[Someone]

> You don't even have to get the distance of these lines perfectly just make sure they are both in the same direction and neither boat gets the advantage.

Nitpick: that is not correct. If the shape of the course is a parallellogram, the shortest course between the short sides is perpendicular to those sides. Teams in some of the lanes my be able to pick such a course. For example:

        ________________________________

       /A                            B/

      /                              /

     /                              /

    /C                            D/

    ——————————————————————————————

A crew starting in the AB lane can row to D instead. That’s legal, if they don’t hinder other crews. A crew starting at C doesn’t have the option to row a shorter course.

It is very unlikely they won’t hinder other crews if they cross all lanes, but they might just cross lanes of a few much slower boats.

That’s all theoretical, though. The net gain on a normal course would be very, very small, and buoys will typically hinder crews that would try this so much that it wouldn’t be worth it, to start with.

Also, for the true nitpicker, “the right direction” can be difficult. Drawing equidistant lines on a globe isn’t trivial (I don’t think the effect will be large for a 2km course on earth, though)