Boat A sails downwind on PortT. approaches group of StarB tack boats. Marginally crosses both Boat B and Boat C who were on StarB tack. Boat B does not protest or show flag. Boat C protests and shows flag. Boat A does 1 turn after not hearing any protest from Boat B. Boat C protests claiming that the turn was for fouling Boat B and Boat A gets DSQ.
Firstly normally a boat that breaks a rule of part2 needs to take 2 turns unless changed in the SIs.
Did A on port tack keep clear of B and or C ?
If there were 2 breaches then 2 Penalties are required.
However if you break a rule of part 2 and hit a mark during the same incident you don’t have to take an extra turn
RRS 41
a)when a boat may have broken a rule of Part 2 and rule 31 in the same incident she need not take the penalty for breaking rule 31;
I’d be surprised if the PC would not hear from both A and B as well as A and make a decision based on all the evidence.
Another key is that a boat has to know she is being protested. As there was only one hail and flag it is not unreasonable for Boat A to assume that there is only one protest. If Boat C thinks it is two incidents then she should have hailed protest twice and filed two protests. Otherwise, you only have to take one penalty per incident no matter how many rules have been broken in that incident.
Absent a reasonable apprehension of collision and a course change by Starboard, "marginally" is extraneous. If A didn't observe a course change from either starboard boat she's within her rights to keep sailing, red flag(s) or no. Penalty turn (can we assume the SIs reduced RRS 44 from two turns to one?) was worthwhile insurance.
I'd tend to agree, if C intended to lodge two protests for what she perceived as two separate incidents she needed to inform the protestee of both.