USC Sailing Instructions
 

Posted Sunday, June 15, 2008

USC Club Racing is open to Club members in boats no more than 20 feet long, no more than 850 pounds displacement, with a Portsmouth Handicap listed in either the US Sailing Centerboard or Multihull Class tables.

Rules

The regatta will be governed by the rules as defined in The Racing Rules of Sailing 2005-2008.

Notices to Competitors

Notices to competitors will be posted on the official notice board located on the Union Sailing Club’s shed.

Sailing Instruction Changes
Any change to these sailing instructions will be posted before 09:00 on the day it will take effect. Any change to the schedule will be posted before 20:00 on the day before it will take effect.

Signals Made Ashore

No signals will be made ashore. All signals will be made from the Committee boat.

(Note: This may change when the flag pole is installed at the club)

Schedule

Sundays, 1pm

March 30, April 6, 13 (Warm-Up series, not scored)
April 20, 27 May 4, 25 June 1, 15, 22 (Spring Sunday Series)

July 13, 20, 27 Aug 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 (Summer Sunday Series)
Sept 7, 14, 21, 28 Oct. 5, 12, 19, 26 (Fall Sunday Series)
Wednesdays, 6pm
May 7, 14, 21, 28 June 4, 11, 18, 25 (Early Summer Wednesday Series)
July 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 Aug 6, 13, 20, 27 (Late Summer Wednesday Series)

Three races are scheduled for each day of racing.

The warning signal for the first race on Sundays will be given at 13:00, and 18:00 on Wednesdays.

Warning signals for subsequent races will be given as soon as possible after the end of the previous race.

Class Flags

At Race Committee discretion, all boats may be started as one Class. The Class flag will then be solid yellow.

Race Committee has the option of assigning more than one Class. When there are 2 Classes, Monohull and Multihull, the class flags will be:

Multihull - Green

Monohull - Red

The multihull Class will have the first start

Racing Area
The racing area is Union Reservoir. (See diagram on official notice board with locations of the permanent marks.)

The Courses

No later than the warning signal, the Race Committee will display the course to be sailed on a white dry erase board on board the Committee boat. The Race Committee may post a different course to be sailed for the Optis and El Toros than the other monohulls.

All races will start at mark number 1.

The start line will also be the finish line.

The course will be indicated by a series of numbers and letters that correspond to the order in which marks are to be passed and ending with “F” for finish.

All marks are to be rounded to Port.

Restricted Line (“Poison Line”): Except when indicated that the start/finish line is a GATE (see 8.7), unless a boat is starting or finishing, the start / finish line shall be an obstruction for that boat. Boats on a leg of the course and which are neither starting, in their starting sequence, nor finishing shall not sail through the start / finish line. Violation of this instruction is not correctable by rule 28.1 (string rule); this changes 28.1.
Exceptions: A boat may cross the start or finish line to comply with rules 29.1 (OCS), 30.1 ("I" flag), 31 (touching a mark) while starting or finishing in order to start or finish properly under the RRS, or to comply with rule 14 (avoiding contact).
Penalty: A boat violating this rule shall be scored DNF, and shall be scored so by the Race Committee without the RC protesting the boat. This changes Appendix A5 in the RRS.

8.7 Start/Finish line as a GATE: When the course indicated by the Race Committee includes the letter “G”, the start/finish line is then a GATE. All boats on that course must pass between the committee boat and the pin. The committee boat and the pin are treated as marks for the legs of the course that either start with or end with a GATE.

Marks

Fixed race marks are white plastic 30 gallon drums with the mark numbered in black from 1 to 9 (see diagram).

Temporary Windward and Leeward marks, when used, will be red flags and designated on the course board as “W” or “L”

Starts

Races will be started in accordance with rule 26 with the warning signal given 5 minutes before the starting signal.

The starting line will be between the “RC” flag on the Race Committee boat and the starting mark. The starting mark will be, at the discretion of the Race Committee, either mark number 1, or a red flag if the Race Committee boat is moored to mark number 1.

A boat has 5 minutes to start after their starting signal. A boat that fails to start within this time will not race and will be scored DNS.

The starting area extends 100 feet either side of the starting line and in a 100 foot radius from each end of the starting line. Boats that have not received their warning signal will stay outside of this area during the time any other class is in their start sequence.

Finish

The finish line will be between the “RC” flag on the Race Committee boat and the finishing mark.

While other boats are still racing, boats will clear the start / finish line area as soon as possible after finishing.

Penalty System

Rule 44.2, two turns penalty shall apply to monohulls.

For the Mutihull fleet, Rule 44.2 is changed so that only one turn, including 1 tack and 1 gybe, is required.

Time Limit

There is no time limit for the first boat to finish. However, the race committee may at its discretion abandon any race at any time. Boats finishing more than 25 minutes after the first boat finishes will be scored TLE (time limit expired). This changes Rule 35 and A4.1. Any boat that has not finished within 25 minutes after the first finisher shall return to the starting area. Race Committee shall begin the next race as soon as possible after the 25 minutes have expired.

Protests

A protesting boat must inform the Race Committee of their intention to protest as soon as practical after finishing. Please wait for a break in the finishers to hail the Committee boat.

Protests must be delivered to the Race Committee in writing within 20 minutes after the Committee boat docks. Race Committee will notify the USC Protest Committee of the protest within 24 hours.

Hearings will be held as soon as possible, at a time and place mutually agreed upon among the protesting party, protested skipper and the USC Protest Committee, but no later than 7 days.

Scoring

Monohull and Multihull fleets will be scored separately, each fleet using the Portsmouth Yardstick.

The Low Point system of Appendix A of the Racing Rules of Sailing will be used to score the Series. The following changes apply.

A boat’s worst score will be excluded from her total if 4 -7 races are completed in the Series, 2 scores will be excluded if 8 -11 races are completed, 12-15 races = 3 scores excluded, 16 -19 races = 4 scores excluded, 20-23 races = 5 scores excluded, 24 or more races = 6 scores excluded.

RC: Skippers serving on Race Committee staff will be scored for each race served, the average of their boat’s other scores for the races they sailed in the series minus 1.

RTC: Representing the Club: A sailor who misses Club races because they are participating in another sailing event and register for that event as a member of Union Sailing Club may notify the Racing Committee and be scored the average of their scores in that series for the races missed.

TLE: Number of starters plus 1

OCS, DNF, and DNS: Number of starters plus 2

DNC and DSQ: Number of entries in the series plus 1

15.3. VOLUNTEERING: Race Committee volunteers are vital to the success of the Club racing program. Each skipper who races must volunteer a minimum of one day for every 5 days racing to be eligible for Series Awards. Other significant volunteering efforts within the Club may be presented to the USC Racing Committee for consideration of fulfilling this requirement, including helping at a USC Regatta.

15.4 GUEST RACING POLICY:

A guest may join a member when the member is the racer-of-record on the Race Committee timing sheet. A guest may race their own boat in two days of racing as the racer-of-record, however, their racing results will not impact the series standings unless they join USC before the series is scored and posted.

Safety Regulations

All boats will check in at the Committee boat prior to their first race. The following information will be provided to the Race Committee.

Skipper Name (First and Last please spell your last name).

Boat Type (Snipe, Butterfly, 420, Sunfish, Etc.).

Sail Number

Boats must meet US Coast Guard, State of Colorado, Weld County, and City of Longmont safety requirements.

A boat that retires from a race shall notify the Race Committee as soon as possible.

All skippers and crew shall wear a PFD when the wind speed exceeds 15 MPH.

16.5 All skippers and crew shall wear a PFD when the water temperature is less than 60 degrees F.