SAILING INSTRUCTIONS 2011

Following the RYA report on the dangers inherent on retraction of the centreboard during inversion, BSC recommends that dinghy sailors are encouraged to use centreboard/daggerboard elastic tiebacks or tie downs, or other effective mechanism, in addition to existing centreboard brakes, as a means of preventing centreboard retraction during inversion.
Members not racing but sailing for pleasure are reminded to sign in and out on the Jolly Board provided

1.0 RULES
1.1 Racing will take place under the current Racing Rules of Sailing, the prescriptions of the RYA, the Notice of Race, these sailing instructions and the appropriate class rules. In the event of conflict with the Notice of Race these sailing instructions shall prevail.

1.2 All events are designated Category C.

2.0 CONDITIONS OF ENTRY
The safety of a boat and her entire management including insurance shall be the sole responsibility of the owner/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 owner/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 owner/person in charge or crew, as a result of their taking part in the race or races. Moreover, every owner/person in charge warrants the suitability of the boat for the race and races. Every owner/person in charge shall ensure that the boat is currently insured for damage to a third party and public liability to a minimum of £2,000,000.

2.1 Measurement
Boats may be measured before or after any race at the discretion of the Race Committee.

2.2 Identification Sail Numbers
Under exceptional circumstances, and provided that class rules allow, the Race Committee may permit a boat to use sails carrying an identifying number other than that required by rule 77.

2.3 Eligibility
(a) Helms: Helms who are not Club members, but are members of an RYA recognised club may take part in up to six Club races, if so authorised by a flag officer, but shall not be eligible for any points or trophies.
(b) Single Handed: Unless laid down by the conditions of a particular event, single-handed racing will not be permitted except in boats of a class specifically allocated with a Single Handed PY.
(c) Crews: an individual may be signed in as guest crew up to three times in one season.
(d) Non-Sailing Members: Must obtain the permission of the Race Officer before racing. Such permission will not be given more than four times in a season to any one person.
(e) Cadet Training Races: Entry is restricted to current Cadet members.
(f) Novice: a helm who is in their first two seasons of sailing

2.4 Personal Floatation Devices
Personal floatation devices must be worn at all times whilst afloat. Up to the end of April and after the beginning of November the wearing of wet or dry suits is obligatory. Wet suits, dry suits or trapeze harnesses do not constitute personal floatation devices. Compliance with these requirements is entirely the responsibility of the helm and crew.

2.5 Declarations
The Entry and Declaration sheet must be completed at least half an hour before the scheduled start of the first race. All helms must complete the declaration form for each race within half an hour of the last boat to finish racing, or within half an hour of the last boat finishing the second of two races where one is sailed immediately after the other, or within half an hour of a race being postponed or abandoned. Any boat not complying with this instruction will be recorded as “Did Not Finish” by the Race Committee.

2.6 Charity Races
An entry fee of £2.50 per adult, £1.50 per cadet is payable for designated Charity races in the Club programme.

2.7 Boats, Equipment and Sailors
The Race Committee may, before the start of the race, reject the entry of any boat.

2.8 Patrol Boats
All craft accepting assistance from a patrol boat MUST OBEY THE ORDERS OF THE COXSWAIN IN CHARGE. Members are reminded that the principal function of the patrol boats is to save life.

3.0 NOTICES TO COMPETITORS
3.1 Notices to competitors will be posted on the official notice boards.

4.0 CHANGES IN SAILING INSTRUCTIONS
4.1 Changes in the sailing instructions will be indicated on the official notice boards.

5.0 SIGNALS MADE ASHORE
5.1 Signals made ashore will be hoisted on the flagstaff of the clubhouse or on the light board adjacent to the starter’s box.

6.0 SCHEDULE OF RACES
6.1 The adopted Club classes are Laser and Topper.

6.2 Fleet Starts
Code A: Novice Sailors/Slow Handicap, Fast Handicap, Catamaran Handicap, and Sailboards. Results for the adopted classes will be extracted from the above fleet starts, given sufficient starters.
Code B: Novice Sailors/Slow Handicap, Fast Non-Asymmetric Handicap, Asymmetric Handicap, Catamaran Handicap and Sailboards.
Code C: Combined Handicap (which includes Novice Sailors, Slow Handicap, Fast Handicap, Catamaran Handicap and Sailboards).
Code D: Cadet Races.
Code X: Special Sailing Instructions will be notified on the day.

6.3 “Slow Handicap” means dinghies with PY numbers of 1105 and above. “Fast Handicap” means dinghies with PY numbers of 1104 and below.

6.4 A minimum of two starters is required to form a race. If less than two boats are entered for a class, those boats will sail in the appropriate handicap fleet and will receive points within that handicap fleet only.

6.5 Charity Races
An individual prize will be awarded to the winner of each handicap class.

6.6 Times of Warning Signals
The first warning signal will be five minutes before the time published in the Sailing Programme. The order of class starts will be shown on the official notice boards.

6.7 Races postponed or abandoned may be re-sailed at a later date.

7.0 CLASS SIGNALS
Slow Handicap     NP6
Novice Sailors     F (to start with the Slow Handicap)
Fast Handicap     T
Asymmetric Handicap     Y
Catamaran Handicap     C
Sailboards     D
8.0 COURSE AREA
8.1 The course area will be as defined on the official notice boards.

9.0 THE COURSE
9.1 The course configuration and the order of rounding of marks will be as shown on the official notice boards. This indicates the number of legs required to complete particular rounds. It does not indicate the angle between legs.

9.2 Number of rounds
The number of rounds to be sailed will be displayed on the official notice boards.

9.3 The course and number of rounds is deemed to be set thirty minutes before the scheduled start time. Any alteration after this time shall be signalled to the competitors by making one sound signal and hoisting flag “L” which shall be left flying until racing is finished.

10.0 MARKS
10.1 Course marks are inflatable buoys laid for the race unless otherwise defined.

11.0 STARTS
11.1 Starting Line
The starting line is the extension of an imaginary line drawn from the flagstaff of the clubhouse and a “transit pole” on the beach and bounded by an outer limit buoy and possibly an inner limit buoy. These buoys may not necessarily be on the starting line.

11.2 Starting Procedure
Races will be started as follows. This changes rule 26. Times shall be taken from the lights.
Time    Title     Visual Signals     Sound
5 min    Warning     Class flag up plus 3 sets of white lights    1 sound
4 min    Preparatory     2 sets of white lights    1 sound
1 min     1 set of white lights    1 sound
0 min    Start     Class flag down 0 lights     1 sound
Succeeding classes will be started at five minute intervals by displaying the warning signal with the starting signal for the preceding class. A boat starting later than 15 minutes after her starting signal will be scored Did Not Start. This changes rule A4.

12.0 RECALLS
12.1 Individual Recalls
Individual recalls will be in accordance with rule 29.1 except that the visual signal will be one red light set in place of flag “X”.

12.2 General recalls will be in accordance with rule 29.2 except that the visual signal will be two red light sets instead of flag “First Substitute”, and that the recalled class will start five minutes after the last scheduled start. Succeeding classes will start in accordance with the original sequence.

13.0 PROHIBITED AREA
13.1 All boats must keep clear of the starting line until after the preparatory (4 minute) signal for their respective start. Any boat infringing the above rule may be protested by a competitor from the preceding start.

14.0 FINISHING
14.1 Finishing Line
Unless otherwise stated on the official notice boards the finishing line is between the flagstaff on the clubhouse and the outer limit mark.

14.2 Shortened Course
Should the course be shortened the race will finish with the lap about to be completed by the leading boat in each fleet.

15.0 TIME LIMITS
15.1 Rule 35 shall not apply.
(a) The time limit for each race will be posted on the official notice boards. The race will be valid for all those boats finishing within the time limit.
(b) When the first boat finishes within the prescribed time limit, the race will be valid for those boats which finish within half an hour (in a class race) or one hour (in a handicap race) of the finishing time of the first boat.
(c) When no boat finishes within the prescribed time limit, the race will be abandoned. Notification of any re-sail date and time will be posted on the notice board as soon as possible.

16.0 PROTESTS
16.1 Protests shall be written on RYA Protest Forms available from the race box and shall be lodged there within 30 minutes of the last boat finishing, unless extended at the discretion of the Race Committee. Protests will be heard in approximate order of receipt as soon as possible.

16.2 The protest committee shall be formed of three experienced sailing members at the discretion of the Race Officer. If possible one of the three shall be from the Sailing Committee.

17.0 SCORING SYSTEM
17.1 Points
RRS Appendix A4.2 is amended in that a boat that starts, but does not finish, shall score points equal to the number of starters.

17.2 Handicapping
The RYA Portsmouth Yardstick scheme YR2 adjusted by the Sailing Committee as deemed necessary will be used as the basis of handicapping.

17.3 Lap Average
In each handicap race lap average will be applied, finishing all boats after the leading boat in each handicap fleet and calculating the adjusted time from the elapsed time according to the number of laps completed. The Race Committee shall record each boat as it properly passes through the start/finish line and this shall be the recorded number of laps completed by that boat. The lap average must be applied when a boat is lapped by another boat.

17.4 Points system – Club Series
(a) Boats which do not race because their regular helm or crew are: (1) engaged on any Club duty or (2) representing the Club at an Open/Championship Meeting may claim the average of the points scored in the races that the boat sails in that series, provided that the number of races that the boat sails in that series exceeds the number of races for which average points are claimed. “Regular helm or crew” means the helm or crew who sail the boat in a majority of the races that the boat sails in the series. To score points in this way the helm or crew must sign on the Entry and Declaration sheet, and write “Average Points” in the Declaration column for Club duties, or notify the Rear Commodore for Open Meetings.
(b) Races abandoned and not re-sailed, all starters to score as retirements.
(c) Races to count will be taken as the best against the following dropping scale:
Two or less races sailed, all to count.
Three, four or five races sailed, discard one race.
Six, seven or eight races sailed, discard two races.
Nine or over races sailed, discard three races.
(d) For series races a class/fleet start will be deemed to have taken place for all scheduled classes/fleets providing one or more fleets starts. This does not apply in a designated Short Series.

17.5 Exoneration Penalty
(a) A boat that may have broken a rule of Part 2, or rule 31.1. or 42, may, after finishing the race concerned and before the start of a related protest hearing, notify the race committee that she accepts a 20% scoring penalty as stated in rule 44.3(c), (except that the minimum penalty is two places if that does not result in a score worse than DNF). This penalty does not reverse an OCS score, a disqualification under rule 30.3 or a penalty under Appendix P. It is not available to a boat that caused injury or serious damage, or gained a significant advantage by her breach: in these circumstances, her penalty is to retire.
(b) When an exoneration penalty is accepted,
(i) Neither the boat nor a protest committee mat then revoke or remove the penalty.
(ii) The boat shall not be penalised further in a protest hearing when the protest committee decides that it was appropriate to the facts found and the applicable rules.

17.6 Advisory Hearing
When there is an incident that will not result in the lodging of a protest or a request for redress, a boat, protest committee or race committee may request an advisory hearing with the race office, and notify any boat involved in the incident. An adviser will then call a hearing to learn what may have happened and state whether any rule appears to have been broken, and by which boat. A boat may as a result notify the race office that she accepts an Exoneration Penalty when it applies to the incident, or choose to retire, although there is no requirement for her to do either.

17.7 RYA Arbitration
(a) When a protest or request for redress is lodged, a boat may at the same time request RYA Arbitration, or the protest committee or race committee may offer it.
(b) If the parties and a member of the protest or race committee agree that RYA Arbitration is suitable, and arbitrator (who may be that member of the protest committee) will call a hearing conforming to Section B of Part 5 of the racing Rules of Sailing, except that rule 64.1 will not apply. Instead, when the arbitrator decides that a boat that is a party to the arbitration hearing has broken a rule for which the Exoneration Penalty is available, the party will be invited to accept the penalty, and, if it is accepted by a protested boat, the protesting boat will be allowed to withdraw the protest, changing rule 63.1.
(c) When there is not an agreement to use RYA Arbitration, or when, after RYA Arbitration, a protest is not withdrawn or the Exoneration Penalty is not applicable to the facts, there will be a normal protest hearing, at which the arbitrator may be a member of the protest committee. Rule 66 will not apply to the arbitration decision. A boat may still accept an Exoneration Penalty at any time before the start of a protest hearing and receive its protection from further penalization. She may also retire.
(d) When redress is offered and accepted at the RYA Arbitration, the protest committee or race committee may seek to have this reviewed by asking for a full hearing. When redress is offered and not accepted, or not offered at all, the boat may have her request heard before a protest committee.