SAILING INSTRUCTIONS
2016 - 2017 SEASON
1 RULES
1.1 All races will be governed by the rules as defined in the current ISAF Racing Rules of Sailing
1.2 Yachting Australia/Australian Sailing Special Regulations Part 2 will apply to all “off the beach” boats including Flying 15s
1.3 Particular attention is drawn to rule 4: DECISION TO RACE - The responsibility for a boat’s decision to participate in a race or to continue racing is hers alone
1.4 Particular attention is also drawn to Fundamental RRS 2 – Fair Sailing
2 NOTICES TO COMPETITORS
2.1 Notices to competitors will be posted on the Official Notice Board outside the kitchen in the main clubhouse.
3 Changes to Sailing Instructions
3.1 Any changes to the Sailing Instructions will be posted before 1 hour prior to the start time of the race session in which the changes are to take effect, except that any changes to the schedule of races will be posted on the Club website www.dbyc.com.au and the Official Notice Board by 2000 hrs on the Thursday before it will take effect.
As a courtesy to members, the Sailing Committee may draw attention to the changes on the website by communicating electronically with members.
4 Signals made Ashore
4.1 Signals made ashore will be displayed from the flagpole on the Murdoch Safety Tower.
4.2 When flag AP is displayed ashore, ‘1 minute’ is replaced with ‘not less than 30 minutes’ in the race signal AP.
5 SCHEDULE OF Races
5.1 As per the Sailing Program published on the club website www.dbyc.com.au
5.2 The scheduled time of the warning signal for the first race of a session for Major Aggregate and Championship, Spring Series and Summer series is 13:57hrs
5.3 To alert boats that a race or sequence of races will begin soon, an orange flag will be displayed with one sound signal for at least 3 minutes before the warning signal of the first division is displayed. The orange flag will be lowered on the expiration of the starting time limit for the last division.
6 DIVISIONS AND CLASS FLAGS
6.1 International Flying 15 Class Flag:
Yachting Victoria Yardstick 112 and below e.g. Flying Fifteen, Sharpie, 470, Contender, Moth
6.2 International 420 Class Flag:
Yachting Victoria Yardstick 113 to 150 e.g. 420, Laser, Sabre, Pacer, other OTB dinghies
6.3 International Optimist Dinghy Class Flag
Yachting Victoria Yardstick 151 and higher e.g. Optimist, Open Bic, Sabot, Minnow
6.4 Classes not listed in these instructions will be advised to sail in a division at the discretion of the Race Officer on the day.
7 RACING AREA
The race area will be the waters of Port Phillip Bay in the vicinity of Davey's Bay Yacht Club.
8 THE COURSE
8.1 The diagrams in Attachment ‘A’ show the courses to be sailed, including the order in which marks are to be passed, and the side on which each mark is to be left
8.2 No later than the warning signal, the committee boat will display the approximate bearing to the first Mark and the course to be sailed, they will be displayed on a board at the stern of the committee boat.
8.3 If a course other than one shown in Attachment ‘A’ is to be used, the Race Officer will advise at a pre-race information session.
8.4 If marks of the course are to be different from those shown in Attachment B, the Race Officer will advise at the pre-race information session
8.5 The course may be shortened at the discretion of the Race Officer by displaying code flag S at a rounding mark. In accordance with RRS 32.2
9 MARKS
9.1 The marks are described in Attachment A
9.2 When the finish is in the vicinity of the Davey's Bay Jetty the port end finishing mark will be a pink flag.
10 THE START
10.1 Races will be started according to ISAF RRS 26 except the 5 minute starting sequence is replaced with a 3 minute starting sequence.
10.2 The starting line will be between a staff displaying an orange flag on the Race Committee starting boat at the starboard end and the port end starting mark.
10.3 A clearance buoy may be laid a short distance from the committee vessel. This buoy shall be considered an extension of the committee boat and shall be left to starboard.
10.4 The race will proceed providing (3) three of the competitors in the division are ranked as starters.
10.5 A boat shall not start later than 10 minutes after her starting signal.
10.6 Boats whose warning signal has not been made shall avoid the starting area during the starting sequence for other races.
10.7 When code flag D is displayed with a division flag at the start (or subsequently from a committee vessel adjacent to a mark), the finishing line will be in the vicinity of Davey's Bay Jetty.
11 RECALLS
Recalls will be signalled in accordance with RRS 29
12 CHANGE OF COURSE AFTER THE START
To change the next leg of the course, the race committee will lay a new mark (or move the finishing line) and remove the original mark as soon as practicable. When in a subsequent change a new mark is replaced, it will be replaced by an original mark.
13 THE FINISH
13.1 The finishing line will be between a staff displaying a blue flag or shape on a race committee boat at the starboard end and the finishing mark
13.2 When code flag D is displayed with a division flag at the start (or subsequently from a committee vessel adjacent to a mark), the finishing line will be in the vicinity of Davey's Bay Jetty. In this case, the finish shall be between a PINK flag and the end of the Jetty. The Jetty is to be left to starboard.
14 TIME LIMIT
14.1 The time limit for a race for each division will be 75 minutes. Boats failing to finish within 15 minutes after the first boat finishes will be allocated a place at the discretion of the Race Officer. This alters RRS 35, 61.1(a), A4 and A5.
14.2 Courses 1, 2 and 3 in Attachment A: the target time for a race will be 45 to 50 minutes.
14.3 For multiple short course sprint races the target time for a race will be 15 minutes to 20 minutes. Boats failing to finish a sprint race 5 minutes after the first boat finishes will be allocated a place at the discretion of the Race Officer. This alters RRS 35, 62.1(a), A4 and A5.
15 PROTESTS
15.1 Protests shall be delivered to the race office within 60 minutes after the time the last boat in the division finishes. Protest forms are available at the race office.
15.2 Notices of protests by the race committee or jury will be posted on the official notice board to inform boats under RRS 61.1(b).
15.3 The protest committee will hear protests in approximately the order of receipt as soon as possible.
15.4 Protest notices will be posted within 30 minutes of the protest time limit to inform competitors where and when there is a hearing in which they are parties to a protest or named as a witness.
16 SCORING
16.1 The low point scoring system, RRS Appendix A, will apply, modified so that each boat’s series score will be the total of her race scores with her worst scores discarded as per the table below for the club Major Aggregate and Championship (MAC) and other series as scheduled in the DBYC calendar.
Number of Races Discards
0-5 0
5-8 1
9-15 2
16-22 3
23-30 4
16.2 3 races must be completed to constitute a series.
NOTE: In the Championship series places are calculated using the current Yachting Victoria/Australian Sailing yardstick. In the Aggregate series places are calculated using individual boat and skipper handicap as calculated over the previous 3 races completed and applied to the finishing time for the next race. All individual handicaps start their season using the Yachting Victoria/Australian Sailing yardstick.
16.3 Scoring when on Duty: For those skippers who miss an aggregate race due to their involvement as duty officer or duty crew a result will be recorded for the race. This will be taken as an average result based on the last 3 races previously completed without penalty in the current season. In the event three clear races have not been completed the result concerned will not be filled in until three clear races have been completed. It is the affected skipper’s responsibility to draw the situation to the attention of the handicapper / scorer.
16.4 Scoring when away: Skippers missing Club championship and aggregate events for class national or state championships or with a Training Squad for a National or State event may apply to the sailing committee prior to their absence to have their best three results in the same series averaged to provide points in the missed races. It will be the affected skipper’s responsibility to inform the handicapper/scorer of any away-from-club commitments. Any dispute in this matter will be decided by the Sailing Committee.
16.5 A maximum handicap (i.e. for slowest boats) for a class may be established by the race committee and used in lieu of a boat’s actual calculated handicap in a race where the boat’s calculated handicap is greater than the maximum handicap allowed. Where a maximum handicap is to be applied to a class it will be advised in the sailing calendar for the season and shall be applicable for that season only. A maximum handicap may be reviewed at the end of a season and left unchanged, adjusted or removed from the calendar for the following season.
17 MEASUREMENT CHECKS
17.1 Measurement checks may be made in accordance with class rules at any time during the racing season
17.2 The use of sail numbers other than the number as registered with the boat shall not be allowed unless authorised by the Race Officer. Requests for substitution shall be made in writing to the Race Committee prior to the days racing session.
18 ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION
A boat shall neither make electronic communications while racing nor receive electronic communications not available to all boats. This also applies to mobile phones.
19 PRIZES
Prizes will be awarded for each series at the discretion of the Sailing Committee.
20 SAFETY
20.1 All Entrants shall sign-on and off. The DBYC Race Entry book is located at the base of the Murdoch Safety Tower. Entrants who omit to sign on or sign off will NOT be scored for that or any subsequent races in the same on-water session.
20.2 A boat that retires from a race shall notify the race committee as soon as possible.
20.3 All competitors shall wear personal floatation devices which are in good condition and are in accordance with the specification issued or approved by a national authority affiliated with the International Sailing Federation, or a standards organisation, or certification authority, recognised for the purpose by its respective government.
21 DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY
All those taking part in DBYC races do so at their own risk and responsibility. DBYC is not responsible for the seaworthiness of a boat whose entry is accepted or the sufficiency or adequacy of its equipment. DBYC reserves the right to refuse an entry.
Attention is again drawn to Fundamental RRS Rule 4, which states:
“The responsibility for a boat’s decision to participate in a race or to continue racing is hers alone”
22 INSURANCE
Each participating boat shall be insured with valid third party liability insurance with a minimum cover of AUD5million dollars (AUD 10 million is recommended) or equivalent.
Attachment A - Course Diagram:
2016 - 2017 SEASON
1 RULES
1.1 All races will be governed by the rules as defined in the current ISAF Racing Rules of Sailing
1.2 Yachting Australia/Australian Sailing Special Regulations Part 2 will apply to all “off the beach” boats including Flying 15s
1.3 Particular attention is drawn to rule 4: DECISION TO RACE - The responsibility for a boat’s decision to participate in a race or to continue racing is hers alone
1.4 Particular attention is also drawn to Fundamental RRS 2 – Fair Sailing
2 NOTICES TO COMPETITORS
2.1 Notices to competitors will be posted on the Official Notice Board outside the kitchen in the main clubhouse.
3 Changes to Sailing Instructions
3.1 Any changes to the Sailing Instructions will be posted before 1 hour prior to the start time of the race session in which the changes are to take effect, except that any changes to the schedule of races will be posted on the Club website www.dbyc.com.au and the Official Notice Board by 2000 hrs on the Thursday before it will take effect.
As a courtesy to members, the Sailing Committee may draw attention to the changes on the website by communicating electronically with members.
4 Signals made Ashore
4.1 Signals made ashore will be displayed from the flagpole on the Murdoch Safety Tower.
4.2 When flag AP is displayed ashore, ‘1 minute’ is replaced with ‘not less than 30 minutes’ in the race signal AP.
5 SCHEDULE OF Races
5.1 As per the Sailing Program published on the club website www.dbyc.com.au
5.2 The scheduled time of the warning signal for the first race of a session for Major Aggregate and Championship, Spring Series and Summer series is 13:57hrs
5.3 To alert boats that a race or sequence of races will begin soon, an orange flag will be displayed with one sound signal for at least 3 minutes before the warning signal of the first division is displayed. The orange flag will be lowered on the expiration of the starting time limit for the last division.
6 DIVISIONS AND CLASS FLAGS
6.1 International Flying 15 Class Flag:
Yachting Victoria Yardstick 112 and below e.g. Flying Fifteen, Sharpie, 470, Contender, Moth
6.2 International 420 Class Flag:
Yachting Victoria Yardstick 113 to 150 e.g. 420, Laser, Sabre, Pacer, other OTB dinghies
6.3 International Optimist Dinghy Class Flag
Yachting Victoria Yardstick 151 and higher e.g. Optimist, Open Bic, Sabot, Minnow
6.4 Classes not listed in these instructions will be advised to sail in a division at the discretion of the Race Officer on the day.
7 RACING AREA
The race area will be the waters of Port Phillip Bay in the vicinity of Davey's Bay Yacht Club.
8 THE COURSE
8.1 The diagrams in Attachment ‘A’ show the courses to be sailed, including the order in which marks are to be passed, and the side on which each mark is to be left
8.2 No later than the warning signal, the committee boat will display the approximate bearing to the first Mark and the course to be sailed, they will be displayed on a board at the stern of the committee boat.
8.3 If a course other than one shown in Attachment ‘A’ is to be used, the Race Officer will advise at a pre-race information session.
8.4 If marks of the course are to be different from those shown in Attachment B, the Race Officer will advise at the pre-race information session
8.5 The course may be shortened at the discretion of the Race Officer by displaying code flag S at a rounding mark. In accordance with RRS 32.2
9 MARKS
9.1 The marks are described in Attachment A
9.2 When the finish is in the vicinity of the Davey's Bay Jetty the port end finishing mark will be a pink flag.
10 THE START
10.1 Races will be started according to ISAF RRS 26 except the 5 minute starting sequence is replaced with a 3 minute starting sequence.
10.2 The starting line will be between a staff displaying an orange flag on the Race Committee starting boat at the starboard end and the port end starting mark.
10.3 A clearance buoy may be laid a short distance from the committee vessel. This buoy shall be considered an extension of the committee boat and shall be left to starboard.
10.4 The race will proceed providing (3) three of the competitors in the division are ranked as starters.
10.5 A boat shall not start later than 10 minutes after her starting signal.
10.6 Boats whose warning signal has not been made shall avoid the starting area during the starting sequence for other races.
10.7 When code flag D is displayed with a division flag at the start (or subsequently from a committee vessel adjacent to a mark), the finishing line will be in the vicinity of Davey's Bay Jetty.
11 RECALLS
Recalls will be signalled in accordance with RRS 29
12 CHANGE OF COURSE AFTER THE START
To change the next leg of the course, the race committee will lay a new mark (or move the finishing line) and remove the original mark as soon as practicable. When in a subsequent change a new mark is replaced, it will be replaced by an original mark.
13 THE FINISH
13.1 The finishing line will be between a staff displaying a blue flag or shape on a race committee boat at the starboard end and the finishing mark
13.2 When code flag D is displayed with a division flag at the start (or subsequently from a committee vessel adjacent to a mark), the finishing line will be in the vicinity of Davey's Bay Jetty. In this case, the finish shall be between a PINK flag and the end of the Jetty. The Jetty is to be left to starboard.
14 TIME LIMIT
14.1 The time limit for a race for each division will be 75 minutes. Boats failing to finish within 15 minutes after the first boat finishes will be allocated a place at the discretion of the Race Officer. This alters RRS 35, 61.1(a), A4 and A5.
14.2 Courses 1, 2 and 3 in Attachment A: the target time for a race will be 45 to 50 minutes.
14.3 For multiple short course sprint races the target time for a race will be 15 minutes to 20 minutes. Boats failing to finish a sprint race 5 minutes after the first boat finishes will be allocated a place at the discretion of the Race Officer. This alters RRS 35, 62.1(a), A4 and A5.
15 PROTESTS
15.1 Protests shall be delivered to the race office within 60 minutes after the time the last boat in the division finishes. Protest forms are available at the race office.
15.2 Notices of protests by the race committee or jury will be posted on the official notice board to inform boats under RRS 61.1(b).
15.3 The protest committee will hear protests in approximately the order of receipt as soon as possible.
15.4 Protest notices will be posted within 30 minutes of the protest time limit to inform competitors where and when there is a hearing in which they are parties to a protest or named as a witness.
16 SCORING
16.1 The low point scoring system, RRS Appendix A, will apply, modified so that each boat’s series score will be the total of her race scores with her worst scores discarded as per the table below for the club Major Aggregate and Championship (MAC) and other series as scheduled in the DBYC calendar.
Number of Races Discards
0-5 0
5-8 1
9-15 2
16-22 3
23-30 4
16.2 3 races must be completed to constitute a series.
NOTE: In the Championship series places are calculated using the current Yachting Victoria/Australian Sailing yardstick. In the Aggregate series places are calculated using individual boat and skipper handicap as calculated over the previous 3 races completed and applied to the finishing time for the next race. All individual handicaps start their season using the Yachting Victoria/Australian Sailing yardstick.
16.3 Scoring when on Duty: For those skippers who miss an aggregate race due to their involvement as duty officer or duty crew a result will be recorded for the race. This will be taken as an average result based on the last 3 races previously completed without penalty in the current season. In the event three clear races have not been completed the result concerned will not be filled in until three clear races have been completed. It is the affected skipper’s responsibility to draw the situation to the attention of the handicapper / scorer.
16.4 Scoring when away: Skippers missing Club championship and aggregate events for class national or state championships or with a Training Squad for a National or State event may apply to the sailing committee prior to their absence to have their best three results in the same series averaged to provide points in the missed races. It will be the affected skipper’s responsibility to inform the handicapper/scorer of any away-from-club commitments. Any dispute in this matter will be decided by the Sailing Committee.
16.5 A maximum handicap (i.e. for slowest boats) for a class may be established by the race committee and used in lieu of a boat’s actual calculated handicap in a race where the boat’s calculated handicap is greater than the maximum handicap allowed. Where a maximum handicap is to be applied to a class it will be advised in the sailing calendar for the season and shall be applicable for that season only. A maximum handicap may be reviewed at the end of a season and left unchanged, adjusted or removed from the calendar for the following season.
17 MEASUREMENT CHECKS
17.1 Measurement checks may be made in accordance with class rules at any time during the racing season
17.2 The use of sail numbers other than the number as registered with the boat shall not be allowed unless authorised by the Race Officer. Requests for substitution shall be made in writing to the Race Committee prior to the days racing session.
18 ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION
A boat shall neither make electronic communications while racing nor receive electronic communications not available to all boats. This also applies to mobile phones.
19 PRIZES
Prizes will be awarded for each series at the discretion of the Sailing Committee.
20 SAFETY
20.1 All Entrants shall sign-on and off. The DBYC Race Entry book is located at the base of the Murdoch Safety Tower. Entrants who omit to sign on or sign off will NOT be scored for that or any subsequent races in the same on-water session.
20.2 A boat that retires from a race shall notify the race committee as soon as possible.
20.3 All competitors shall wear personal floatation devices which are in good condition and are in accordance with the specification issued or approved by a national authority affiliated with the International Sailing Federation, or a standards organisation, or certification authority, recognised for the purpose by its respective government.
21 DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY
All those taking part in DBYC races do so at their own risk and responsibility. DBYC is not responsible for the seaworthiness of a boat whose entry is accepted or the sufficiency or adequacy of its equipment. DBYC reserves the right to refuse an entry.
Attention is again drawn to Fundamental RRS Rule 4, which states:
“The responsibility for a boat’s decision to participate in a race or to continue racing is hers alone”
22 INSURANCE
Each participating boat shall be insured with valid third party liability insurance with a minimum cover of AUD5million dollars (AUD 10 million is recommended) or equivalent.
Attachment A - Course Diagram:
Note:
1. An ‘Inner Course’ may be laid at the discretion of the Race Officer. In this instance, Buoys A and B will be placed on the same bearings but reduced leg-length as buoys 1 and 2. No Offset mark will be placed.
2. The ‘Inner course’ will be designated for Division 3 as per pre-race information sessions.
3. The Mark ‘C’ indicated above may be used as an Offset Windward or ‘hitch’ mark on any of courses 1,2,3 or 4.
1. An ‘Inner Course’ may be laid at the discretion of the Race Officer. In this instance, Buoys A and B will be placed on the same bearings but reduced leg-length as buoys 1 and 2. No Offset mark will be placed.
2. The ‘Inner course’ will be designated for Division 3 as per pre-race information sessions.
3. The Mark ‘C’ indicated above may be used as an Offset Windward or ‘hitch’ mark on any of courses 1,2,3 or 4.
