So if I grok all this krektly ...

you grok mstly ok


* A start through the top, where the cylinder is re-entered for less
than two minutes while on course, is scored the same distance
(assuming no blasting through gaggles).

* A start through the top, where the cylinder is re-entered for more
than two minutes, will get a different start than the one through the
top.

Just to be picky, you lose the earlier start if you enter the cylinder
at all, and have been below MSH for two minutes prior to the
subsequent exit from the cylinder. You don't have to be "in the
cylinder" for 2 minutes, you just have to be "below MSH for two
minutes" and then nick the cylinder. (Sometimes a simple rule leads
to complex explanations)


So one has to be careful after a start through the top in the back of
the cylinder. Several thousand feet of additional altitude may be
necessary to stay clear of the cylinder, especially if the first turn
is upwind.


Which is exactly the point. Hopefully, there won't be much traffic
problem in such strong conditions. The big gaggle tends to sit at MSH
- 50 feet in one big thermal with spoilers out doing 100 knots. Still,
keep your eyes open.

John