SAILING
INSTRUCTIONS
2007
Updated: June 2007
1.
Rules
The U.S. Sailing Racing Rules (2005– 2008) will cover the
Lake City Yacht Club (LCYC) sailing regattas, except as modified by these
Sailing Instructions. The Race Director
of the LCYC establishes these sailing instructions. A LCYC racing skipper is a member of the
LCYC. The Race Director shall hold a
Race Meeting at least once per racing season and invite all LCYC racing
skippers. Meetings and committees shall
decide questions by majority vote according to Robert’s Rules of Order. A Race Meeting may establish a Race Committee
and appoint members. The LCYC Race
Director shall be the chairman of the Race Committee. Members of the Race
Committee may assist the Race Director in setting the Race Schedule,
establishing the Sailing Instructions and assign Racing Handicaps. The Race Director, or a Race Meeting or the
Race Committee may establish and appoint members of a Handicap Committee. If there are questions about the Race
Schedule, Handicaps or Sailing Instructions, the Race Director shall decide the
question until a formal Committee or Race Meeting can resolve the
question. The Race Director must appoint
an assistant Race Director to substitute for any absence of the Race
Director
2.
Schedule of Races
The LCYC Race Committee publishes
a schedule of races that is posted on the Regatta Board. Any changes in the
schedule, except for postponements or cancellations for unusual causes, shall
be posted on the regatta board at least one week in advance. Make up races shown on the schedule will only
be sailed if section 15G is satisfied at the time the make up race would be sailed.
3. Skipper's Meetings
A skipper's meeting will attempt
to be held at
4.
Notices to Competitors
The Committee Boat will fly
standard race flags for communication with racing yachts. Verbal communication will be given over
channel 72 on the VHF radio. Note that channel 72 communication is for
advice. An official communication is
still conveyed through flags and other signals. In case a race is postponed or canceled
before the committee boat leaves the harbor, the proper flag will be flown from
the club flag post. Other notices to
competitors will be posted in a timely manner on the official Regatta Board
located in the LCYC Clubhouse. It is the
responsibility of each skipper to monitor the notice board for race
information.
5.
Eligibility
A. Eligible yachts may
enter regattas and races by registering with the LCYC Race committee. The
following conditions shall be met for eligibility:
1.
Registration and Handicap Rating Form have been submitted.
2. All
required racing fees have been paid.
3. The yacht has received
a LCYC handicap rating or has received permission of the race committee to race
with a provisional handicap.
4. The
yacht flies the appropriate class flag while competing, or notifies the race
committee prior to starting.
B. The
information required for eligibility and rating shall be received as follows:
1. At
least one week prior to the first race for Spring or Fall Series and Hoyt Cup.
2. No
later than
3. Any yacht entering a regatta or series must
sail with the same handicap rating for that particular regatta or series; i.e.,
must not change boat configuration affecting rating and only use sails for
which rated. The one exception is the spinnaker class. A yacht may elect to
sail with or without a spinnaker on a per race basis.
C. The
LCYC Yacht Registration and Handicap Rating form shall be used whenever
possible; however, such information may be received in other forms and shall
include:
1. Yacht
owner name, address and telephone number.
2. Name
and sail number of the yacht.
3.
Manufacturer and model, including any variations from a standard yacht.
4. Type
of propulsion and underwater drive.
5. Any
modifications to the standard yacht in the hull, spars, rigging or equipment
that might affect handicap rating.
6. Sail
inventory, as the yacht will be raced: maximum size of jib, main, spinnaker,
and spinnaker pole.
7. Any
other information required, or necessary to enable the LCYC Handicap Committee
to establish a rating in accordance with the U.S. SAILING-PHRF rating system.
D.
Sign-up for races by turning in the race registration and rating form to the
Race Director before the skipper’s meeting of the race (or series).
E. Only LCYC regular members are eligible to win
the LCYC Yacht Master Trophy, which is based on the Pentair (Spring), AmericInn
(Fall), Hoyt Cup, Springer Open and Pepin Open regattas. However, at the
discretion of the race committee, yachts other than those belonging to LCYC
members may be eligible to compete in any and all LCYC races.
F. LCYC racing is organized to encourage amateur
competition. Consequently, professional
sailors shall be subject to restrictions to participate in any races. Professional Sailors are defined as those
sailors who are employed in the "Marine Industry" as defined by the
U.S. SAILING and are referred to as "Marine Industry Racers",
(MIR's). It is also recognized that
participation by MIR's can increase the general level of LCYC fleet competition
and skill. Therefore, MIR's will be
allowed during select LCYC racing events, under the following conditions:
1. If
MIR’s are allowed, only one per boat shall be allowed during any given race.
2. MIR's
shall be allowed to participate during open races, including the Match Races.
3. MIR’s
may participate in one day of racing per yacht in Yachtmaster Series.
4. MIR’s
may not participate in family fun races.
5. MIR's
shall not helm the yacht during any race.
6. If the
MIR is the owner of the boat and a member of LCYC and meets all normal
eligibility requirements, they are allowed to participate as a regular racing
member.
7.
Violations are subject to disqualification
1.
LCYC Handicap
Procedures
A. The Race Director, Race Committee or Handicap
Committee determines the ratings for all yachts racing in LCYC races.
B.
Handicap Ratings are determined by the PHRF Time-On-Distance method of
handicapping. LCYC uses US Sailing
reported PHRF TOD design ratings. The
LCYC handicap is comprised of:
1. The
yacht design Speed Prediction (SP) Rating
2. Vessel
adjustments to the SP rating, for modifications from the standard yacht design
3.
C. The
Speed Prediction rating for a yacht is based on the standard design for a given
yacht, per the US Sailing and definitions and possibly modified by Pacific
Northwest PHRF definitions for deviations from the standard yacht
configuration. Generally, the standard
vessel is the stock yacht sailing a 150-155%
D.
Adjustments are made from a particular vessel's SP rating for modifications
from the standard design. In general,
modifications are considered to be made in the interest of racing performance
and ratings are therefore towards "faster" rating adjustments. The
more modified a vessel is from the standard definition, the more that vessel's
rating will reflect adjustments towards a faster (lower) rating. This is consistent with Pacific Northwest
PHRF handicapping guidelines and philosophy.
Adjustments
generally follow
This is
both a more fair and objective use of the Pacific Northwest recommended
differentials, and discourages modifications that aim to maximize sail
advantage while minimizing rating adjustment penalties specific to the Pacific
Northwest PHRF tabulations.
E. In
some cases, LCYC handicap determination may refer to local performance
observations -- or other sources, such as vessel manufacturers, etc. -- to
resolve apparent discrepancies in the US Sailing reported SP ratings or a
vessel's SP rating adjusted for modifications.
F. A
yacht may decide to sail without a spinnaker in a spinnaker class and receive a
rating adjustment based on the average wind speed for the race. The yacht
shall:
1.
Notify the committee
boat before the start of her race that she will not use a spinnaker during that
race.
- AND -
2. Fly a yellow
flag during the race.
Failure
to notify the committee boat and
fly a yellow flag will cause the yacht to be scored as if she had used a
spinnaker. The yacht should use discretion when hailing the committee boat as
to not disrupt the operator while working the starting sequence.
|
Wind Speed (Knots) |
Handicap Adjustment (Seconds/Mile) |
|
Wind Less Than 6 |
22 |
|
>= 6 and < 11 |
18 |
|
>= 11 and < 16 |
16 |
|
>= 16 and < 21 |
8 |
|
>= 21 and < 26 |
4 |
|
Wind Greater than or Equal 26 |
0 |
G. Outboard
engines may be removed from the transom if it has been declared on the rating
form. The penalty is a 6 second faster rating according to the PHRF handicap
calculations. Outboard engines that have not been declared as removable must be
attached to the transom for the entire race. The engines may be tilted up.
H. The
procedure for appealing for a change in handicap rating is as follows:
1.
Request a review of your handicap rating at least one month prior to the race
in which you are seeking a change from the LCYC Handicap Committee. Rating changes will not affect previous race
scores.
2. Be
prepared to give evidence and show cause why you believe your rating should be
changed.
3. In the
unlikely event you are dissatisfied with the Handicap Committee decision you
may further appeal to the LCYC Race Committee.
The Race Committee will hear the appeal and render a decision. This decision will be final.
2.
Classification of
Yachts for Racing
A. Class
Flags
|
Class |
Description of Class Flag |
|
|
Class 1 |
Trapezoidal shaped pennant with
a white field and a red dot (Code Flag "1") |
|
|
Class 2 |
Trapezoidal shaped pennant with
a blue field and a white dot (Code Flag “2”) |
|
B. Jib
& Main class, Single Handed, Double Handed, and Master races: no flying
sails are permitted, including spinnakers, stay sails, and any other sails not
attached to the forestay. Two jibs are not allowed except during the process of
changing to a different size jib.
3.
Starting
A. The
class and course flags will be flown a minimum of 5 minutes before the first
shape is flown.
B.
Flag/Shape Sequence: The LCYC start sequence uses a combination of U.S. SAILING
flags and shapes to define the amount of time left for a given class. A single cannon signal shall be used to
indicate the start of each fleet. The
Race Director or committee boat operator has the option of combining two or
more fleets for starting purposes. The class flag or flags (with combined fleet
starts) shall be flown at least five minutes before the starting sequence. When
fleets are combined the clock time for the starting sequence shall be the
starting time of the latest fleet start.
Start
Sequence
Class flag 5 Minutes to start,
sound
Blue
hourglass 4
Minutes to start, sound
Blue
hourglass removed 1 Minute
to start, long sound
Red
Cylinder
0 Minute to start, cannon. Start!
C.
Starting Times: The first start shall be at about
D. Each
signal shape will be lowered one minute before the next shape is hoisted.
E. Any
yacht using its engine after the starting sequence for its class will be
disqualified, except for the following conditions:
1. The
yacht has run aground before the start for its class. The yacht shall run its
engine only long enough to become floating free and shall not gain distance toward
the next mark.
2. The
yacht is late for its start.
a. The
yacht shall not run its engine within 10 boat lengths of the starting line at
any time.
b. If the
yacht runs its engine during the 5 minutes before the start, then the yacht
shall not start before the last yacht of its class has started that has not
used its engine during the starting sequence. This includes starting after
yachts that are required to return to starting line because of being over early
or hitting a starting mark.
The
intent of this rule is to allow a yacht that leaves the harbor late or strays
to far from the starting line in a dying wind to get back near the starting
line.
F. The starting line will be between the
flagstaff on the Committee Boat and a fixed mark. A mark may accompany the committee boat to
protect against collisions. If a protection mark is used all yachts shall pass
between the two marks but the starting line is still designated by the
flagstaff on the Committee Boat and the starting mark farthest from the Committee
Boat.
G.
Example Starting
Sequence (if two fleets):
10:59 Blue hourglass, long sound.
11:04 Blue hourglass, long sound
11:05 Start, cannon….Red cylinder
4.
Postponements or
Cancellation of Races
A. Generally, a race
postponed for more than one (1) hour will be abandoned. However the Race Committee has the discretion
on abandoning races subject to the proper notification of all contestants. The committee boat will indicate abandonment
by flying the "N" flag and sounding three horn blasts.
B. The
starting sequence for postponed races will be started one minute after the
postponement flag is lowered.
C. If the
start of the race is delayed, the starting sequence will be as described in
section 11A when the race is restarted.
5.
Abandoning or
Shortening a Race
A. A race
should be abandoned if no yacht attains an average speed of 2 knots made toward
the first mark. The Committee Boat will indicate "Abandonment" by
flying the "N" flag and sounding three horn blasts.
B. A race
should be shortened if no yacht makes good an average speed of 2 knots on any
leg after rounding the first mark. The
Committee Boat will indicate a shortened race by being on station at the next
mark to take finish times while flying the "S" flag.
6.
Recalls
A.
General Recalls
1. When a general recall for a class has been
signaled, a complete 5 minute starting sequence will be used for that class.
The Committee boat has the option to restart the same class or continue with
the next class in the starting sequence. Watch the class flag to determine
which class is starting next.
7.
The Finish
A. The
finish line will be between the flagstaff on the Committee Boat and a fixed
mark. The finish line shall be crossed
from the direction of the previous mark, regardless on which end of the line
the Committee Boat is positioned.
B. Yachts
that finish after the Committee Boat has left the finish line must take their
own elapsed time and report it to the Race Committee.
8.
Protests
A. Protests shall be submitted to the Protest
Committee Chairman, or the Fleet Captain, Regatta Director or Race Manager in
his absence. All protests must be
submitted in writing within one hour after the Committee boat returns to
dock. The Committee requests that
protests be submitted on the USSailing Protest form.
B. A notice of the Protest Committee hearing
will be posted on the regatta board at least 30 minutes prior to the hearing.
The Protest Committee will attempt to contact the yachts that are named in the
protest.
C. In the case of a right-of-way protest in
which there is no contact or only incidental contact; i.e., no injury to
persons on either yacht, nor serious damage to hull, equipment, or sails:
1. The Scoring Penalty, rule 44.3, will
apply. The penalty will be 30 percent of
the number of starters in its class or at least 4 places.
2. A protested yacht which does not so
acknowledge an infringement but is later found guilty in a protest hearing
shall be penalized by 50 percent of the number of starters in its class or at
least 6 places, and may be liable to disqualification by the Protest Committee
D. The penalty for non-right-of-way
infringements shall range from a minimum of a 20 percent reduction in finishing
place, based on the number of starters in the Class, or at least three places,
to disqualification, depending on severity and flagrancy.
9.
Scoring
A. Races will be scored using the Low Point
System of USSailing.
B. All yachts that did
not start (DNC) or did not finish (DNF), shall score 1 point more than the last
finishing yacht.
C. The scores of individual races shall be added
to determine the score for series regattas.
The worst race for each yacht shall be thrown out of the cumulative
score for series when 5 or 6 races have been completed; the worst 2 races will
be thrown out if 7 races have been sailed. The yacht with the lowest cumulative
score for a regatta shall win. The
thrown out races do not count toward Yachtmaster.
D. The
Yachtmaster competition shall be scored based on the total point scores of the
Spring (Pentair), Fall (Rivage), Hoyt Cup, Springer Open and Pepin Open
series. To be scored for Yachtmaster,
all races must be sailed in the same class.
E. Makeup
races are held if the required minimum number of races for the series has not
been completed. If the required number
has been completed, then the makeup race will not be run. The required minimums are as follows:
|
Series Races |
Minimum |
|
8 |
6 |
|
7, 6 |
5 |
|
5, 4 |
4 |
10. Owner's Responsibility
The
safety of a yacht and her crew is the sole and inescapable responsibility of
the owner, or must do his best to ensure that the yacht is fully sound,
thoroughly seaworthy and manned by experienced crew who are physically fit to
face the conditions which may be encountered on the race course, including bad
weather. He must be satisfied as to the
soundness of the hull, spars, rigging, sails and all gear. He must ensure that
all safety equipment is properly maintained and stowed and that the crew knows
where it is kept and how it is to be used.
If wind or sea conditions occur for which a boat is not seaworthy, it
shall be the skipper's responsibility to retire regardless if the race is
abandoned or not.
11. Insurance and Liability
Each participant must maintain in
full force and effect, during the entire racing season, a policy of proper
liability insurance coverage for racing written by a responsible insurance
company insuring the owner and any operator against liability for property
damage or bodily injury. Owners must
comply with this requirement as a condition of entering races.
12. Notice of Limitations of Liability
Neither
the Lake City Yacht Club nor the Race Committee, its members, or any other
committee, shall be liable for any injury or damage whatsoever to persons or
property whether caused by, or resulting from, their act, omission, or alleged
negligence, or from weather or sea conditions, hazards of any kind, defects or
failure of vessels to be seaworthy in hull, rigging or gear, or any acts,
omissions, or alleged negligence of or in connection with any race, regatta,
cruise, spectacle, or any yachting or marine activity sponsored or aided in
whole or in part by the Lake City Yacht Club.
Notice is hereby given to all participants (which includes crew,
spectators, officials, and others) that they participate in any such event
solely at their own risk. Skippers of
participating yachts are required to appraise all crewmembers of this
Limitations of Liability as a condition of entry.
13. Flags, Forms and Instructions to carry onboard
All
racing yachts are expected to carry copies of the following documents:
1)
2)
Rules of Racing for
2005 – 2008 (
3)
Rules of Racing for
2005 – 2008 Protest Form.
All
racing yachts are expected to carry the following flags:
1)
Class flag
2)
Protest flag
3)
Non-spinnaker
declaration flag
The
listed documents are available form the Lake City Yacht Club web page at www.lakecityyachtcluub.com. The class 1 flag is it nautical signal “one”
and the class two flag is the nautical signal “two”. The protest flag is red and the non-spinnaker
declaration flag is yellow. The flags,
when used, are to be flown off the backstay of the racing yacht.
14. Appendix A:. Race Courses
A. Courses will be designated on the Committee
Boat main flagstaff.
B. Some courses may be set which use existing
navigation marks as racing marks.
C. Course
information will be displayed or available by hailing the committee boat prior
to each race. It is the responsibility
of each yacht racing to check for such information prior to the start of the
race.
D. On the
course flag, a red or green background indicates that the mark roundings shall
be to port (red) or starboard (green).
All marks shall be rounded on the same side even if roundings greater
than 180 degrees are required.
E. The
compass heading to the first mark shall be available by request from the
committee boat via hail or a chalkboard.
In addition, a chalkboard may be used by the Race Committee to display
special instructions to competitors.
F. In the
event an offset mark is placed near the windward mark to keep traffic clear,
this mark must also be rounded.
G. In the
event the starting line is moved, the Committee Boat will fly code flag
"L" and the start of the race will be delayed to enable the fleet to
follow the Committee Boat to the new starting area
H. Course
Designators and Course Descriptions. Following are the designators and
descriptions of the courses that will be regularly sailed at
Olympic 1, flag “01”
The O1 course requires each racer to sail 6 legs to
complete the race. The legs are sailed in the following order: Windward,
reach, reach, windward, leeward, windward. |
Olympic 2, flag “02”
The O2 course requires each racer to sail 9 legs to
complete the race. The legs are sailed in the following order: Windward,
reach, reach, windward, reach, reach, windward, leeward, windward. |
Gold Cup Course - flag “GC”
The GC course requires each racer to sail 5 legs in the
following order: Windward, reach, reach, windward, leeward. |
Windward - Leeward 1.5, flag "WL 1.5"
The WL 1.5 course requires each racer to sail three legs
in the following order: Windward, leeward, windward. |
|
|
|
Windward - Leeward 2.5, flag "WL 2.5"
The WL 2.5 course requires each racer to sail five legs
in the following order: Windward, leeward, windward, leeward, windward. |
Windward
- Leeward 2.0, flag "WL 2.0"
The WL 2.0 course requires each racer to sail four legs
in the following order: Windward, leeward, windward, leeward. |
Windward - Leeward 3.0, flag "WL 3.0"
The WL 3.0 course requires each racer to sail six legs in the following order: Windward, leeward, windward, leeward, windward, leeward. |
Triangle
Course 1 1 /3, flag “T 1.3”
The T 1.3 course requires each racer to sail four legs in the following order: Windward, reach, reach, windward. |
|
|
|
Triangle Course 2 1/3, flag “T2.3”
The T 2.3 course requires each racer to sail seven legs
in the following order: Windward, reach, reach, windward, reach, reach,
windward. |
|
15. Code Flags
|
Code Flag 1. Class 1 boats. |
Code Flag 2. Class 2 boats. |
|
Answering Pendent (AP): Races not started are postponed.
The warning or other signal will be made 1 minute after removal. |
“N”, or “No” or “November”. All races are abandoned. Return to the
starting area. |
16.