It is definitely not easier to sort it all out with the RC after the race. Protests involve the protestor, the protestee, the Protest Committee and possible witnesses. A protest requires notifying the boat you are protesting, flying the protest flag, informing the RC of the protest, filing the protest (there's a form) and holding a Protest Meeting, which can drag on for hours, depending upon the situation. Details get forgotten, or omitted, and often the boat with "right of way" doesn't realize that they also have obligations to carry out in an encounter, and they end up getting penalized as well as the one which must keep clear. For example, in your situation, the Protest Committee might ask - "What did you do to avoid the collision?" "Nothing - I had right of way." is the wrong answer. Because of all this, it is much easier for a boat that may have broken a rule to accept the penalty of doing a compensatory turn or turns, when they can, and keep racing. In your situation, the RC and Protest Committee would have thrown out the protest, even if you had followed all the steps above, because the incident occurred before the two of you were racing and there is no penalty for breaking rule 14 if there are no damages or injuries until boats are racing -- which is after the Prepatory Signal.