SAILING INSTRUCTIONS 2008
Changes from 2007 are in italics.
1. RACING:
a) Racing will be governed by The Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS), the prescriptions of the RYA, except as any of these are changed by these sailing instructions, and by these sailing instructions.
b) Between sunset and sunrise the RRS Part 2 'When boats meet' are replaced by the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea.
2. SAFETY:
a) The safety of a boat and her entire management including insurance shall be the sole responsibility of the person in charge who must ensure that the boat and crew are adequate to face the conditions that may arise in the course of the race. Neither these sailing instructions nor any inspection of the boat limits or reduces the absolute responsibility of the person in charge for the crew, the boat and her management. The race organisers shall not be responsible for any loss, damage, death or personal injury howsoever caused to the person in charge or crew as a result of their taking part in the race or races. Moreover every person in charge warrants the suitability of the boat for the race or races.
b) On arrival at the start line and before their warning signal all boats entered in passage races shall inform the committee vessel by hail or VHF radio channel 72 of the boat name, sail number and number of persons aboard.
c) Personal bouyancy aids shall be worn by all crew members whilst racing.
3. ENTRIES:
a) Eligible boats may be entered by completing registration with the race officer. Eligibility requirements for boats are that they must have a valid Handicap certificate from the Clyde Yacht Clubs Association (CYCA) for open events, or a LCC Club Handicap certificate for club events.
b) An entry form should be completed and returned to the sailing secretary before the race along with the entry fee if any. The acceptance of any late entry will be at the discretion of the race officer. Boats which fail to pay the entry fee will be scored DNS.
4 NOTICES:
Notices to competitors will be posted on the official notice board located inside the gate house at the entrance to the Lossiemouth marina in the east basin.
5 CHANGE IN SAILING INSTRUCTIONS:
Any change to the sailing instructions will be posted 2 hours before it will take effect. except that any change to the schedule of races will be posted by 1800 on the day before it will take effect.
6 SCHEDULE OF RACES:
Races are scheduled as indicated in the race programme.
7 CLASSES:
There will be one class for club racing with the club burgee as the class flag displayed on a backstay. Three boats and over will constitute a race.The committee reserve the right to adjust the handicap split or combine classes depending on entries.
8 RACING AREA:
The racing area will be as shown in appendix C (Race Card on rear cover) unless otherwise stated in the supplementary sailing instructions.
9 COURSES:
a) Appendix C shows the courses, the order in which marks are to be passed, and the side on which each mark is to be left. The letter designating the course to be sailed will be displayed on the committee boat before the class warning signal.
b) Alternatively other courses may be used as indicated in the supplementary sailing instructions for each event.
10 MARKS:
Marks will be buoys which may have flags. The starting and finishing marks will be as indicated on the course list unless stated otherwise in the supplementary sailing instructions.
11 STARTING:
a) Starting signals will be as follows (Please note flags not always practical).
|
Time |
Signal |
Sound |
|
|
|
|
‘Wake Up’ Call |
- 10 mins |
VHF Only |
|
Warning |
- 5 mins |
Club Flag Up |
1 |
Preparatory |
- 4 mins |
P, or I, Up |
1 |
|
- 1 mins |
P, or I, Down |
1 |
|
Start |
Club Flag Down |
1 |
Times will be GPS time. Signals will, if possible, be repeated on VHF channel 72.
b) The starting line will be between the mast displaying an orange flag and the starting mark.
c) A boat shall not start later than 15 minutes after her starting signal.
12 FINISHING:
a) The finishing line will be between the mast displaying an orange flag on a race committee boat and the nearby mark or as per the supplimentary sailing instructions and/or skippers briefing.
b) The finishing line for passage races ending at Lossiemouth will be the transit of the leading lights for entering Lossiemouth Harbour Boats shall record their own finishing time. Boats must finish within 200metres of the harbour entrance.
c) Boats are requested to use GPS timing to take their finish or intermediate times. Boats not using GPS timing must have their time piece verefied by the race officer.
13 SHORTENING COURSE:
The course will be shortened when the leading boat is approaching the finishing line. All boats must complete the same course as the leading boat except when average lap times are used in which case all boats finish when they first cross the finishing line.
14 TIME LIMIT:
The time limit will be as indicated in the supplementary sailing instructions for each event. If a boat finishes within the time limit, other boats whose corrected times are within the time limit shall be considered to have finished within the time limit. This changes rule 35.
15 RESTRICTED SAIL RACES:
Spinnakers, twin headsails, ghosters, mizzen staysails, headsails that do not comply with RRS 50.4 and any sails, which the committee considers not to be within the spirit of the class, are not permitted when a race is designated ‘restricted sail’.
16 PURSUIT RACE:
a) The course will be a triangular course chosen from the course card. Boats shall continue sailing till the 'S' flag is raised. The race finishes at this time. All boats shall note the name of the boat ahead of them and behind them. Boats shall maintain these positions and sail past the committee boat so their positions can be recorded.
b) The start time published is for the boat with the highest handicap. Each competing boat will be allocated a start time of START + X depending on their handicap. At the first start signal the club flag will be lowered as normal, thereafter the committee boat will hail or transmit on VHF channel 72 one minute before each boat’s start time and the club flag will be raised. The club flag will be lowered for their start. This will continue till all have started. If the club flag has to be lowered for a start and raised for a 1 minute warning it will be lowered and re-hoisted. The lowering of the flag will be the warning signal for the next boat.
c) The finishing line will be abeam to windward of the committee boat. If the projected race finishing time will mean that boats finish on a beat then the leading boat shall not tack at the leeward mark but shall continue on the same tack unless constrained by depth or reaching the lay line to tack. All other boats shall follow her track.
17 PROTESTS:
a) Protests will be heard in approximately the order of receipt, as soon as possible. Protests must submitted using the RYA Protest Form (simple),along with a fee of £5, which is refundable if the protest is upheld. A copy of the RYA Protest Form is is included in the programme (Appendix C). Additional copies of this form are available to download at: www.rya.org.uk.
b) Protest notices will be posted within 30 minutes of the protest time limit to inform competitors where and when there is a hearing in which they are parties to a hearing or named as witnesses.
c) If the time limit for protests falls between 2200 and 1000 the next day, it shall be delayed until 1000.
d) If the race committee observes a boat failing to follow the prescribed course, it shall disqualify the boat without a hearing. The race committee shall notify the boat by a notice before the protest time limit. The time limit for a request for redress shall be one hour from posting of the notification. This changes rule 62.
e) If the race committee is notified (other than by a competitor) that a boat has violated one of the following, it shall disqualify the boat without a hearing:
1. The mandatory clearance of 500 meters from any fixed installation of an oilfield.
2. The International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, in relationship to a
vessel that is not racing.
This changes rule 62.The race committee shall notify the boat by a notice before the protest time limit. The time limit for a request for redress shall be one hour from posting of the notification.
f) A violation of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea between two boats racing shall be heard by a protest committee in the same way as a violation of RRS part 2. This changes rule 62.
18 AUTOPILOTS:
A boat is permitted to use an autopilot while racing. This changes rule 52.
19 SCORING:
a) A High Point F1 type scoring system as indicated on page No.15 will apply.
b) In a series of races where six or more races are sailed there shall be two discards.
c) In a series of races where three or less races are sailed there shall be no discard.
20 PRIZES:
a) Prizes shall be awarded as indicated in the supplementary sailing instructions foreach event unless there are less than three finishers. A race designated 'open' is open to any member of a yacht club affiliated to RYA or a national sailing organisation affiliated to the IYRU.
b) The Club Championship is awarded to the boat which has the best overall score counting all the races listed on page 15.
c) The number of prize winners will be dependant on the entry as detailed below:-
-
three boats – first prize only
-
three to five boats – first and second prize
-
more than five boats – first, second and third prizes
Appendix A. GATE START:
A.1 The gate start boat will selected from the entrants by mutual agreement.
A.1.1During the starting procedure the nominated start boat will keep its engine idling and after the start gate has been opened the start boat may, in emergency, use engine power to avoid collision. The engine must not be used to gain advantage and must be stopped immediately the last boat has crossed the stern of the start boat.”
A.2 At 5 minutes before the start the gate start boat will hoist an orange flag and make 1 sound signal.
A.3 At 1 minute before the start the gate start boat will be sailing towards the start mark on port tack to reach it at or just after the published start time for the race.
A.4 The gate is opened and the race starts as the stern of the gate start boat passes the start mark. The time when this occurs is noted as the start time of the race. This will be announced on VHF channel 72 and/or hail. This must not be before the published start time.
A.5 Other boats racing start by crossing the line between the stern of the gate start boat and the start mark on starboard tack. They shall remain on starboard tack till the gate start boat tacks.
A.6 At 2 minutes after the start the gate start boat will tack on to starboard tack and lower the orange flag. This ends the starting procedure.
A.7 Limits
A.7.1 If all boats have started before 2 minutes the gate start boat may tack. This ends the starting procedure.
A.7.2 If remaining on the port tack will put the gate start boat into danger it may tack. This ends the starting procedure.
A.8 Penalties
A.8.1 A boat which interferes with the gate start boat while she is flying the orange flag shall perform a two turn penalty after she has started and on the first leg of the course.
A.8.2 A boat which tacks to port before the gate start boat has tacked to starboard and lowered the orange flag shall perform a two turn penalty on the first leg of the course.
A.8.3 Any yacht starting outwith when the starting procedure is complete must round the start bouy keeping it to port before starting.
Note: The Race Officer of the day’s judgement in respect of Rules A.8.1 and A.8.2 shall be final. There will be no redress. This changes Rule 62.
Appendix B. HANDICAPS:
At the LCC (2005) AGM, a motion from the floor to try CYCA for all racing this year, and to set up a Handicap Committee of 5 members to award Handicap enhancements to novice/inexperanced sailors, was passed by majority. This arrangement, as passed at the 2006 AGM, will continue for the 2008 season.
B.1 cyca Handicaps will be used for open and passage races.
B.2 LCC Handicaps will be used for Club races ‘round the buoys’.
B.3 Handicap adjustments will be determined by the Handicap Committee, based on all relevant information to assess the performance of a boat over the set period between meetings, or after a minimum of three races.
B.4 All new boats will start their first 3 races with a Race Handicap equal to their Standard CYCA Handicap, after which the Handicap Committee will allocate a LCC handicap based on performance over the 3 races.
B.5 The Committee will decide on any adjustments at regular intervals throughout the sailing season (about once a month – end of May and June, mid September, mid October and end of season). The schedule of changes to handicaps will be determined by the general rule of scrutiny after every 4 to 6 races.
B.6 No changes will be made during a weekend where results count towards a series
B.7 Any boat has to have raced a minimum of 3 races before having its performance reviewed at the next available Handicap Committee meeting.
B.8 Once a boat reaches its standard CYCA Handicap it will remain there.
B.9 The skipper will be informed if an adjustment is to be made, and the reasoning explained.
B.10 The Handicap enhancement will have a maximum of CYCA + 2 points.
B.11 The minimum Handicap increment will be 0.25. There will be no maximum increment.
B.12 Skippers are required to provide the Sailing Secertary with a copy of the yachts CYCA Handicap Certificate.
