MANX SAILING & CRUISING CLUB

2008 Standard Sailing Instructions

1. RULES

Racing will be governed by the "rules" as defined in the Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS) 2005-2008, the prescriptions of the RYA, the Notice of Race (except as any of these are changed by the sailing instructions), by these sailing instructions and the appropriate class rules.

2. CONDITIONS OF ENTRY

2.1 For each series or trophy race all competitors shall insert details of their boats and crews on the Entry List (posted in the garage area) before the scheduled start time of the first race for which they wish a score to be recorded.

2.2 Competitors must sign in and out each day. Failure to do so will result in disqualification from that days races.

2.3 Competitors participate in racing entirely at their own risk. See Rule 4, Decision to Race. The organising authority will not accept any liability for material damage or personal injury or death sustained in conjunction with or prior to, during, or after the regatta.

2.4 Each participating boat shall be insured with valid third-party liability insurance with a minimum cover of £2,000,000.

3. SAFETY

3.1 Personal buoyancy aids shall be worn at all times.

4. NOTICES TO COMPETITORS

Notices to competitors will be posted on the whiteboard in the garage area.

5. CHANGES TO SAILING INSTRUCTIONS

Any changes to the sailing instructions will be posted on the whiteboard for a period of not less than 45 minutes before the advertised race time.

6. SIGNALS MADE ASHORE

Signals made ashore will be hoisted on the main clubhouse flagpole.

7. SCHEDULE OF RACES

7.1 1 or 2 races will be sailed each day at the discretion of the Race Officer

7.2 Racing will be separated into Laser, fast and slow handicap courses and results. A fast handicap boat is defined as having a PY number of 1150 or less. The Lasers will start first, followed 5 minutes later by the fast handicap and then a further 5 minutes to the slow handicap.

7.3 Notwithstanding Instructions 7.2, The Race Officer may amalgamate classes at his discretion.

8. CLASS FLAGS

Class flags will be:

Lasers………………………………...Numeral 1

Fast handicap (PN <= 1150) ……... Numeral 2

Slow handicap (PN >= 1151)………Numeral 3

9. COURSES

9.1 The courses to be sailed are appended here. ‘T’ displayed on the committee boat denotes Triangles and ‘S’ denotes Sausages, windward leeward, with spreader mark, for Classes 1 and 2.

9.2 The slow handicap class, Class 3, will sail to the first mark on the first lap only. Thereafter they will lap through the start gate.

9.3 The start and finish gate is obligatory on the windward leg only.

9.4 When the Scottish system applies (e.g. Thursday evenings) the committee boat will be at the leeward mark, i.e. there will be no “gate”. The spreader mark will not be used on sausage courses. Cadets, Class3, will sail the same course as Classes 1 and 2.

10. THE START

10.1 Starting Times. The first Race will start at the time shown in the programme each day. Subsequent races will be run back to back.

10.2 Starting Line. The starting line will be the line formed between the flagpole on the committee boat BALLURE and an orange buoy.

10.3 Starting Procedure. Races will be started by using RRS rule 26. (5,4,1,0)

10.4 The start gun for one class shall be the 5 minute gun for the next class, until all classes have started.

10.5 Races may be started applying the "round an end rule" RSS30.1. (If any part of a boat's hull, crew or equipment is on the course side of the starting line or its extensions during the minute before her starting signal, she shall sail to the pre-start side of the start line), this will be indicated by Flag “I”.

10.6 A boat starting later than 4 minutes after her starting signal will be scored Did Not Start.

11. CHANGE OF THE POSITION OF THE NEXT MARK

To change the position of the next mark, the race committee will move the original mark (or the finishing line) to a new position. The change will be signalled before the leading boat has begun the leg, although the mark may not yet be in the new position. Any mark to be rounded after rounding the moved mark may be relocated without further signalling to maintain the course configuration.

12. FINISHING

12.1 The finishing line will be between the flagpole on the committee boat BALLURE and an orange buoy.

12.2 The signal to shorten courses will be the hoisting of flag S and sounding two signals. This signal will normally be given as the leading boats approach the vicinity of the finishing line. The race will then end on completion of the round being sailed.

12.3 When the Orange Finishing Flag is displayed together with the class flag, the Finish Line shown in the Course Instructions comes into effect for that class. All boats in the same class are to complete the same number of laps; this changes RRS.

12.4 When races are sailed using the Scottish system boats will finish between the leeward mark and the committee boat as they first approach the orange finish flag, i.e. there is no obligation to “hook finish”.

12.5 Competitors must sign off on the entry list not later than 45 minutes after the last race of the day finishes, or on retirement, whichever is the soonest. Failure to do so will result in disqualification.

13. TIME LIMITS

13.1 If the leading boat of any division fails to complete the first leg of the course within half an hour, the race committee may abandon the race for that division.

13.2 An overall time limit may be imposed by the race committee and posted on the whiteboard prior to the start of any race.

13.3 Boats that fail to finish within 30 minutes after the first boat in the same class or division sails the course and finishes will be scored Did Not Finish. This changes rules 35 and A4.1

13.4 Notwithstanding 13.3, the Race Officer may begin the following start sequence before all boats have finished.

14. PROTESTS AND REQUESTS FOR REDRESS

14.1 Protest forms are available at the race office. Protests shall be delivered there within the protest time limit. A deposit of £10 will be required to accompany any protest. This deposit will be returned to the competitor after the protest hearing unless the protest is deemed to be frivolous.

14.2 The protest limit is 45 minutes after the last boat has finished the last race of the day. The same protest time limit applies to all protests by the race committee and to requests for redress.

14.3 Notices will be posted within 30 minutes of the protest time limit to inform competitors of the time and place of hearings in which they are parties or named as witnesses.

14.4 Notices of protests by the race committee will be posted to inform boats under RRS rule 61.1(b).

15. SCORING

15.1 The Low Point scoring system of RRS Appendix A will apply.

15.2 If more than 4 races are sailed in a regatta or series, then there will be one discard, if more than 8 are sailed then there will be two discards.

15.3 Members of MS&CC who undertake a club duty will be awarded average points of all races they started, for the race(s) they missed because of club duty.

15.5 When races are finished in accordance with SI 12.3, the corrected time for a finishing boat will be calculated in the form of the corrected time calculated in accordance with the Portsmouth Handicap System divided by the number of complete rounds sailed by the boat.

15.6 When the Scottish system applies, results will be calculated on an average lap basis.

16. REPLACEMENT OF CREW

Substitution of competitors will not be allowed without prior approval of the race committee.

17. GENERAL

17.1 On occasions the Race organisation may call upon competitors to perform duties vital to the running of a race in the series, by no more later than 30 minutes before the scheduled race time. In accordance with the RRS A5 the committee will award redress for compliance with this contribution to the running of the event.

17.2 Competitors are requested to make due allowance for the inexperience of cadets, under RRS Fundamental Rule 2 “fair sailing rule”.