OPENING DAY of 133 rd SAILING SEASON INVITATIONAL RACE Saturday 9 September 2017 NOTICE OF RACE & SAILING INSTRUCTIONS INTRODUCTION The Opening Day Invitation Race is a warm-up race for all Off the Beach classes, Etchells and Division Yachts. Skippers and their crews are invited to participate and celebrate the Opening of the 133 rd Sailing Season. The Off the Beach Classes and Etchells will be racing one-design where competition is within each class/fleet, and Division Yachts results will be given using PHRF handicapping. 1 RULES 1.1 Racing will be governed by the rules as defined in The Racing Rules of Sailing. 1.2 The prescriptions and Special Regulations of Australian Sailing Inc. shall apply. 1.3 Division Yachts must comply with Category 5 Safety and Equipment Special Regulations. 1.4 Relevant Class Rules shall apply. 1.5 RQYS Club Participation Rules, House Rules and Code of Conduct shall apply. 2 ELIGIBILITY AND ENTRY 2.1 Entry is open to boats owned by financial members of the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron. 2.2 Crew is required to be a member of AS by having a club membership with a yacht or sailing club. 2.3 Entry for the OTB and Etchells Invitation Race shall be lodged by SIGNING-ON at the Sailing Office by including all requested details on the sign-on sheet. 2.4 Entry for Division Yachts shall be lodged by SIGNING-ON on VHF 72. 3 ENTRY FEES No entry fee required. 4 PRELINIMARY SCHEDULE The preliminary schedule is as per below: DATE CLASS/FLEET COURSE AREA EVENT WARNING SIGNAL 9 September 2017 Division Yachts & Etchells Northern Course Area 1 Race 13:00 9 September 2017 OTB Classes Southern Course 1 Race 13:00
5 SAILING INSTRUCTIONS The Sailing Instructions are incorporated into this Race Document. 6 NOTICES TO COMPETITORS Notices to competitors will be posted on the official notice board located outside the regatta office on the Southern fence line adjacent to the main rigging lawn. 7 CHANGES TO THE SAILING INSTRUCTIONS 7.1 Any changes to the Sailing Instructions made before 1600 hours of the day prior, will be posted on the website as a notice or an amendment (http://www.rqys.com.au/). 7.2 Any changes to the Sailing Instructions made after 1600 hours of the day prior, will be posted on the Official Notice board adjacent to the RQYS Sailing Office. 8 SIGNALS MADE ASHORE 8.1 Signals made ashore will be displayed on the official flag pole located adjacent to the RQYS Bill Kirby Jetty. 8.2 When flag AP is displayed ashore, 1 minute is replaced with not less than 45 minutes in the race signal AP. 8.3 When a visual signal is displayed over a course flag or class flag, it applies to that course area/ class only. 9 CLASS FLAGS Class flags shall be: FLEET FLAG Southern Course Junior Classes Monohulls (A) Optimists/Sabots Purple Flag Junior Classes Monohulls (B) Flying 11s, 29ers, Laser 4.7s Pink Flag Monohull Red Flag All Catamarans Blue Flag All Sailboards Green Flag Division Yachts & Etchells Division Yachts Numeral Pennant 1 Etchells White with Blue Insignia 10 RACING AREA The racing areas are shown in Appendix A. 11 COURSES 11.1 The Southern courses will be Olympic Triangles as described in Appendix B. 11.2 The courses for Division Yachts and Etchells are described in Appendix C. 12 MARKS Southern Course 12.1 Marks are described in Appendix B.
Division Yachts and Etchells 12.2 All marks are Navigation Marks When a navigation mark is nominated as a mark of a course it shall be left in the manner described in the course booklet, otherwise all navigation marks shall be observed in the correct manner. 12.3 Where a navigation mark is to be rounded due consideration to the weather conditions including tidal effect shall be given. 13 THE START 13.1 The starting line will be between a staff displaying an orange flag on the start vessel at the starboard end and the course side of the port-end starting mark. 13.2 To alert boats that a race or sequence of races will begin soon, the orange starting line flag will be displayed with one sound at least five minutes before a warning signal is made. 13.3 Boats whose warning signal has not been made shall avoid the starting area during the starting sequence for other classes. 13.4 A boat starting later than four (4) minutes after her starting signal will be scored Did Not Start without a hearing. This changes RRS A4 and A5. 13.5 The Start Boat for Etchells and Division Yachts shall be the VIC FRIZZELL. 13.6 The Start Boat for the Off the Beach Classes shall be a SHARK CAT. 14 CHANGE TO THE NEXT LEG OF THE COURSE (Southern Course) 14.1 To change the next leg of the course, the race committee will lay a new mark (or change the finish line) and remove the original mark as soon as practicable. 14.1.1 The change mark is a yellow inflatable cylinder, as per Appendix B. 14.2 When in a subsequent change a new mark is replaced it will be replaced by an original mark. 14.2 15 THE FINISH 15.1 The finish line will between a staff displaying a blue flag on the finishing mark at the starboard end and the course side of the port-end finishing mark. 15.2 Boats shall not pass through the Start or Finish lines unless starting or finishing. Passing through the start/finish lines if not finishing or starting shall be deemed an obstruction. 16 PENALTY SYSTEM (Southern Course) For the catamarans and sailboards RRS 44.1 is changed so that the Two-Turns Penalty is replaced by the One-Turn Penalty. 17 TIME LIMITS 17.1 The time limit for the first boat in each class will be 80 minutes. 17.2 Boats failing to finish within 15 minutes after the first boat sails the course and finishes will be scored Did Not Finish without a hearing. This changes RRS 35, A4 and A5. 17.3 Green Fleet and Intermediate Optimists who finish outside of 20 minutes of the lead boat in those fleets shall be given a Still Racing Score (SRS) of the last place finisher plus one point. 17.4 The first Division Yachts and Etchells must have passed through the finish line by 1600. 17.5 Division Yachts and Etchells failing to finish before 1700, will be scored Did Not Finish (DNF) without a hearing. This changes RRS 35, A4 AND A5.
18 PROTESTS AND REQUESTS FOR REDRESS 18.1 Protest forms are available at the RQYS Sailing Office. Protests and requests for redress or reopening shall be delivered there within the appropriate time limit. 18.2 For each class, the protest time limit is 60 minutes. 18.3 Notices will be posted no later than 30 minutes after the protest time limit to inform competitors of hearings in which they are parties or named as witnesses. Hearings will be held in the protest room in the vicinity of the RQYS Sailing Office, beginning at the time posted. 18.4 Notices of protests by the Race Committee or Protest Committee will be posted to inform boats under RRS 61.1(b). 18.5 Discretionary penalties may be applied by the Protest Committee. 18.6 A request for reopening a hearing shall be delivered no later than 24 hours after the requesting party was informed of the decision. 19 SCORING The Low Point System specified in RRS Appendix A will apply. 20 SAFETY REGULATIONS 20.1 All skippers shall SIGN ON before racing each day and SIGN OFF at the earliest possible time after the completion of racing (but not later than the end of protest time). 20.1.1 Southern Course and Etchells must sign on at the Sailing Office. 20.1.2 Division Yachts must sign on via VHF 72. 20.2 The skipper of a boat that retires or does not intend to continue racing is required to SIGN OFF immediately on return to shore. 20.3 A boat that retires from a race shall notify the race committee as soon as possible. 20.4 Competitors shall comply with the following harbour bylaws: 20.4.1 All sailing vessels shall give way to powered vessels at all times whilst inside the Manly Boat Harbour. 20.4.2 Once outside the Manly Boat Harbour, competitors are to as soon as possible stay outside of the main channel, keeping clear of powered vessels. 20.4.3 No Spinnakers are to be flown in the Manly Harbour 6-knot area. 20.5 Boats failing to comply with NOR/SI 20 may be protested by the Race Committee and receive a penalty less than DSQ as decided by the Protest Committee. This changes rules 63.1, A4 and A5. 21 DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY Competitors participate in the series entirely at their own risk. See RRS 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 series. 22 INSURANCE Each participating boat shall be insured with valid third-party liability insurance with a minimum cover of $10 million. 23 FURTHER INFORMATION For further information please contact RQYS Sailing Office 07 3396 8666 or sailing@rqys.com.au
APPENDIX A RACING AREAS SOUTHERN COURSE ETCHELLS & DIVISION YACHTS STARTING AREA
APPENDIX B SOUTHERN COURSE DIAGRAM CODE COURSE MARKS DESCRIPTION OT1 Start 1 2 3 Finish Marks 1, 2 & 3: Orange Inflatables OT2 Start 1 2 3 1 3 - Finish Marks 1a & 2a: Purple Inflatables OT3 Start 1 2 3 1 3 1 2 3 Finish Start & Finish Pin: Orange Teardrops OTa1 Start 1a 2a 3 Finish Change Mark: Yellow Cylinder OTa2 Start 1a 2a 3 1a 3 - Finish Boats shall not pass through the Start or Finish OTa3 Start 1a 2a 3 1a 3 1a 2a 3 Finish lines unless starting or finishing. The start/finish lines shall be deemed an Obstruction.
APPENDIX C DIVISION YACHTS AND ETCHELLS COURSE DIAGRAM COURSE A COURSE AR Note: charts illustrated in these sailing instructions show the general racing area Not for Navigation Approx 13NM Course A 1 Start 2 Green Island West Cardinal S 3 Green Island North Cardinal S 4 Red Beacon N Green Island S 5 Hope Banks Beacon S 6 Lockyer Light S 7 Finish Course AR 1 Start 2 Lockyer Light P 3 Hope Banks Beacon P 4 Red Beacon N Green Island P 5 Green Island North Cardinal P 6 Green Island West Cardinal P 7 Finish START/ FINISH Note: All Navigation Marks in the vicinity of St Helena and Green Islands are marks of the course and must be observed in accordance with IALA System A.