Southern Straits Classic Yacht Race April 2-5, 2015 West Vancouver, British Columbia

Transcription

1 Southern Straits Classic Yacht Race April 2-5, 2015 West Vancouver, British Columbia Published March 31, 2015 Hosted By West Vancouver Yacht Club Long, Medium and Short Courses SAILING INSTRUCTIONS (Includes Amendments #1 and #2) 1 RULES 1.1 The Southern Straits Classic Yacht Race will be governed by the rules as defined in The ISAF Racing Rules of Sailing ( RRS ) with the following exceptions: a) Rule 42 is amended as follows: i) A boat may use its engine for propulsion to move to a safe position if it stands in danger of being run down by commercial traffic. ii) A boat may use its engine for propulsion to rescue any person overboard. iii) A boat may use its engine for propulsion to aid another boat in distress. iv) The use of its engine shall not be used to gain distance in the direction of the course, nor gain any other competitive advantage. v) The skipper of a boat who has used its engine for propulsion must file a report with the race committee immediately upon finishing. The report is to give the speed, the compass heading, the duration and the position from which the engine was used for propulsion and the names of any witnesses to the event. b) Rule 51 is amended to include: "A boat issued a current PHRF Handicap that assumes her use of a built-in system for moving, taking on or discharging water ballast, is permitted to use that system." c) Rule 52, Manual Power, is amended for monohulls to include: Boats entered as a Double-Handed crew are allowed to use autopilot mechanisms for sail changes and other situations where having one crew member assigned to steering the yacht may compromise the safety of crew and craft. d) Rule 55 is changed by adding the following sentence: However, discarding elastic or wool bands when setting a sail is permitted. 1.2 All changes to the RRS appear in full in these Sailing Instructions. 1.3 The prescriptions of Sail Canada will apply as contained in Addendum A. 1.4 The Pacific International Yachting Association (PIYA) Special Equipment Requirements (SERs) effective March 1, 2014, or the ISAF Offshore Special Regulations (OSR) with Canadian prescriptions will apply. 1.5 For monohull yachts racing the Short, Medium and Long Courses under PHRF Handicap and IRC Handicap, all boats must comply with: - PIYA Coastal Category, or - OSR Category 3 (Monohulls).: 47 th Southern Straits Long, Medium and Short Course Sailing Instructions Page 1 of 12

2 The following amendments will apply: PIYA Amendments: Hull and Structure: Mechanical Propulsion; is replaced with the following: A boat shall have a mechanical propulsion system that is ready for immediate use and capable of driving the boat at a minimum speed in knots equivalent to the square root of LWL in feet (1.8 times the square root of the waterline in meters) for at least 10 hours , 3.6.2, and Safety Equipment: Visual Distress Signals; are replaced by making required; that is: A boat shall carry Coast Guard/National Safety Authority approved flares of their country of residence meeting day-night requirements, and not older than the expiration date Safety Equipment: Emergency Communications; is replaced by: A boat shall have a permanently installed 25-watt VHF radio connected to an antenna by a co-axial feeder cable with no more than a 40% power loss. Radios manufactured after 01/01/2015 shall have DSC capability, have an antenna of at least 15" (381mm) in length, be connected to or have an internal GPS, and have the assigned MMSI number (unique to the boat) programmed into the VHF Safety Equipment: Emergency Communications; is replaced by: A boat shall have a watertight handheld VHF radio or a handheld VHF radio with waterproof cover. Radios manufactured after 01/01/2015 shall have DSC/GPS capability Gear: Radar Reflectors; A tubular radar reflector is acceptable if permanently mounted within 15 degrees of vertical Sails: Mainsail Reefing; is replaced with the following: Unless the person in charge of the boat has an alternative sail plan for dealing with heavy weather, a boat shall have a mainsail reefing capable of reducing the luff length by at least 10% Sails: Headsails; is replaced with the following: Unless the person in charge of the boat has an alternative sail plan for dealing with heavy weather, a boat shall carry a heavy-weather jib (or heavy-weather sail in a yacht with no forestay) of an area not greater than 13.5% of the height of the foretriangle squared and Skills: Safety Training; is recommended. Be advised it is the Organizing Committee s intention to make this a mandatory requirement for the 2016 race for the Long, Medium and Short courses OSR Amendments: A tubular radar reflector is acceptable if permanently mounted within 15 degrees of vertical. 47 th Southern Straits Long, Medium and Short Course Sailing Instructions Page 2 of 12

3 1.6 The rules of PHRF of British Columbia will apply 1.7 Between civil sunset and sunrise, the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea shall replace the rules of Part 2 of the RRS. 1.8 A yacht that impedes or obstructs commercial traffic may be subject to disqualification. 1.9 It is recommended that each competing yacht shall display its official sail numbers on both the port and starboard lifelines or hull while racing. Size of letters and numbers shall be similar to that required in the RRS Appendix G1.2 for sail numbers. Be advised it is the Organizing Committee s intention to make this a mandatory requirement for the 2016 race for the Long, Medium and Short courses Competitors who intend to fly sails that display numbers other than the yacht s official sail number shall report the numbers to the Race Committee by 1800 Thursday, April 2, Failure to comply shall result in a protest by the Race Committee and a time penalty of 15 minutes added to the corrected finish time of the competitor at the discretion of the protest committee. This changes Rule All competitors shall mount WVYC issued SPOT transponders on their yachts and shall operate them in the prescribed manner. This transponder must be mounted in such a manner as to have an unobstructed view of the sky in order to ensure proper operation. This mounting will form part of the post-race safety check. The transponder units will be distributed along with Race Packages at the registration desk commencing on Thursday April 2nd, A deposit of $200 shall be required to ensure the safe return of the units. As the SPOT transponder is an integral part of race safety, yachts that fail to turn on the transponder prior to the start of the race, and restart the transponder upon rounding each turning mark, or turn it off (other than during the restart procedure) during the race may be subject to protest and penalization up to and including disqualification. Yacht positions from these transponders will be available through a publicly accessible website during the race and will not be considered outside assistance for the purposes of Rule 41. It will not be cause for redress in the event that information is not available from any or all of the SPOT transponders. 2 NOTICES TO COMPETITORS 2.1 Notices to competitors will be posted on the Official Notice Board (ONB) located in the main Clubhouse near the front entrance. 2.2 At 0800 hours on April 3, 2015, the WVYC Race Committee will conduct a final Notice of Race announcement on VHF 73. Any postponement due to weather, change of course or other circumstances will be communicated at this time and posted as per CHANGES TO SAILING INSTRUCTIONS Any change to the sailing instructions will be posted on the ONB prior to 2000 hours Thursday April 2, Changes made prior to Tuesday April 1 will be provided in a printed Addendum included in the Race Package. Any change to the Sailing Instructions will also be posted to the Southern Straits website as soon as practicable. 4 SCHEDULE OF RACES The first warning signal is scheduled to be displayed at 1025 hours April 3, th Southern Straits Long, Medium and Short Course Sailing Instructions Page 3 of 12

4 5 CLASS FLAGS & DIVISION SPLITS Division splits will be posted as a separate document in the Skipper s package obtainable during registration confirmation at WVYC on the day before the race. Standard numeral pennants corresponding with assigned Divisions will be used by the Race Committee during the starting sequence. Skippers will be provided with a coloured streamer, corresponding the course that they are racing in, when they receive their Skipper s package. Skippers are requested to attach it to their backstay or in a prominent place at the aft end of their boat during the start. 6 THE COURSES 6.1 The descriptions below indicate the course to be sailed for each race, the order in which marks are to be rounded or passed, and the side on which each mark is to be left. Note that these mark positions are not to be used for navigation purposes and should be verified by each participating boat The descriptions below also supersede the graphical representations of the courses as contained on the Southern Straits website, posters, and other collateral LONG Course (Distance approximately 138 nm): Mark Description Approximate Position Leave to Check In Required Start Line at Dundarave Pier, West N W Yes Vancouver Sisters Islets N W Port Yes TA N W Port Yes Halibut Bank N W Starboard Yes Finish at Point Atkinson Lighthouse N W Yes 6.5. MEDIUM Course (Distance approximately 98.1 nm): Mark Description Approximate Position Leave to Check In Required Start Line at Dundarave Pier, West N W Yes Vancouver Sisters Islets N W Port Yes Finish at Point Atkinson Lighthouse N W Yes 6.6. SHORT Course (Distance approximately 66.4 nm): Mark Description Approximate Position Leave to Check In Required Start Line at Dundarave Pier, West N W Yes Vancouver Snake Island and P N W Starboard Yes White Islets N W Starboard Yes Halibut Bank N W Port Yes Finish at Point Atkinson Lighthouse N W Yes 6.7 Courses will not be shortened. This changes Rule Legs of the course will not be changed after the preparatory signal. This changes Rule th Southern Straits Long, Medium and Short Course Sailing Instructions Page 4 of 12

5 7 MARKS 7.1 The starting and finishing marks are described in sections THE START and THE FINISH respectively. 7.2 Rounding Marks are described in the section THE COURSES. 8 THE START 8.1 It is mandatory that all boats check in with the West Vancouver Yacht Club Race Committee using VHF channel 73 on the morning of the race prior to 1015 hours Races will be started by using Rule 26 with the warning signal given 5 minutes before the starting signal The starting line will be between a staff displaying an orange flag on the Race Committee signal boat at the port end of the start line and a staff displaying an orange flag on a boat anchored at the inshore end of the start line Boats whose warning signal has not been made shall keep clear of the 4 sided area outlined by the signal boat, the start pin and the 2 separation buoys. Failure to do so may result in the Race Committee protesting any offending boat and penalization up to and including disqualification. This changes Rule A boat starting later than 90 minutes after her starting signal will be scored Did Not Start without a hearing. This changes Rule A Multiple divisions may be started at the same time The Race Committee reserves the right to change the position or location of the start line In the event that the Race Committee signal boat anchored at the port end of the line must leave, the start line will be between a staff displaying an orange flag on the boat at the starboard end of the line and a staff displaying an orange flag on a replacement pin boat at the port end of the start line. 8.9 If any Start has been given a General Recall, the restart may, or may not, be the next start at the sole discretion of Race Committe. This changes Rule If any part of a boat s hull, crew or equipment is on the course side of the starting line during the two minutes before her starting signal and she is identified, the Race Committee will attempt to broadcast her sail number on VHF channel 73. Failure to make a broadcast or to time it accurately will not be grounds for a request for redress. This changes Rule 62.1(a). 9 THE FINISH 9.1 The finish line will be between a staff displaying an orange flag or shape at the Point Atkinson Lighthouse and a marker buoy located approximately 200 meters offshore and bearing approximately 180 degrees True from the Lighthouse end. Boats shall finish by leaving the marker buoy to starboard In the event that the starboard finish marker buoy is not in position, all boats shall finish in an Easterly direction, within 10 lengths of her own boat length from the shore line in front of the Point Atkinson Lighthouse At approximately 60 minutes prior to finishing, boats are requested to contact Straits Race Committee If it is dark, boats are requested to shine a light on their main sail to facilitate identification The Skipper of each boat is required to complete the finishing report included with their Skipper s package. The report is to be delivered to the Safety Officer at the equipment inspection dock at WVYC as part of the safety inspection procedure. 47 th Southern Straits Long, Medium and Short Course Sailing Instructions Page 5 of 12

6 9.6 If the Race Committee is absent when a boat finishes, she should report her finishing time, and her position in relation to nearby boats, to the Race Committee at the first reasonable opportunity. 10 PENALTY SYSTEM The Scoring Penalty, Rule 44.3, will apply Rule 44.3 is changed so that code flag I may be used as the yellow flag and so that the flag used (either yellow or code flag I ) shall have a hoist of not less than 150mm and a fly of not less than 200mm Rule 44.3[c] is amended to "The penalty shall be 20% of the difference between the corrected time of the first yacht and the corrected time of the last yacht in the Division, to a maximum of 30 minutes, added to the corrected finish time of the yacht accepting the penalty Boats that fail to comply with the requirements of Rule 44.3(b) are subject to protest by the Race Committee Rule 44.1 is changed to permit a boat that has broken a rule of Part 2 or Rule 31 to take a penalty after racing but prior to any protest hearing. Her penalty shall be a scoring penalty as calculated in Rule 44.3(c) as amended in 10.3 above. However, if she caused injury or serious damage or gained a significant advantage in the race or series by her breach, her penalty shall be to retire. 11 TIME LIMITS 11.1 The time limit will be 0030 hours Sunday April 5, 2015 for all Divisions. 12 PROTESTS AND REQUESTS FOR REDRESS 12.1 The Race Committee will endeavour to provide arbitration Sunday April 5, 2015 from 1200 hours to 1700 hours for boats involved in a protest. If the dispute is resolved at that point, then no protest hearing will be held Protests shall be written on forms available at the WVYC office and delivered to the WVYC race Office by no later than 0900 hours on the Sunday of race weekend Notices will be posted on the notice board and on the Straits website by 1200 hours on the Sunday of the race weekend to inform competitors of hearings in which they are parties or named as witnesses Any protest hearings will be held Tuesday, April 7, 2015 and/or Wednesday, April 8, 2015 at 1800 hours in the jury room, located at the WVYC clubhouse. 13 ARBITRATION 13.1 For a protest between two boats alleging a breach of a rule of Part 2 or Rule 31, an arbitration meeting may be held prior to any protest hearing One representative from each boat will meet with the arbitrator. No witnesses will be permitted The arbitrator will advise on whether: a) One or both boats should take a penalty; b) The protest should be withdrawn; or c) The protest should go to the protest committee for a hearing When a boat accepts a penalty or the arbitrator advises that the protest should be withdrawn, the arbitrator will allow the protest to be withdrawn. This changes Rule When a protest is withdrawn, it will not be reopened or made the subject of a request for redress The penalty is to be calculated according to sailing instruction th Southern Straits Long, Medium and Short Course Sailing Instructions Page 6 of 12

7 14 SCORING 14.1 Long, Medium and Short Course PHRF boats will be scored using the Time on Distance formula Courtesy scoring for yachts racing IRC shall be calculated by multiplying a boat s elapsed time (ET) by her IRC time correction factor (TCC) Any recognized one-design fleet that registers five (5) or more boats in a specific course will also be scored as a one-design fleet as a courtesy supplement to divisional scoring If there are five (5) or more double-handed boats in a specific course, they will also be scored as a fleet as a courtesy supplement to divisional scoring and eligible for doublehanded awards Perpetual trophies, with the exception of those for Line Honours, will only be awarded to those yachts entered with PHRF certificates. 15 SAFETY REGULATIONS 15.1 Check in at the start line (by VHF 73), in near proximity of mark roundings (by Cell phone at or VHF 73) and at the finish line (by VHF 73) is mandatory. Check in consists of notifying the Race Committee of the boat s location. When calling in mark roundings, a confirmation number will be provided by the communications team. Please record this number on the sheet provided in the Skipper s package in the event of a challenge. Boats that fail to check in will be subject to protest by the Race Committee. If the protest is upheld, in accordance with Rule 64.1 the protested boat's penalty shall be the addition of 15 minutes to her elapsed time for each occurrence. However, any boat so protested by the Race Committee may acknowledge having infringed this Sailing Instruction by informing the Protest Committee by (raceoffice@southernstraits.ca) at any time before 0900 hours on the Sunday of race weekend, at which time the Protest Committee shall promptly decide the protest and inform the Race Committee to apply the aforesaid penalty to the protested boat's elapsed time A boat that retires from a race shall notify the Race Committee as soon as possible Boats failing to attend for inspection or found to be not in compliance with safety regulations will be subject to protest by the Race Committee. If the protest is upheld, the boat may be disqualified. Each boat must select and comply with either PIYA or OSR, as amended PFD s to be worn after dark and at all times when wind conditions and sea state make it prudent to do so Crew to tether to vessel at all times when wind conditions and sea state make it prudent to do so A boat powered by an outboard motor is required to have that motor permanently attached to either the transom or inboard well and be ready for immediate use at all times. The mounted engine must be capable of moving to a propelling position without unclamping the engine from its mounts and must be capable of being operated in all sea conditions. The fuel source for the motor must be attached at all times during the race In the event of a medical emergency near the West Vancouver Yacht Club, the primary evacuation point will be the fuel dock at the entrance to Fisherman s Cove. 47 th Southern Straits Long, Medium and Short Course Sailing Instructions Page 7 of 12

8 16 REPLACEMENT OF CREW OR EQUIPMENT 16.1 Any changes to the Crew List must be input into the epact online system ( or their mobile app) prior to the commencement of the race Substitution of competitors after commencement of the race will not be allowed Substitution of damaged or lost equipment will not be allowed during the race. 17 EQUIPMENT INSPECTIONS 17.1 Upon finishing, each boat is required to proceed directly to the Equipment Inspection Dock located at the Fisherman s Cove Marine Fuels Dock for a safety inspection. This dock is located at the North-Western entrance to Fisherman s Cove. Boats that have undergone a pre-race safety inspection need not report to the Equipment Inspection Dock after finishing but are still subject to spot inspections by Race Committee as per PIYA SERs or ISAF OSR regulations Vessels which are unable to enter Fisherman s Cove due to height or draft restrictions shall stand off the entrance to Fisherman s Cove and contact the Race Committee for alternate instructions. 18 EVENT ADVERTISING Yachts may be required to display advertising chosen and supplied by the Race Committee. 19 OFFICIAL BOATS 19.1 The signal boat will be a vessel from the Royal Canadian Marine Search & Rescue (RCM-SAR) and will be at the Port end of the start line The pin boat will be anchored at the Starboard end of the start line and will display an orange flag on a staff There will be Starting Area Patrol Boats to ensure compliance with section 8.4 of these Sailing Instructions. These boats will be marked with WVYC prominently on each side Other unmarked boats may be in or near the start area including boats with photographers, spectators or media on board. 20 TRASH DISPOSAL Trash may be placed aboard support or official boats. 21 RADIO COMMUNICATION 21.1 Except in an emergency, a boat shall neither make radio transmissions while racing nor receive radio communications not available to all boats. This restriction also applies to mobile telephones The Race Committee will monitor and broadcast non-emergency messages to the race boats on VHF channel Boats are required to monitor VHF channel 16 between civil sunset and sunrise, and are recommended to monitor it at all times. Use of DSC for maintaining a radio watch is acceptable When checking in with the Race Committee, state the vessel s Name and Sail number. 47 th Southern Straits Long, Medium and Short Course Sailing Instructions Page 8 of 12

9 22 PRIZES Prizes will be awarded to the Skipper of each boat placing first, second or third in their Division. Perpetual trophies will be awarded to the Skipper of each boat that places first overall on each course, based on corrected time, and for Line Honours. However, if upon successful appeal by a boat which would have otherwise been awarded a prize but will have been scored DSQ, that boat is reinstated in its original finishing place (on corrected time), as provided in Rule 2. The boats which originally received prizes prior to any such appeal decision are expected to properly and promptly re-distribute such prizes among each other. The protest committee will regard any report that a boat has failed to do so as a possible gross breach of sportsmanship, which may result in a hearing being called pursuant to Rule 69.1(a). 23 DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY 23.1 Competitors participate in the Southern Straits Classic Yacht Race entirely at their own risk. See Rule 4, Decision to Race: Decision to Race: The responsibility for a boat s decision to participate in a race or to continue racing is hers alone Overall Responsibility: Competitors acknowledge and agree that the safety of a boat and her crew is the sole and inescapable responsibility of the "person in charge", as per Rule 46, who shall ensure that the boat is seaworthy and manned by an experienced crew with sufficient ability and experience to face bad weather. S/he shall be satisfied as to the soundness of hull, spars, rigging, sails and all gear. S/he shall ensure that all safety equipment is at all times properly maintained and safely stowed and that the crew knows where it is kept and how it is to be used. S/he shall also nominate a person to take over the responsibilities of the Person in Charge in the event of his/her incapacitation The Southern Straits Committee and the West Vancouver Yacht Club, the Organizing Authority for the Southern Straits Classic Yacht Race, do not accept any liability for material damage or personal injury or death sustained in conjunction with or prior to, during, or after the Southern Straits Classic Yacht Race. 24 INSURANCE Each participating boat shall be insured with valid third-party liability insurance with a minimum cover of $1,000,000CAD per incident or the equivalent. 47 th Southern Straits Long, Medium and Short Course Sailing Instructions Page 9 of 12

10 25 SPONSORS The West Vancouver Yacht Club is very thankful for the financial support of our Title Sponsor: Navis Marine Insurance Brokers The West Vancouver Yacht Club is proud to welcome Major Sponsors: Park Shore BMW epact Network Ltd. Allied Shipbuilders Ltd. Martin Marine Okanagan Spring Brewery Pacific Yachting Land Sea Power The West Vancouver Yacht Club gratefully acknowledges the support of our Contributing Sponsors: Royal Canadian Marine Search & Rescue George Streadwick Graphic Design Thunderbird Marine Corp. Evolution Sails First Yacht Services Inc. The West Vancouver Yacht Club gratefully acknowledges the support of our Partner Sponsors: 48 North Fishermans Cove Marine Fuels PredictWind.com Pinnacle Hotel at the Pier Ambleside Tiddlycove Lions Club Beach House at Dundarave Pier Canadian Coast Guard District of West Vancouver Dundarave Business Association Pacific Pilotage Authority Port Metro Vancouver Royal Canadian Navy, Winchelsea Control Vancouver Police Department West Vancouver Pops Band 47 th Southern Straits Long, Medium and Short Course Sailing Instructions Page 10 of 12

11 Sail Canada prescribes: Rule 46 Person in Charge ADDENDUM A Sail Canada Prescriptions Effective 1 January 2013 Sail Canada prescribes that the designated person in charge, if resident in Canada, shall be a member of a club affiliated with Sail Canada. Rule 61.2 Protest Contents Sail Canada prescribes that no fee shall be charged for delivering a protest or a request for redress. Rule 64.3 Decisions on Protests Concerning Class Rules (insert directly under the title to the rule) Sail Canada prescribes that unless otherwise provided in its class rules, the ISAF Equipment Rules of Sailing shall apply to all classes racing in Canada. Rule 67 Damages Sail Canada prescribes that a boat that has been found by a protest committee to have broken a rule and caused damage shall be considered at fault for the purposes of rule 67. Rule 70.5(a) Appeals and Requests to a National Authority Sail Canada so prescribes. Rule 88.2 National Prescriptions Sail Canada prescribes that the sailing instructions of national or lesser events shall not change or delete any Sail Canada prescription. For events that have a no appeal protest committee or an international jury, prescriptions to rule 61.2 and 67 shall not be deleted. Appendix E8 Appendix G Changes to Identification on Sails (insert directly under title to the rule) Sail Canada prescribes that this rule applies to Canadian boats in all classes. Appendix R Procedures for Appeals and Requests (insert after the preamble) Sail Canada prescribes that it may delegate an appeal or request for confirmation or correction to an association appeals committee, such as a provincial association appeals committee or a racing association appeals committee. Decisions of an association appeals committee may be further appealed to Sail Canada. Appendix R2.1(a) Submission of Documents Sail Canada prescribes that no later than 15 days after receiving the association appeals committee s written decision, the appellant may send a further appeal and a copy of the association appeals committee s decision to Sail Canada. The appeal shall state why the appellant believes the association appeals committee s decision or its procedures were incorrect. Appendix R2.2 Submission of Documents Sail Canada prescribes that in the case of a further appeal to Sail Canada, this rule shall apply to the appellant as though it was an initial appeal, and to the appealed committee as though it was the protest committee. Appendix R3 Responsibilities of National Authority and Protest Committee Sail Canada prescribes that when an appeal is delegated to an association appeals committee, the responsibilities and actions required of the national authority in this rule, and in rules R4, R5, 71.2 and 71.3, shall be performed by the association appeals committee. When a decision of an association appeals committee is further appealed, Sail Canada shall send to the parties, protest committee and association appeals committee copies of the appeal. No member of the association appeals committee shall take any part in the discussion or decision on the appeal. 47 th Southern Straits Long, Medium and Short Course Sailing Instructions Page 11 of 12

12 Appendix R4 Comments and Clarifications Sail Canada prescribes that when a decision of an association appeals committee is further appealed, the parties, protest committee and association appeals committee may make comments on the appeal. Comments on the appeal shall be made no later than 15 days after receiving it from Sail Canada. Sail Canada shall send copies of the comments to the parties, protest committee and association appeals committee as appropriate. 47 th Southern Straits Long, Medium and Short Course Sailing Instructions Page 12 of 12