Toddbrook Sailing Club
Race Sailing Instructions

Introduction

This document provides a formal statement of the Club's racing rules, a guide to the conduct of races by Race Officers, the obligations and expectations placed on them and other members and a simplified guide to assist members to understand the more common rules. The rules governing the conduct of races on Toddbrook reservoir are:

(i) The Racing Rules Of Sailing (RRS)
(ii) The prescriptions of the Royal Yatching Association (RYA)
(iii) The rules of Toddbrook Sailing Club ("TSC").

Interpretations are based on Brian Willis, The Rules in Practice, Fernhurst Books, 2004 and the decisions of the TSC committee.

The Club will place current copies of RYA booklet “YR1” and this document in the Clubhouse.

The RRS rules are amended every four years. There are 89 rules in six parts! Parts 1, 2 and 3 - “Fundamental Principles” (1-9), “When Boats Meet” (10-22) and “Conduct of the Race” are the most significant and are summarised below. The other parts cover other requirements, protests, entries, scoring, etc.

General And Prelimaries

The club rescue boat must be available at all times during racing and the manning of it is the responsibility of the Race Officer and assistants and takes precedence over other responsibilities.

The RO may abandon racing before or during the event in the case of severe weather and undue risk.

All craft sailing on TSC waters must have appropriate third party insurance.

Craft intending to race should normally have completed formalities and be on the water before the start times, which are normally as follows :

• Sundays (March to Nov) First race: 10.30
• Subsequent races: 12.30, and 14.00 approx.
• Wednesdays (May to Aug): 19.00

Before a race, a course will be set by the RO and displayed on the course number board attached to the race control hut. Helms must complete the RO’s race sheet with details of their boat. They must also at the end of each race sign the same sheet, to confirm that they have sailed the published course,
completed the designated number of laps correctly, observed the rules and have appropriate insurance.

The number of laps will be displayed on the course board on a white background. If two numbers are displayed (eg. 3 and 4), then the helm should, at the RO’s discretion, sail the number of laps required to finish within the allotted time of approx. 1 hour.

The allotted time will be decided by the RO. Boats that have not finished before the scheduled time of the next race (or in the case of there not being a next race, 30 minutes after the first boat to finish) will be given one place greater than the number of boats which entered the race.

Starts And Finishes

The Start and Finish Line is defined as the line extending from an Outer Limit Mark (OLM) past an Inner Distance Mark (IDM) to the white pole on the race control hut.

Start and Finish Gates, defined by two marks (OLMs and IDMs,usually 2 & 7 or 2 & X ) will be displayed.

The Start Gate must be passed through at the commencement of each lap.

The displayed course must be sailed, passing all marks in the correct sequence and to the displayed side.

The Finish Gate must be passed through at the completion of the race.

If the IDM is displayed as “X”, this means that the IDM is the white pole on the race control hut or is some other point on the shore or afloat (eg. on the dam or committee/rescue boat) as notified by the RO.

Once a competitor has received the finishing signal, he will be deemed to have finished and must keep clear of craft still racing. The finishing signal will normally be one or more rings of the bell, but an alternative may be used in difficult conditions eg. dipping of the class flag or club burgee, or a hooter.

Starting Signals

Flag signals which have priority and sound signals(hooter) are as follows:

• Warning 5 minutes form the start Class Flag (E or T or both) + 1 Sound
• Preparatory 4 minutes from start “P” + 1 Sound
• One minute 1 minute before start “P” removed and 1 sound
• Starting 0 minutes from start Class Flag(s) removed and 1 sound

Racing rules apply after the four-minute, preparatory signal. Competing boats are not allowed to cross the start line in the direction of the first mark between the one minute signal and the start signal.

All boats must be behind the start line before the starting signal. Boats that are over the line will be hailed by the RO and are required to re-cross the line and start again on hearing the shout “Clear”.

The Race

The course will be sailed in the displayed order and passing each buoy to the displayed side.

Course Variations

In the event of conditions changing (eg. the wind dropping) during a race, the following signals will be made:

(i) Shorten course: the flag “S” will be flown and a sound signal made of (2) two long blasts on the hooter. This signal must be made in good time by the RO, generally before the leading boat rounds the mark prior to the finish line. The signal means that the next time craft cross the finish line will be taken as their completion of the race.

(ii) Course variation: Instructions to omit a buoy will be given by the RO verbally as they pass close to the race control. The Flag “C” will also be flown.

(iii) General Recall- End of Race / Out of Time / Return to Shore: This will consist of one very long blast on the hooter and the Yellow and Blue “General Recall” pennant will be flown.

(iv) Race Abandoned: will be sounded by 3 long blasts on the hooter and notified to craft in doubt, the flag Signal“ N over A” will also be flown.

Timing And Scoring

It is the responsibility of the RO to time each boat racing at the completion of each lap. A computer is provided for this purpose, but it is advisable to use a backup (e.g. a stopwatch) in the event of computer failure.

The result of a race will be decided upon Corrected Time (CT) based on the Portsmouth Yardstick Scheme (PY) calculated as follows:

CT = (Finishing Time in seconds x 1000) / ( Number of laps x PY)

A list of PYs will be set and displayed at the beginning of each season and will stand for the whole of that season and until revised by the RYA..

The winner of a race will be the helm who has the lowest corrected time, second will be the next highest time and so on until all places are allocated.

Where crews retire or a race is abandoned they will be given a position of one place greater than the number of boats entering the race.

Individual Helms will accumulate points in each race series as follows:

1st - 1 point
2nd - 2 points
3rd - 3 points
Each place thereafter add one point

The competitor with the lowest number of aggregate points at the completion of a series wins, the next lowest will be second and so on.

Each series will have a qualifying number of results. Helms who do not achieve the number of qualifying results will not be placed. Competitors who achieve a greater number of results than the minimum will be judged on their best set of results in the series.

Penalties

The following penalties apply:

1. For touching a mark on the course: One Turn Penalty (1 tack followed by 1 gybe in whatever order, Rule 31)

2. For touching any part of another boat which has right of way: Two Turn Penalty (2 tacks and 2 gybes in succession) Whenever there is contact, one of the boats has broken a rule by which it should have kept-clear of the other. (Rule 44.1&44.2). Every boat must attempt to avoid contact. When it is clear that the "keep clear" boat is not going to keep clear, then the other boat must do everything reasonable to avoid contact, and may be penalised if there was damage (Rule 14 (b)) or a risk of serious damage or injury (Rule 60.4). If the “right of way” boat has to alter course to avoid the “keep clear” boat (thus obeying Rule 14), the “right of way” boat should invite the other craft to “Do a 720 ”, and if they fail to take the penalty they may be subject to protest.

3. For passing the wrong side of a mark: Retrace the wrongly sailed part of the course, before repassing the mark on the correct side. (Rule 28.1)

4. For not sailing the proper course (ie.missing out a mark or the starting gate, Rule 28): Disqualification.

Penalties should be taken at the earliest convenient time, clear of other boats and before rounding the next mark on the course. If touching a mark caused the penalty, the forfeit must be performed at least 2 (two) boat lengths clear of the mark.

Protests

If a boat is involved in an alleged infringement of a racing rule and fails to acknowledge his/her fault by taking the appropriate penalty, the other boat crew involved may protest under the racing rules. A helm intending to protest another shall inform them by hailing if within range, or otherwise at the earliest opportunity.

The protest may be made orally or in writing but the rules broken must be specified along with a general description of the circumstances. Protests must be lodged as soon as practically possible, and not more than 60 minutes after the last boat of a race finishes. Only the crews involved can lodge protests, but they may call supporting eyewitnesses.

The RO and two other members, to be called the Panel, will hear the protest.

In the event of the panel at the hearing being undecided of the merits of competing claims, a decision can be deferred for further consideration. In which case the protest must be written. Such a written submission must be lodged within 7 days of the finish of the race, to the RO presiding. A decision must reached within 7 days of receipt of the written protest or a maximum of 14 days after the incident. There is no prescribed form for lodging of a protest, but the written submission must detail briefly the incident and specify the rules claimed to be broken.

The panel may, as the result of a written or oral protest, dismiss the protest with no penalty to either party or, if it up holds the protest, impose one of the following penalties:

1. Apply a time penalty.
2. Change the result of the race for the boats involved in the protest by one or more places.
3. Give the boat deemed guilty a minimum position in the result of the race.
4. Disqualify one or both the boats from that race.

The panel must take into account the relative experience of the crews involved in the protest and judgement may be oral or written.

Club Bylaws And Customs

In the event of a Protest, it is customary to accept the decision of the Panel as final.

A session as Race Officer or Assistant Race Officer will count towards qualification in the relevant series with the award of a median place eg 3rd. place in a race with five boats.

In the event of only one crew turning up for a race and being prepared to sail s/he will be awarded 1.5 points, subject to the RO confirming their story.

A helm who starts then retires or is “abandoned” will be awarded a “number of boats entered + 1” place.

The Racing Programme with a list of race officers, race series details (including number of races/results to “Qualify”) and details of individual handicaps for the Handicap Series will be notified by the Sailing Secretary to all members at the commencement of each season, and placed in the Race Control Hut, together with a list of boat PY’s to apply to Corrected Times

Individual handicaps may be varied by the Committee from time to time as the season progresses, depending on changing competence.

ROs should issue a reminder to their assistants and the following week’s RO, bring milk and fill the kettle.

The number of laps will be displayed on the course board on a white background. If two numbers are displayed (eg. 3 and 4), then the helm should, at the RO’s discretion, sail the number of laps required to finish within the allotted time of approx. 1 hour.