : and comparing with classic spreader
Outside in

• reduce the number of incidents at the windward mark => Yes

• distribute or concentrate the fleet at the start of the run => Similar

• allow boats to bail out if they mis-mis-judge the lay line, or which to avoid a congested mark => Yes

• facilitate the work of the observers and umpires; => You would know, probably easyer as boats are separated

• facilitate the setting of fair courses. => No

Inside out + spreader

• reduce the number of incidents at the windward mark => Yes

• distribute or concentrate the fleet at the start of the run; => Distribute (too much)

• allow boats to bail out if they mis-mis-judge the lay line, or which to avoid a congested mark => Yes

• facilitate the work of the observers and umpires; => No, more marks to check

• facilitate the setting of fair courses. => No, worse of all

I suggest another option for consideration - use a wind mark and offset mark with the addition of a windward approach mark. The approach mark would be set about 6 boat lengths to leeward of the windward mark and have a required side that all boats must pass it to port.

The idea is that boats coming in from the left side of the course on port, would be encouraged to get on the stbd lay line sooner, and if possible, outside the zone.

John