Imagine the following scenario in a 6-race regatta:
- Boat A finished 1st in race 6 of the regatta and won the cup with total 12 points.
- Boat B finished 6th in race 6 resulting in a 2nd at regatta with total 13 points.
- Boat C finished 2nd at race 6
- Boat D finished 23rd in race 6 and 22nd in the regatta.
Boat D protests Boat C in a port/starboard incident which caused Boat D to hook the upwind mark, a major contributor to her 23rd place finish in race 6. Boat D also requests redress.
Boat D's protest is upheld and Boat C is DSQ'd in race 6.
With Boat C now DSQ'd in Race 6, Boat B's finish is moved up one place from 6th to 5th in race 6, and now has a regatta total of 12, tied with Boat A. Boat B wins the tie-breaker with one additional 1st place finish and wins the championship.
Question: Now do you think the protest committee can give Boat C such penalty like deletion of points from overall points instead of DSQ so that the position of A and B in the overall outcome does not change? .. on the basis that A had no part in the incident between C and D?
The law is harsh but it is the law!
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The jury needs to be impartial and boats overall position in the regatta should not be affecting their decision. If Boat B wins the regatta as per scoring of Appx A, so be it.