Sailing down the fleet

theres nothing wrong with the act of sailing someone down a fleet if you have the skillset to do it IMHO. 

I've no idea how to phrase a rule that allows covering but has a limit on it.

I agree with Brass - sledging is different from sailing someone down the fleet. Sledging IMHO breaks RRS2.

As long as the boats are of the same class and both are competing in the same race series, sSailing someone down the fleet is OK - very similar to croquet (and no that is not my background;-) )

Can you imagine a motor race where a driver allows everyone else to go past, but swerves around at 20 mph in front of the car which needed to beat him to win the race?

Mind, in motor racing they seem to think it is OK to ram cars off the road.

Tennis is difficult because you only have to beat the person in front of you - there is no one else there to win instead.

In cricket, I seem to remember an incident where the odd run or2 was needed off the last ball, so the bowler bowled underarm along the ground to stop it being hit. Roundly condemned as being unfair play. All your examples are cases of trying hard to win.

How is a tackle the same? Again, no other teams out on the pitch, so difficult to see a parallel.

Originally posted by G.R.F. Nobody in Windsurfing had really experienced it until a young RYA dinghy squaddie turned windsurfer hovered above the line in the last race of the 1980 Nationals then sailed another young guy (who was about to beat him but didn't have the benefit of dinghy experience) down the fleet and it was only to acquire a third and he very nearly impeded me in doing so, I warned him what might happen if he did, it was an eye opener and nasty affair I didn't like it then and have absolutely no respect for anyone who does it now, if you can't beat them over the water you don't deserve the place. Interesting he (the offender) went on to become an RYA coach.