February
2011
Sailing Instructions
for
SWOG Series Racing
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 buoyancy
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 ABP Port of
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.
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.
3.9
The use of autohelm and self steering devices is permitted.
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
See Appendix 1
Race start times, dates and finish lines may be subject to
change as the race Committee see fit.
For boats competing in Races 1, 2, 3, 6 and 9 there will be a total of at least 300 miles of offshore racing, with each race of at least 75 miles duration and include at least one night at sea.
7. Courses
The course details,
including start and finish lines will be announced over the VHF before the
warning signal.
8. Starting
& Finishing Procedures
Starts of outbound races will be on
the fixed line from Penarth Yacht Club extended to Mid Cardiff.
For Race 1 there will be a time
window for individual boat starts. This is specified in the race schedule. Each
competitor must declare their intended start time 24 hours before the earliest
start time by email to david_cairncross@hotmail.com
or by SMS to 07771805309. Boats may start at any time on or after their
declared time.
All races will be self timed. Competitors must declare their finish time
(not elapsed time) by email to david_cairncross@hotmail.com
or by SMS to 07771805309
within 48 hours of the race start and in so doing declare they
have abided by the RRS and these Instructions. Boats not declaring a finish
time will be scored as DNF. All times used should be local time.
10. Time
Limits
Each race will have a 36
hour time limit.
Competitors who retire from
a race must inform race control by email to david_cairncross@hotmail.com or
by SMS to 07771805309
as soon as possible
11. Protests
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 24hours of the end of that race.
Official protest forms will
be available behind the bar in the CBYC Clubhouse.
12. Scoring & Discards
12.1 The low point scoring system,
in accordance with RRS 88.3, 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 Commercial Shipping
Commercial Shipping must not be
impeded under any circumstances; this applies particularly in restricted
waters. Inside the limits of the Ports of Cardiff, Bristol & Swansea merchant vessels must be regarded as being constrained
by their draft.
Failure to observe
this rule may result in a Race Officer protest. In the event of serious
breaches yachts may be scored DND from all races on the day of the incident.
15 Prizes
Prizes will be awarded
as the Race Committee see fit.
Race Committee
Steve Cooper Cruiser Racing Chairman
David Cairncross Principal Race
Officer
Andrea Tithecott