Clash of the ol' timers

Gilmour and Dickson fight to the death in the final of the Investors Guaranty-sponsored Bermuda Gold Cup

A common and serious problem facing both umpires and competitors in match races is competitors being unaware of when the umpires deem them to have an overlap or not and hence what rights they have. This was an issue that determined the fate of the Soling class in the Sydney Olympics and is something which still has yet to be solved.

"It was something we discussed in the America's Cup - getting audio or lights on board the boats that determine when overlaps were in existence or when they were broken," says John Doerr.

At the Congressional Cup this year Doerr says they tried putting special arm bands on the umpires that they would raise or lower when an overlap was established or broken. "That was great, but the skippers told us that the problem was someone has got to keep watching the umpire and the umpire has always got to be in the right place."