Hi Andrew,
I guess you've probably been unlucky to have sailed only at events where the P course has been poorly set, when the leading boats spotted which is the best route and everyone with any sense followed them, UNLESS they could see that the wind had shifted to favour another option, or that the disadvantage of the favoured route might be out weighed by avoiding a poor rounding situation at the leeward gate and dirty air on the beat. If the course had been properly set, then you would have seen boats splitting at the P mark (some gybing onto starboard to round the pin 4P, others staying on port to round the committee boat 4S) and splitting through the leeward gate. And it would have been up to you to decide which was going to be best for you - conditions might have changed just that tiny bit from when the boats ahead made their choices!
So here's my answers - Bob probably put it more succinctly....
Your 1) Is it true the leward gate, the starting line, the 2nd P mark, and the windward mark, are all placed directly in a straight line with each other?
Ans 1) YES, it is critical for the leeward gate, start/finish line (as shortened from the usually longer length used for the Start) and the P mark (what do mean the 2nd P mark? There's a windward mark 1P, a wing mark 2P, the P mark 3S, the committee boat 4S OR the pin 4P, the leeward gate marks 5P OR 5S and the start finish line 6 - with P denoting leave to port etc) to be directly in line with the wind direction. AND the ends of the start/finish line 4S and 4P and the 2 leeward gate marks 5S and 5P must be equidistant with a line drawn through the P mark downwind. Only then do helms have genuine choices as to which options to take, because otherwise one particular route through is bound to be quickest! If you have doubts, draw a properly set chart of the relevant marks and the courses, including beating angles at, say, 45 degrees. Then pencil in a poorly laid mark and the courses that could be followed - compared to the properly set marks it should be easy to see on paper which route should be quickest. Repeat until you've tried out moving the P mark 3S left and right, too long a finish line 4P, and moving one of the leeward gate marks in, out, upwind and downwind, and upwind and downwind from in and out positions. Don't bother with moving the other leeward gate mark or the committee boat - unless you can't imagine the mirror image effect! Ironically, as long as the windward mark 1P is more or less dead up wind from the start/finish line, a little error is hardly going to matter to most helms.
Your 2) Do sailors ever confuse the 2nd 'P' mark for the windward mark?
Ans 2) Not usually, because they usually know that the P mark 3S comes first, and the windward mark 1P will be further on, and that's the one they beat to.
Your 3) Should the 1st 'P' mark be placed precisely at right angles to the windward mark? And how tight should our reach be to the 2nd 'P' mark?
Ans 3) It seems usual for one of the reaches to be close to a beam reach (usually more off wind than close), and the other to be a broader reach (but NOT so broad that we can't fetch from mark to mark on a genuine reach, rather than an angled run!). The order is not material, but there is something to be said for the first reach from the windward mark to be broader, making it less likely that helms can "erl" their boat into an inside overlap when previously clear astern and cause mayhem, collisions of the nasty T-bone variety, etc.
I hope this helps,
