Race rule for start and finish line

I have questions about the start and finish lines, for which I think somewhat different rule is applied from the weather/leeward mark rounding. Is my following understand correct?

(1) Start line: If I did not recall, but touched the pin or committee boat after the starting gun, I can clear it by doing one 360 penalty turn. I do not need to re-cross the start line.

(2) Start line: Before the starting gun, I can luff more than close hold to prevent other boat from coming between me and committee boat, but after the gun, I need to go back to close hold.

(3) Start line: Regardless of before the start gun or after the gun, I cannot request room for the 3-boat-length overlap that can be applied for the weather/leeward mark. I also cannot request the room to avoid obstacles.

(4) Finish line: If I touched the pin and crossed the finish line, I do not need to round the pin and re-cross the finish line, but I need to do 360 penalty turn after crossing the finish line. Once I finish the penalty turn, then committee count me as I finished the race.

(5) I am approaching to the committee boat side with starboard tack, but I am in abeam rather than close hold as I over-sailed. There is a boat approaching in close hold to the committee boat end, and I overlapped. But I cannot request the room to cut in between the boat and the committee boat, as he is the leeward boat who gas the right of the way.
 
http://www.sailing.org/tools/documents/ISAFRRS20132016Final-[13376].pdf

1: Yes. Rules 31 and 44. The fun thing about this is that before the start, it's a gradually tightening rule combo: if you hit a starting line mark at three minutes before the start, it doesn't hurt you much to take the penalty, but if it happens three seconds before the gun, your start is ruined.

2: No. I think there was a rule that said so, but it looks like it's been deleted at some point. Only rules 11 and 12 (windward/leeward and clear astern/ahead) apply here.

3: Yes... and no. The section C (right-of-way at marks) preamble leaves out the starting marks, but not other obstacles.

4. No. Rule 44.2 says you have to sail back to the course side to do the turn.

5. No. A finishing line mark is just like the other marks.

Thanks for posting this! Everybody who even thinks about racing: buy the rule book. Your National Authority (in this case, US Sailing) sells them.

And by the way, hope you had a good time in Mexico :D
 
Re Q 2
Suspect that prior to start there is no proper course so you can luff to head to wind, but after start you cannot luff above proper course (which may be moot as to what is) Rule 17
Re Q 3
The zone does not apply as not approaching windward mark and if at starting mark rather think that 20.1(c) might apply

Steve (but not an expert)
 
Thank you very much for the replies, LaLi and Steve.

For (2), I guess there is a proper course restriction, but that is applied when the leeward mark overlapped from the astern. So if I was parking around the start line and the other boat tried to squeeze in from the windward side, I guess I can luff as much as I want to prevent him from coming in.

For (3), I guess the point is both committee boat and the pin buoy are not treated as the same with windward mark. They are not treated as obstacles neither.

For (4), I see, I guess the penalty turn has to be done in the "race area." In the similar line, I guess if I hit the starboard boat at the finish line me as a port boat, I have to go back to the race area (below finish line), do the penalty turn and cross the finish line again.

For (5), then, we can treat the pin end buoy like a port rounding mark and treat the committee boat like a starboard rounding mark?

And yes, I very much enjoyed the Mexico :)
 

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