1 RULES.
1.1 The regatta will be governed by the “rules” as defined in the Racing Rules of Sailing (“Rules”). The “class rules” for the purposes of the definition of “Rules” are the International Optimist Dinghy Association Class Rules.
1.2 Racing Rule 61.1(a)(2) is changed. A boat is therefore required to display a red flag if she
intends to protest concerning an incident in the racing area.
1.3 Racing Rule 61 is changed to require a competitor to inform the race committee finish or measurement boat of its intention to protest, including the sail number of the protested boat, immediately after finishing.
1.4 Appendix P, Immediate Penalties for Breaking Rule 42, will apply as modified by SI 15.3.
1.5 Decisions of the Protest Committee will be final as provided in Rule 70.4.
1.6 For the purposes of these Sailing Instructions, a “race” is a race between two divisions, and a “Set” is a group of scored races in which all divisions compete. For example, if there are four (4) divisions, a “Set” would be two (2) scored races in which all divisions have competed in one race.
2 FORMAT OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP.
2.1 The Race Committee will divide the Championship fleet into divisions and each boat will be assigned to a division. The Green Fleet will sail as one fleet, Appendix 1 applies only to the Green Fleet.
2.2 Selection of the boats for the racing divisions will be done by computer program at random as soon as possible. Once that is completed, the Race Committee shall provide each boat a colored streamer with the color of her racing division. The streamer shall be attached to the sprit loop at the top of the top of the boat’s sprit.
2.3 Division streamers will be distributed on Monday August 7th at 0730 at the Registration Tent.
2.4 The division flags shall be displayed in place of Class Flags for all purposes, including without limitation rule 26 (Starting Races) and Sailing Instruction 5 (Signals Made Ashore; Launching). While on the water, each boat shall at all times display the colored streamer with the color of her division attached securely to the top of the boat’s sprit.
3 NOTICES TO COMPETITORS. Notices to competitors will be posted on the Official Notice Board located in the Competitors’ Tent. Official notices must be signed and time marked by a Regatta Committee Chair official. Non-official notices will be posted on the Message Board in the Competitors’ Tent.
4 CHANGES TO SAILING INSTRUCTIONS. Any change to these sailing instructions will be posted after the Skippers’ meeting but before 0930 on the day it will take effect, except that any change to the schedule of races will be posted by 1900 on the day before it will take effect.
5 SIGNALS MADE ASHORE; LAUNCHING.
5.1 Signals made ashore will be displayed on a flagpole located in front of the Registration Tent.
5.2 When code flag D is displayed with one sound signal, boats may launch and proceed directly to the racing area. Boats shall not launch until that signal.
5.3 When flag AP is displayed, “1 minute” is replaced with “not less than 30 minutes” in Race Signal AP.
5.4 When a visual signal is displayed over a division(s) flag, the signal applies only to that division(s).
6. SCHEDULE OF RACES.
6.1 The schedule is as follows:
Sunday August 6
1300-1800 Check in and Registration - there will be no access to Hole in the Wall Beach or McCook Point before 1300 hrs
Monday August 7
0730-0830 Check in – Division assignments will be announced and streamers for Championship fleet will be distributed
0845 Coaches’, Safety Boat and Parents’ Meeting
0900 Skippers’ Meeting
1030 First Warning – Championship Fleet
1100 First Warning – Green Fleet
Lunch on the water *– Championship and Green Fleets
Tuesday August 8
0830 Coaches’, Safety Boat and Parents’ Meeting
0900 Skippers’ Meeting
1030 First Warning – Championship Fleet
1100 First Warning – Green Fleet
Lunch on the water* – Championship and Green Fleet
1800 NBYC will host a barbeque picnic for competitors at McCook Park. Parents and Coaches may purchase tickets at the Registration Desk
1830 Competitors, volunteers and guests are invited to a band concert in the Park.
Wednesday August 9
0830 Coaches’ , Safety Boat and Parents’ Meeting
0900 Skippers’ Meeting
1030 First Warning – Championship Fleet
1100 First Warning – Green Fleet
Lunch on the water* – Championship Fleet and Green Fleets
- No Warning Signal after this time
After Racing Snacks and Awards
* lunch may be ashore, at the discretion of the Race Committee
No warning signal for the first start of a Set will be signaled after 1400 on Wednesday August 9.
- There will be a Skippers Meeting on Monday August 7 at 0900 at the Competitors’ Tent . There will be a Skippers’ Meeting at 0900 on each successive day of racing.
- There will be a mandatory Coaches, Parents and Safety Boat meeting Monday August 7 at 0845 at the Competitors’ Tent. There will be Coaches, Parents and Safety Boat meeting at 0830 on each successive day of racing.
7 RACING AREA. The racing area will be in Niantic Bay.
8 THE COURSE. The diagram in Appendix 2, Race Course, of these sailing instructions shows the course for the Championship fleet, including the approximate angles between legs, the order in which marks are to be passed, and the side on which each mark is to be left. The course length and exact configuration will be based on the sailing conditions.
9 MARKS. The starting marks shall be the race committee signal boat at the starboard end and the race committee pin boat at the port end of the starting line. Turning marks will be inflatable orange/yellow cylinders. Alternate marks will be inflatable tetrahedrons. The finishing marks shall be the race committee main finish boat at the starboard end of the finish line and the race committee backup finish boat at the port end of the finish line.
10 WAITING AREA.
10.1. Three or more inflatable orange or yellow buoys will be set to leeward of the starting line defining the windward edge of the Waiting Area. When the Warning signal (flags showing the division colors) for the first race in a Set is raised, all competitors not in those divisions starting shall immediately proceed to the Waiting Area to await their signal to enter the starting area. After the start and after any boats complying with a penalty have cleared the start line, the race committee will display Flag F (Red diamond on a White field), at which time competitors who will be starting in the next start shall then proceed to the starting area to await their Warning signal.
10.2 Boats that have finished shall return directly to the Waiting Area leaving the starting line pin boat to port and keeping well clear of all boats racing.
10.3 Only official race committee boats may enter the racing area while boats are racing. The racing area is defined in Appendix 2, and any other area within 100 yards of any boat racing. The exception is that while boats are finishing, one coach boat per team of 10 sailors may be in the corridor shown in Appendix 2, while keeping clear of any boats racing, for the sole purpose of communicating with the non-racing boats in transit from the finish line to the Waiting Area.
10.4 Failure to comply with any requirement in SI 10 may result in a protest against the boat(s) associated with the infringing parties.
11 CHANGE OF COURSE; ABANDONING RACES.
11.1 When a course is changed pursuant to Rule 33, the old mark will be removed and replaced with an orange or yellow inflatable mark. During the race, marks may be repositioned without signal for minor changes in course. This instruction changes Rule 33.
11.2 The Race Committee may abandon a race by displaying code flag “N”, “N” over “H,” or “N” over “A” with three (3) sounds or a verbal hail. If these signals are displayed over a division(s) flag, the signal applies only to that division(s). for which the flags are displayed. This instruction changes the Race Signals and Rule 32.1. Rule 32.1 is further modified by adding “or, when in the judgment of the Race Committee, the race is an unsatisfactory test of skill.”
12 THE START.
12.1 Starts will be pursuant to Rule 26.
12.2 The division pairings for each race of each Set will be posted on the Official Notice Board.
12.3 The starting line will be between a pole displaying an orange flag on the race committee signal boat and a pole displaying an orange flag on the race committee pin boat .
12.4 Flags displaying the division colors shall serve as the Class flags for the start.
12.5 A boat starting later than five (5) minutes after her starting signal will be scored Did Not Start (DNS) without a hearing. This instruction changes Rules 63.1, A4 and A5.
- During a starting sequence, if flag “I” and/or “Z”, or the black flag has been displayed, the Race Committee may attempt to hail the sail number(s) of boats on the course side of the starting line or its extension during the minute before her starting signal. Failure of the Race Committee to hail, failure of the amplification system, the order of the hail, or failure of a boat to hear a hail shall not be grounds for granting redress. This instruction changes Rules 41 and 62.1.
13 THE FINISH. The finish line will be between poles displaying orange line flags on the race committee primary and backup finish boats. The Race Committee may attempt to make a sound signal when the first boat in each race crosses the finish line.
14 RETURN TO THE STARTING AREA.
14.1 Except for the top ten (10) boats to finish in each race, boats that have finished shall immediately sail to windward of the race committee finish boats, leave the measurement boat to starboard, immediately return directly to the leeward side of the starting area via the corridor defined in Appendix 2 to these sailing instructions, keep well clear of all boats racing, and comply with the instructions stated in Appendix 2 to these sailing instructions. This instruction changes Rule 22.1. Actions of the top 10 finishers are addressed in Sec. 20.3.
14.2 Coach boats may be in the corridor defined in Appendix 2, while keeping clear of all boats racing, for the sole purpose of communicating with its non-racing boats in transit from the finish line to the leeward side of the starting area. Coach boats shall stay well to windward of the starboard lay line of the last leg
- 15 APPENDIX P, JUDGES.
15.1 Appendix P will apply. The judge boats will be identified by a white flag with a blue “J”.
15.2 The Protest Committee will observe racing for rule infringements in addition to enforcing racing Rule 42. When the protest committee sees an infringement, it may make one sound signal but no yellow flag will be pointed and no sail numbers will be hailed. This signal means that one or more boats should take a penalty under Rule 31.2 or Rule 44.1. If no penalty is taken, the protest committee may protest one or more boats.
15.3 When a boat is protested within two (2) boat lengths of the finish line for breaking rule 42, the penalty shall be nine (9) points added to her score for that race for a first protest, and for a second protest the penalty shall be DSQ. This instruction changes Rules P2.1 and P2.2.
15.4 The decision of the Protest Committee to apply the penalty in SI 15.3 shall not be grounds for redress. This instruction changes Rule 62.1(a).
16 TIME LIMITS. The time limit of Rule 35 shall apply separately to each race. The time limit shall be 90 minutes for the first boat of the two divisions racing to sail the course as required by Rule 28.1 and finish. Boats failing to finish within 20 minutes after the first boat of the two divisions racing to sail the course as required by Rule 28.1 and finish will be scored Did Not Finish (DNF) without a hearing. This instruction changes Rules 35, A5, and 63.1.
17 PROTESTS, PENALTIES, AND REQUESTS FOR REDRESS.
17.1 Protests shall be delivered to the designated jury representative at the designated “Judges” area in the Registration Tent not later than 30 minutes after the race committee signal or primary finish boat, whichever is later, docks. The race committee will post the Protest Filing Deadline on the Official Notice Board as soon as practical. This instruction changes rule 61.3. Protest forms will be available in the Registration Tent. Competitors having performed penalty turns shall complete an Alternative Penalty Acknowledgement Form, which will be available in the Registration Tent.
17.2 Notices will be posted on the Official Notice Board within 30 minutes after the protest time limit or as soon thereafter as practical to inform competitors of hearings in which they are parties or named as witnesses. Hearings will be held in the Judges’ Area. Such posting constitutes the notification required in Rule 63.2.
17.3 Notices of protests by the race committee or protest committee will be posted on the Official Notice Board to inform boats under Rule 61.1(b).
17.4 A list of boats that have acknowledged breaking Rule 42 or have been disqualified by the protest committee under Appendix P for breaking Rule 42 will be posted before the protest time limit or as soon thereafter as practical.
17.5 Protests will be heard in approximately the order posted as soon as practical after the expiration of the protest time limit. Representatives of boats who are parties to a hearing and their witnesses shall remain on call in the vicinity of the Judges’ Area. The helmsman shall represent the boat. This instruction changes Rule 63.3(a).
17.6 Requests for redress relating to possible scoring errors or starting penalties will be treated initially as a “scoring review” with appropriate members of the race committee before being considered as a request for redress by the protest committee. Requests may be made by submitting a Scoring Review Request which will be available at the Registration Tent and submitted there. Unresolved issues will be immediately handled as a request for redress. This instruction changes Rule 63.1
17.7 On the last day of the regatta a request for reopening a hearing shall be delivered (a) within the protest time limit if the party requesting reopening was informed of the decision before that day; or (b) no later than 30 minutes after the party requesting reopening was informed of the decision on that day. This instruction changes Rules 62.2 and 66.
17.8 A breach of Sailing Instructions 2.4, 5.2, 10.4, 14, 19, 20.3, 20.4, 21, and 22 cannot be grounds for a protest by a competitor. This instruction changes rule 60.1(a). Except as may be stated in any of those instructions or subparts thereof, the penalty for breaches of those sailing instructions shall be a 10 point scoring penalty for the first infraction of any of them, a 20 point scoring penalty for the second infraction of any of them, a 30 point scoring penalty for the third infraction of any of them, and increasing according to the same progression for subsequent infractions.
17.9 A breach of Instruction 19.4 during a race shall be disqualification from that race.
17.10 Any percentage scoring penalties shall be calculated pursuant to Rule 44.3(c), except “number of boats entered” is replaced with “the number of boats registered and checked-in in the two largest divisions.” This instruction changes Rule 44.3(c).
18 SCORING.
18.1 The Low Point Scoring System of Appendix A will apply.
18.2 A race is completed when all divisions have completed a race.
- One completed race shall constitute a regatta.
18.4 A competitor’s worst score will be discarded when six or more races have been completed. A competitor’s next worse score will be discarded if eleven or more races have been completed. This instruction changes Rule A2.
18.5 A boat that did not start, did not finish, retired after finishing or was disqualified shall be scored for the finishing place one more than the sum of the number of boats registered and check-in of the two largest divisions. This instruction changes Appendix A4.2.
19 SAFETY REGULATIONS.
19.1 Each day of racing, each competitor shall sign out before launching to race and shall sign in upon returning from racing for the day on the SIGN OUT/SIGN UP sheet located under the Competitors’ Tent. Competitors must sign in prior to the end of the protest period.
19.4 Each competitor must wear a US Coast Guard approved personal flotation device (PFD), properly secured at all times, from dock to dock, unless when temporarily adding or removing clothing.
- Each competitor must have a loop in the end of his or her bowline. Competitors not complying with this requirement will be deemed to have committed a measurement infraction and subject to the penalty(s) stated in Instruction 20.5.
- Safety boats will be identified by a red flag.
20 EQUIPMENT AND MEASUREMENT CHECKS.
20.1 Boats are allowed only one hull, daggerboard, rudder, (including tiller and extension) mast, boom, sprit, and sail during the regatta. Substitution of damaged equipment must be approved by the race committee as soon as practical.
20.2 Measurements may be made of boats at anytime during the regatta by the measurement boat or at the direction of the race committee.
20.3 The first ten (10) finishers of a race shall report immediately after finishing to the Measurer’s Boat anchored to starboard of the finishing line and which is displaying code flag U and stay in its vicinity until measured or released by verbal instructions from the Measurer’s Boat. Adjustments to the boat shall not be made prior to measurement. Competitors in doubt whether they finished in the first ten (10) finishers should report to the measurer’s boat.
20.4 After being measured or released, such boats shall immediately return directly to the leeward side of the starting area via the corridor defined in Appendix 2 to these sailing instructions and in accordance with the instructions in the Appendix 2.
20.5 The first penalty for a boat’s first upheld measurement infraction, for failing to report for measurement, or adjusting one’s boat after finishing and prior to the start of measurement shall be a 25% scoring penalty. The penalty for all subsequent such upheld measurement infractions or failures to report shall be disqualification.
21 SUPPORT BOATS.
21.1 Coach boats must predominantly fly the flag provided by the Race Committee with a number assigned by the race committee. Coach boats are expected to carry a working VHF radio, and monitor the race committee channel when possible, particularly in windy or threatening weather. The race committee channel will be posted on the Official Notice Board. All other team support boats shall stay clear of the race area at all times. Coach boats are required to follow the instructions of race committee, safety, and race management boats. Failure to follow such instructions may result in exclusion from the event. No coach or other boat shall tie up to or congregate around any aid to navigation, such as buoys or channel markers. Coach boats anchoring in the vicinity of the finish line shall anchor to windward and to starboard of the measurement boat.
21.2 Prior to the preparatory signal of a race, all coach boats shall return to the Waiting Area, remaining at least 100 yards from any boat racing. Coach boats shall keep wake to a minimum at all times.
21.3 In the event of a postponement or abandonment but not a general recall, coach boats may enter the starting area and vacate it before the preparatory signal is displayed.
22 ENVIRONMENT
Discharge of drink containers, food wrappings and other trash into the water by competitors, support boats or race committee boats is prohibited.
23 PRIZES
Prizes will be awarded according to the Notice of Race.
24 DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY
24.1 Competitors participate in the regatta at their own risk.
24.2 The organizing authority and all parties involved with the organization of the event disclaim any and every responsibility whatsoever for loss, damage, injury, inconvenience or death sustained in conjunction with or prior to, during, or after the regatta that might occur to persons and goods, both ashore and at sea as a consequence of participation in the races covered by these sailing instructions. |
Mission: Green Fleet is designed as an introductory level of Optimist racing and all are participating at an elementary level of expertise, many for the first time. Racing at this level is designed to be a positive introduction to competitive sailing.
While this is a championship, crowning a “winner” will be less important than ensuring that the sailor in “last” place has fun too. While race scoring may be provided to track progress, participation awards for all sailors and other “fun” prizes will be awarded.
Therefore, every effort will be made to ensure that this event is:
- Fun! On and off the water. Clinics, games and events especially for the Green Fleeters have been planed.
- A learning as opposed to competitive based experience.
Skippers (parents and coaches), desiring more than the above level of racing may be better served by participating in one of the more competitive, age appropriate fleets in the Championship Division. In this regards, the registration committee will allow competitors to switch from Green Fleet to Championship Fleet up until registration closes on August 6, 2006
Format of the regatta and changes to the sailing instructions:
Green Fleet will meet prior to beach launch, and discuss the launch time, sailing area and other details of Green Fleet, which may be different from the Championship Fleet. This modifies the sailing instructions.
Rule 89.2 (c) is changed to allow the race committee to change the sailing instructions on the water, verbally, by use of a loud hailer or bullhorn. Multiple sounds by horn or whistle will be sounded to make attention to an announcement or change.
The race committee may change the regatta format, courses, starting sequence or any other procedure relating to Green Fleet. Courses will be displayed on a white board on the R/C Signal boat and will be hailed. Green Fleet will sail as one fleet.
Coaching of Green Fleet while racing is limited to the bottom 50% of the fleet. Coaching is limited to enrolled COACH Boats ONLY. |
