January
2013
Sailing Instructions
for
Cruiser Club Series Racing Inside of the Barrage
1.
Safety and Responsibility
1.1 Yacht racing can be dangerous. The attention of owners, skippers and
crew is drawn to RRS Fundamental Rule 4: "A yacht is solely responsible
for deciding whether or not to start or to continue racing". The safety of
a yacht and her crew is the sole and inescapable responsibility of the owner or
owner's representative who must do their best to ensure that the yacht is fully
found, thoroughly seaworthy and manned by an experienced crew who are
physically fit to face bad weather. They must be satisfied as to the soundness
of the hull, spars, rigging, sails and all gear. They must ensure that the
safety equipment is properly maintained and stowed and that the crew know where
it is kept and how it is to be used.
1.2 Cardiff Bay Yacht Club accept no responsibility or liability for
loss of life or injury to members or others, or for the loss of, or damage to,
any vessel or property.
1.3 The owner and crew will be held jointly responsible for the conduct
of the yacht's crew before, during and after a race. Misconduct may result in
both owner and crew being excluded from future races and render a yacht liable
to disqualification.
1.4 Yachts must hold a valid and current boat insurance which covers
them for third party claims of up to £3,000,000 for the entire period of the
series.
1.5 Crew members' attention is drawn to RRS 1.2 life-saving equipment .
. . " Each competitor is individually responsible for wearing personal flotation
devices adequate for the conditions."
1.6 No yacht may carry an
anchor that overhangs its bow
1.7 Transom mounted
outboard motors must be either stowed within the yacht or left in the vertical
position while racing
1.8 The Cardiff Harbour
Authority regulations and Notices to Mariners will apply
1.9
The skipper is responsible for ensuring their boat is equipped and seaworthy so
as to be able to complete the race course; that the skipper and crew are of
sufficient number, experience and fitness to complete the race course safely;
and that the safety equipment is properly maintained, stowed and in date and
the crew know how to use it.
The fact that yachts are scrutinised, or otherwise inspected by the race
organisers, does not reduce the responsibilities of the yacht and/or skipper
set out in any other part of these Sailing Instructions or Notice of Race.
2. Rules
2.1 The racing will be
organised by Cardiff Bay Yacht Club and governed by these sailing instructions,
The Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS), the prescriptions of the RYA, and the rules
of the IRC, except as any of these are changed by these sailing instructions.
2.2 The series are
designated Category C as described in the ISAF Advertising Code.
3. Eligibility
3.1 Yachts shall be self-righting, single hull vessels.
3.2 All yachts are required
to display any sponsor’s stickers or flag as provided.
3.3 Yachts shall have a valid rating or handicap certificate
for the class they wish to enter.
3.4
Yachts entering the IRC classes failing to supply a valid certificate by their
entry into a series will be deleted from that series, subject to RRS 78.2.
3.5
It is a condition of entry that competing yachts shall permit scrutineers to
check the validity of handicaps against certificates and/or class rules. Yachts
may also be scrutinised to ensure compliance with 1.1 All yachts must display
their correct sail numbers or sail number boards or have name boards
prominently displayed.
3.6
Failure to pay the Race Fee within two weeks of a yacht’s first start shall
result in previous races being discounted.
3.7 Providing there are sufficient registered yachts racing
will be organised into Fleets.
3.8
Yachts will be allocated to fleets as the Race Committee see fit.
4. Radio Communication
4.1 All yachts must carry a
working VHF radio and monitor Ch 37 while in the starting area and for the
duration of the race.
4.2 Final course details
and other information for competitors will be given by the race officer over
VHF Radio. Normally channel 37 (M1) will be used. In the event of a problem
with this then Channel 72. If possible the race officer will also announce this
over Channel 37.
.
4.3 Yachts should refrain
from communicating with the race officer or each other on the race channel
between the warning signal and the start, except on matters of safety or unless
contacted by the race officer.
5. Notices to Competitors and Changes in Sailing Instructions
Notices to Competitors and
Changes in Sailing Instructions will be displayed on the club website at www.cbyc.co.uk and/or by the Race Officer on VHF Ch 37.
6. Schedule
of Races
The schedule of races will be displayed on the Club website
and from behind the bar.
Additional Races may be sailed at the end of each days
sailing at the discretion of the Race Committee.
7. Courses
Courses will be laid
courses. Typically, a windward - leeward course with a spreader mark at the
windward mark will be laid. A committee boat will be positioned approx a third
of the way up the course. An outer distance mark will be laid on the port beam
of the committee boat. The colour and general location of the marks may be
announced by the race officer on Ch37. All marks should be left to Port. All
boats must pass through the start/finish line on each windward leg. Racing will
be continuous until finished. The race will normally be of 60 minutes duration
for the mid fleet boat.
Different courses may be
announced by the Race Officer on Ch37.
8. Starting
& Finishing Procedures
8.1 Races will be started
in accordance with RRS 26 and 29 except that flag signals will not normally be
used.
8.2 The start and finish
line is between a mast on the committee boat and a laid outer distance mark.
8.3 Depending on the boats
racing, fleets may be given individual or combined starts.
8.4 The starting signal for
one fleet will serve as the warning signal for the next fleet.
8.5 Sound signals or VHF
communication take precedence over flag signals.
8.6 All other signals will be given
over the VHF without visual or sound signals.
8.7 The race results may be
calculated using the times from a previously completed lap.
8.8 Lapped boats may be finished
having completed fewer laps and their time calculated from the average time of
previously completed laps.
10. Time
Limits
No yacht may start more
than 30 minutes after her starting signal.
The time limit on a race is
1.5 hours.
11. Protests
11.1 Boats intending to
protest are requested to inform the race officer as soon as possible by radio
etc. Protests shall then be delivered in writing to the race officer, member or
delegate of the race committee within 1 hour of the end of racing for the day.
Official protest forms will
be available behind the bar in the CBYC Clubhouse.
11. Protests
Official protest forms will
be available behind the bar in the CBYC Clubhouse.
11.1 Boats intending to protest are requested to inform the race
officer as soon as possible by radio etc. Protests shall then be delivered in
writing to the race officer, member or delegate of the race committee within 3
hours of the end of racing for the day.
11.2
Protests where there has been no contact
All
Protests where there has been no contact will be decided by Arbitration,
subject to 11.2(a). Arbitration shall replace the protest hearing
required under RRS 63. A Protest Mediator or his designated substitute
will decide if the protest is valid. Each party being protested shall then
provide a written response to the Protest within 24 hours of being supplied
with a copy of it. The Protest will be decided on the basis of the
written Protest form and the reply from each party
protested. The Protest Mediator shall have total discretion as
to whether further evidence (including witness evidence) may
be submitted. The Protest Mediator shall have total discretion as to
whether to convene a hearing to hear further evidence. The decision will
be final.
11.2(a)
If
having read the evidence the Protest Mediator considers that the matter should
be put to a full Protest Committee, he shall decide accordingly and have full
discretion.
11.3
Protests where there has been contact
Protests where there has been contact
will be decided by a Protest Committee
in accordance with RRS 63
11.4
Penalty for Protests decided by Arbitration
Any
party found to have infringed a rule shall not be disqualified but shall
incur a 25% place penalty subject to a minimum of 3 places.
No
penalty shall result in a score which would exceed that of a Disqualification.
Application
of a penalty shall not affect the place or score of other boats.
Any decision shall be final.
12. Scoring & Discards
12.1 The low point scoring system,
in accordance with RRS 90.3, will be used.
12.2 Yachts scoring DNF or RET will
score points for the number of starters in the race + 1. All other yachts not
classified (ie DSQ, OCS etc) will score points for the number of entries + 2.
12.4 Discards. 3 races sailed – all to
count, 4-7 races sailed – 1 discard, 8 races sailed – 2 discards.
13 Results
Results will be displayed
on the Cardiff Bay Yacht Club website as soon as possible after the race.
14 Penalties at the
time of an incident
Penalty turns shall be
taken in accordance with RRS 44.
Race Committee
Steve Cooper Cruiser Racing Chairman
David Cairncross Principal Race
Officer
Andrea Tithecott Race Committee member