That is a weird approach at night. You feel farther offshore and North of what you truly are, and the pier helps block the finish a bit adding to the confusion.
The 8 times I've raced that leg the rhumb line never paid. I've done the rhumb, split between the two (that was the absolute worst) and run the inside and the inside always worked. The Fleet may "take" the rhumbline ,and they often do, but that doesn't mean it's the fastest. Herd mentality is a...