Speed Limits applying to Sailing Boats?

Brightlingsea start (and finish) their races in a fairly narrow creek, before racing out in the large estuary / sea. The creek has a speed limit (which the harbour master enforces). The sailing club has negotiated a compromise:

The races can continue to start / finish in the creek, as long as the very fast speeds are removed. So: any catamaran (remember: this is the home of Olympic cat gold medals) has to drop its kite when entering the creek. They are still WAY over the speed limit when on a close reach, but the compromise keeps everyone relatively happy.

It might help that the Harbour Master has in the past taught many of the club members to sail!

Precisely: which is why its always worth discussing a compromise.

The Harbour Master can now report to his masters and any pesky jet-skier that the fast cats have to lower their sails... Meanwhile the cats promise not to get in the way of any yachts trying to manouvre into the moorings.