As former officer and national commodore of the Ensign Class Association, these are the type of issues we were forced to rule on at nearly every regional or national regatta. By and large, the stance we took is that if a modification to the boat hadn't been formally approved in the class rules, the owner ran the risk of a) not being allowed to sail in the championship or b) could sail if the modification was removed or rendered unusable. If the later was the case, and the skipper persisted in using the device in the regatta, he/she would be disqualified. Obviously, there will always be some gray areas that are open to interpretation. Why take a chance, though? Specifically, I'm thinking of the discussion that's been going on regarding spinnaker numbers. Sailmakers don't make the rules. The organization does. So, why take a chance and attend a regatta with the chance that you'll be red flagged or not allowed to use the sail. When you enter an event, you should focus on the SAILING, not the legal stuff that may put you in a corner and distract your focus.
