VALENTINE S DAY REGATTA February 5-7, 2016 St. Petersburg Yacht Club, St. Petersburg, Florida SILVER FLEET SAILING INSTRUCTIONS 1. RULES 1.1 The regatta will be governed by the Rules as defined in the current Racing Rules of Sailing. 1.2 "USODA Conditions for Sanctioned Regattas and Championships", including the USODA 'Code of Conduct', will apply, and can be found at www.usoda.org. Competitors, Coaches, Parents, and Guardians shall abide by the USODA 'Code of Conduct'. This includes behavior both on and off the water including respect for all other persons, personal property of others, St. Petersburg Yacht Club (SPYC) and the City of St. Petersburg. 1.3 Rule 61 will be changed as follows: In rule 61.1(a), delete, She shall display the flag until she is no longer racing, and replace with, Her protest flag shall be attached to the helmsmen s lifejacket in a manner that allows it to be concealed before and then after it is displayed. Rule 61.1(a)(2) is deleted. Add rule 61.5: 61.5 Informing the Race Committee (RC) In addition to meeting the requirements of rule 61.1, a boat intending to protest another boat concerning an incident in the racing area that she is involved in or sees shall, at the first reasonable opportunity after she finishes, notify the RC finish boat of her intent to protest and the sail number of the boat(s) she is protesting. 1.4 At the discretion of the Principal Race Officer of the Silver Fleet, competitors may be held on shore or races in progress may be abandoned if sustained winds are 15 knots or greater. Boats on the water will be sent to shore. 1.5 Rule 63.7 is changed such that if there is a conflict between the Sailing Instructions and the Notice of Race (NOR), the Sailing Instructions shall govern. 2. NOTICES TO COMPETITORS Notices to competitors will be posted on the official notice board located at the St. Petersburg Sailing Center (SPSC). 3. CHANGES TO SAILING INSTRUCTIONS Any change to the sailing instructions (SI) will be posted at least 30 minutes before the Silver Fleet harbor start (see SI 4.2) on the day it will take effect, except that any change to the schedule of races will be posted by 1900 hours on the day before it will take effect. Page 1 of 6
4. SIGNALS MADE ASHORE 4.1 Signals made ashore will be displayed from the flagpole on the south side of the SPSC. 4.2 All boats shall be kept at the venue in their assigned spot and no boats shall launch prior to the display of flag D over a GRAY flag with one sound signal. 4.3 When flag AP is displayed ashore, 1 minute is replaced with not less than 30 minutes in Race Signal AP. 5. SCHEDULE OF RACES Saturday, February 6 0730-0830 Competitor Check-in and Coach/Spectator Flag Check-in Continental Breakfast 0845 Skippers, Coaches and Parents Meeting (Mandatory) 0930 Harbor Start 1030 First Warning Lunch on the water 1830 Competitor Dinner at SPSC Sunday, February 7 0700-0800 Continental Breakfast 0830 Harbor Start 0930 First Warning Lunch on the water 1400 No Warning Signal after this time After racing Awards Ceremony at SPSC 6. FORMAT Ten (10) races are schedule for Silver Fleet. One race will constitute a regatta. 7. CLASS FLAG The class flag for the Silver fleet will be Gray. 8. RACING AREA The racing area will be on the waters of Tampa Bay northeast of Albert Whitted Airport. 9. THE COURSE The diagram in SI Addendum A shows the course, the order in which marks are to be passed, the side on which each mark is to be left, and the DEFINED RACING AREA. 10. MARKS 10.1 Course marks will be orange tomatoes. 10.2 The starting marks will be the RC signal boat at the starboard end of the starting line and the course side of a yellow cylinder at the port end. 10.3 The finish line marks will be the RC finish boat at the starboard end of the finish line and the course side of a yellow cylinder at the port end. Page 2 of 6
11. THE START 11.1 The starting line will be between a staff displaying an orange flag on the RC signal boat and the course side of a mark at the port end. 11.2 A boat starting later than five (5) minutes after her starting signal will be scored Did Not Start (DNS) without a hearing. This changes rule A4 and A5. 11.3 If code flag I has been displayed, during the minute before the starting signal, the RC may make general announcements regarding the approximate number of boats on the course side of the starting line, but will not hail individual boat numbers. Failure of the RC to make such announcements, or failure of a boat to hear them, shall not be grounds for a boat to request redress. This instruction changes rule 41 and rule 62.1. 11.4 The RC will not hail the sail numbers of boats that are OCS or subject to starting penalties under rule 30. They will broadcast RC actions on VHF channel 05. 12. CHANGE OF A LEG OF THE COURSE The position of marks may be adjusted slightly for small shifts in the mean wind without signaling a change of course. Any adjustments will be made before the first boat is on the leg to the effected mark. This changes rule 33. 13. THE FINISH 13.1 The finish line will be between the course side of a staff displaying an orange flag on a RC boat and the course side of a port end mark referenced in SI 10.3. 13.2 After crossing the finish line competitors shall make a right hand turn and pass between orange guide buoys which mark the designated coaching area as shown in SI Addendum A. 13.3 All coach and support boats shall avoid the Restricted Finishing Area, which is from the finish line to the designated coaching area, until the last competitor has crossed the finish line and entered the designated coaching area. 13.4 Any coach or support boat found within the DEFINED RACING AREA prior to the last competitor crossing the line may have their affiliated competitor(s) assessed a 10% scoring penalty without a hearing. This changes RRS 63.1, Appendix A4 and A5. 14 TIME LIMITS 14.1 The time limit will be 60 minutes for the first boat to sail the course and finish. 14.2 Boats failing to finish within 30 minutes after the first boat that sails the course and finishes will be scored Did Not Finish (DNF) without a hearing. This changes RRS 35, 63.1, A4 and A5. 15. PROTESTS 15.1 Protest and scoring review forms are available at the protest committee desk next to the official notice board at SPSC. 15.2 Protests and requests for redress or reopening shall be delivered to a protest committee representative no later than 45 minutes after the posted docking time of the RC finish boat. The RC shall post the time of docking on the official notice board as soon as practical. Page 3 of 6
15.3 Protests will be heard in the approximate order of receipt. The time and place of the protest hearings will be posted on the official notice board no later than 15 minutes after the end of protest time for Silver Fleet. 15.4 Breaches of SI 4.2 and 17 will not be grounds for a protest by a boat. This changes rule 60.1(a). 15.5 If the RC posts a list of boats scored OCS, ZFP or BFD on the official notice board before the protest time limit, a request for redress based on such a posted score shall be made no later than one hour after the protest time limit. This changes the first sentence of rule 62.2. 15.6 On the last day of the regatta, a request to reopen a hearing or a request for redress from a RC or protest committee decision shall be delivered: (a) within the protest time limit if the party making the request was informed of the decision before that day; or (b) no later than 30 minutes after the party making the request was informed of the decision that day. This changes rule 62.2 and 66. 16. SCORING 16.1 The Low Point Scoring System of Appendix A will apply, except that no score will be excluded unless six (6) or more races are completed. This changes rule A2. 16.2 Ten (10) races are scheduled for the Silver fleet. One race will constitute a regatta. 17. SAFETY REGULATIONS 17.1 Each day before a boat is launched a competitor shall sign out at the safety desk in the Sailing Center classroom. No later than 30 minutes after returning to the Sailing Center following racing, each competitor shall sign in at the safety desk in the Sailing Center classroom. Only competitors may sign in or out. 17.2 Before retiring from a race and leaving the race course, a competitor, the competitor's coach or a safety person shall notify the RC. If this is impossible, the competitor shall report to the safety coordinator s office at the Sailing Center immediately upon arriving ashore. 17.3 If the RC signal boat displays flag L prior to a warning signal, each boat shall sail past the stern of the RC signal boat on starboard tack and hail her sail number until it is acknowledged by the RC. 17.4 In addition to the requirements of rule 40 and its US Sailing prescription, a condition of entry and participation in this regatta is the wearing of a US Coast Guard approved lifejacket, or for international sailors only, a lifejacket approved by their country s corresponding authority, properly secured at all times while on the water, except for brief periods while removing or adding clothing. Wet suits, dry suits, and inflatable lifejackets do not constitute adequate personal buoyancy. Failure to wear an approved lifejacket will result in a penalty up to and including disqualification at the discretion of the Protest Committee. 18. COACH AND SUPPORT BOATS 18.1 General coach and support (including spectator) boat requirements a. Coach boats shall fly a numbered blue flag provided by the RC at all times while on the water. Coach boats shall carry a VHF radio and monitor the RC channel (VHF 05), particularly in windy/threatening weather. Page 4 of 6
b. Support (parent and spectator) boats shall fly a green flag with a number provided by the RC at all times while on the water. c. No team flags, private signal flags, or any object that might be construed as a signal shall be flown from coach or support boats while racing is underway. d. Coach and support boats shall follow the instructions of RC, patrol, safety, protest committee, and race management boats at all times. e. No coach or support boat shall tie up to or congregate around any aid to navigation, such as buoys or channel markers, or tie up to any fixed fishing gear or crab pots. 18.2 All coach and support boats shall stay clear of the DEFINED RACING AREA at all times while boats are racing. 19. DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY Competitors participate in the regatta entirely at their own risk. See rule 4, Decision to Race. The OA 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. An online waiver must be signed by all competitors and their parent/guardian. 20. PRIZES Prizes will be awarded consistent with the Notice of Race. Page 5 of 6
Addendum A DEFINED RACING AREA MARKED IN DOTS Restricted Finishing Area Finish Sailors exit Designated Coach Waiting Area indicated by dashes 1 2 3 Start Course: Start, 1, 2, 3, Finish Page 6 of 6