Summer Series One Sailing Instructions

The Sailing Instructions for the first Summer Series on Thursday Evenings is below.

South Okanagan Sailing Association Summer Series 1 2022

SAILING INSTRUCTIONS (SIs)

1      RULES

1.1    The event is governed by the rules as defined in The Racing Rules of Sailing.

1.2    RRS 44.1 is changed so that the Two-Turns Penalty is replaced by the One-Turn Penalty.

2      CHANGES TO SAILING INSTRUCTIONS

2.1    Any change to the sailing instructions will be posted before 1800 on the day it will take effect, except that any change to the schedule of races will be posted by 2000 on the day before it will take effect.

3      COMMUNICATIONS WITH COMPETITORS

3.1    Notices to competitors will be posted on the official notice board located at the front of the Clubhouse. In addition, they may be posted on SOSailing.ca.

3.2    On the water, the race committee does not intend to monitor and communicate with competitors on VHF.

4      CODE OF CONDUCT

4.1    Competitors and support persons shall comply with reasonable requests from race officials.

5      SIGNALS MADE ASHORE

5.1    Signals made ashore will be displayed at the flagpole in front of the Club house.

5.2    When flag AP is displayed ashore, ‘1 minute’ is replaced with ‘not less than 15 minutes’ in Race Signals AP.

6      SCHEDULE OF RACES

6.1    Dates of racing are Thursday Evenings from June 2 to July 23 inclusive.

6.2    Schedule includes 2 non-countable practice days and six race days.

6.3    There will be up to three races per day, weather permitting.

6.4    The scheduled time of the warning signal for the first race each day is 19:00.

6.5    If there are more than two Multihulls they will start first. Unless the Monohull start is postponed, the Multihull start signal will be the warning signal for the Monohulls. 

6.6    To alert boats that a race or sequence of races will begin soon, the orange starting line flag may be displayed with several sound signals at least one minute before a warning signal is made.

7      CLASS FLAGS

7.1    The Multihull Class flag is ‘Mike’, a white cross on a blue background. The Mixed fleet class flag is ‘Bravo’, a red tailed flag.

8      RACING AREA

8.1    The racing area is off the Club house area between SYC and Trout Creek.

9      COURSES

9.1    The diagram below shows the course(s), the order in which marks are to be passed, and the side on which each mark is to be left. The approximate course length will be decided on the day to give a race time of approximately 45 minutes for a boat in the middle of the fleet.

9.2    No later than the warning signal, the race committee signal vessel will display the course number and number of laps on the Committee boat.

9.3    Courses may be shortened.

9.4    Competitors are required to pass through the Start/Finish line from the direction of the leeward mark on the windward leg of each lap.

9.5    Legs of the course will not be changed after the preparatory signal. This changes RRS 33.

10     MARKS

10.1  Rounding Marks are large orange or yellow buoys  

11     THE START

11.1  Races will be started using RRS 26 with the warning signal made 5 minutes before the starting signal.

11.2  The starting line is between a staff displaying an orange flag on the signal vessel at the starboard end and the course side of the port-end starting mark.

11.3  Boats whose warning signal has not been made shall avoid the starting area during the starting sequence for other races.

11.4  If any part of a boat’s hull is on the course side of the starting line at her starting signal and she is identified, the race committee will attempt to hail her sail number. Failure to hail her number, failure of her to hear such a hail, or the order in which boats are hailed will not be grounds for a request for redress. This changes RRS 62.1(a).

11.5  A boat that does not start within 4 minutes after her starting signal will be scored Did Not Start without a hearing. This changes RRS A5.1 and A5.2.

12     CHANGE OF THE NEXT LEG OF THE COURSE

12.1  To change the next leg of the course, the race committee will move the original mark or the finishing line to a new position

13     THE FINISH

13.1  The finishing line is between a staff displaying a blue flag on the finishing mark at the starboard end and the course side of the port end finishing mark. 

13.2  If the race committee is absent when a boat finishes, she shall report her finishing time, and her position in relation to nearby boats, to the race committee at the first reasonable opportunity.

14     PENALTY SYSTEM

14.1  For all classes, RRS 44.1 is changed so that the Two-Turns Penalty is replaced by the One-Turn Penalty.

15     TIME LIMITS [AND TARGET TIMES]

15.1  The Mark 1 Time Limit, Race Time Limit (see RRS 35), and the Finishing Window are shown in the table below.

Mark 1 Time LimitRace Time LimitFinishing Window
204520

15.2  If no boat has passed the first mark within the Mark 1 Time Limit, the race will be abandoned.

15.3  The Finishing Window is the time for boats to finish after the first boat sails the course and finishes. Boats failing to finish within the Finishing Window, and not subsequently retiring, penalized or given redress, will be scored Time Limit Expired (TLE) without a hearing. A boat scored TLE shall be scored points for the finishing place one more than the points scored by the last boat that finished within the Finishing Window. This changes RRS 35, A5.1, A5.2 and A10.

15.4  Failure to meet the Target Time will not be grounds for redress. This changes RRS 62.1(a).

16     HEARING REQUESTS

16.1  The protest time limit is 30 minutes after the race committee signals no more racing today. The time may be posted on the official notice board.

16.2  Hearing request forms are available from the race office.

16.3  Notices will be posted no later than 30 minutes after the protest time limit to inform competitors of hearings in which they are parties or named as witnesses. Hearings will be held in the protest room, located at the Clubhouse, beginning at the time posted.

16.4  RRS 62.2(a) and 66.2(a) do not apply.

16.5  The right of appeal from a protest committee decision is denied as provided in rule 70.5[(a)][(b)][(c)].

17     SCORING

17.1  Races with less than three competitors (starters) will not be scored.

17.2  Two races are required to be completed to constitute a series

17.3  (a) When fewer than three races have been completed, a boat’s series score will be the total of her race scores.

(b) When three or more races have been completed, a boat’s series score will be the total of her race scores excluding her worst score.

(c) For every additional three races completed in the series, a further discard may be taken.

17.4  Multihulls will be scored separately from Monohulls.

17.5  Rule A5.3 does not apply.

18     SAFETY REGULATIONS

18.1  PERSONAL FLOATATION DEVICE

RRS 40.1 applies at all times while afloat.

18.2  A boat that retires from a race shall notify the race committee at the first reasonable opportunity.

19     REPLACEMENT OF CREW OR EQUIPMENT

19.1  Crews may be changed at any time.

19.2  Helms may use different boats during the series, but will carry forward the personal portion of their handicap calculated from previous races.

20     EQUIPMENT AND MEASUREMENT CHECKS

20.1  A boat or equipment may be inspected at any time for compliance with the class rules, notice of race and sailing instructions.

20.2  [DP] When instructed by a race official on the water, a boat shall proceed to a designated area for inspection.

21     PRIZES

21.1  Prizes will be given for the first, second and third overall.

22     RISK STATEMENT

22.1  RRS 3 states: ‘The responsibility for a boat’s decision to participate in a race or to continue to race is hers alone.’  By participating in this event each competitor agrees and acknowledges that sailing is a potentially dangerous activity with inherent risks.  These risks include strong winds and rough seas, sudden changes in weather, failure of equipment, boat handling errors, poor seamanship by other boats, loss of balance on an unstable platform and fatigue resulting in increased risk of injury.  Inherent in the sport of sailing is the risk of permanent, catastrophic injury or death by drowning, trauma, hypothermia or other causes.

23     INSURANCE

23.1  Each participating boat shall be insured with valid third-party liability insurance with a minimum cover of $1million per incident or the equivalent.