Skip,
I'm mentally running through the finish you are referring to. Unfortunately, I was not in a position to see if you were taken up, and I was too far offshore to hear if you had protested. I was able to see that you did contact the finish mark, which is why i called it. Did you mention anything to the other competitor, and or to the race staff onshore? Presented with this after the fact, it would have been worth a protest, and possibly a finish order change. Like you said, things were quite "intense" during that last race, and things were really happening fast.
If i understand the explanation, you should have asked for room approaching the finish mark, and have been granted that room. Had that happened, you would have been given room to clear the finish mark. Had you not been given room, you could/should have protested the other boat, and had that skipper acknowledge the penalty, come back to the area on the active course, performed a turn, and then finished. Had the skipper not acknowledged the protest, it could/would/should go to committee to sort out. Is this correct? What will you do in the event that this happens again at another event? (so i can figure out if it is what i would do if presented with the same circumstance).
I'm trying to learn from experiences like this, not just as race staff/rd capacity, but also as a competitor. I can see where having the RD stay on shore could have brought about a different outcome in that heat. Looking at the scores, I can also see where that would have put you into a tie on points with Chris, with him taking it 4 wins to 3. That is assuming you only lost one position to the boat that forced you outside of the finish mark.
I do commend you on your sportsmanship exhibited in your post, and more importantly, the actions you displayed along the shoreline. You were definitely sailing well on both days. Next time i see you, i owe you a beverage.