Sailing Instructions
THORNBURY YACHT CLUB
2011 SAILING INSTRUCTIONS
1 RULES
1.1 Races will be governed by The Racing Rules of sailing (RRS) of the International Sailing Federation (ISAF), the prescriptions of the Canadian Yachting Association The Racing Rules of Sailing 2009-2012 and these sailing instructions.
2 NOTICES TO COMPETITORS
2.1 The notice of race will be posted in the TYC notice boards on the north and west sides of the marina and will be available all season.
3 CHANGES TO SAILING INSTRUCTIONS
3.1 Any change to the sailing instructions will be communicated at the race skippers’ meetings prior to the race. A copy of the modified Sailing Instructions will be distributed to all racers and posted on the TYC notice board at the Harbour.
4 SIGNALS MADE ASHORE
4.1 Signals made ashore will be displayed at the flagpole adjacent to the Harbourmaster building on the north side of Thornbury Harbour.
4.2 The Race committee will communicate with the racing fleet using VHF radio channel 09 as required, at the discretion of the Race Committee. 5 minutes after the start of the race the race committee will switch to monitoring channel 16. Hailing the racing fleet will be done on channel 16 with instructions for competitors to switch to channel 09 or a channel prescribed by the race committee.
4.3 All transmissions between the race committee and competitors will be accomplished at one watt transmission levels
5 SCHEDULE Of RACES 2011
The 2011 racing schedule consists of 15 club races as outlined below. Saturday May 21 Ice Breaker Race Saturday May 28 Club Race* Sunday June 5 Founders Cup* Wednesday June 8 Midweek Race Saturday June 11 Club Race* Wednesday June 15 Midweek Race Saturday June 18 TYC Regatta Day 1, Race 1* Sunday June 19 TYC Regatta Day 1, Race 2* Sunday June 19 TYC Regatta Day 2, Race 3 Long Distance Saturday July 2 Mighty Mary Race* Sunday July 3 JAZ Single Handed Race* Saturday Sept 10 Meaburywood Saturday Sept 17 Stewart Wooton Memorial Race* Saturday Sept 25 Lakes Garage Long Distance Race* Saturday Oct 1 Turkey Race · Indicates race counts for season points. · Participants may drop 2 races in the point standings. · Midweek Races-Skippers Meeting 5:00 with a 6:00 Start.
5.2 The TYC race championship series will include 9 races identified with an asterisk in the above table in paragraph 5.1
5.3 Make-up days may be used if races are not completed as scheduled or if the race committee considers it unlikely that races will be completed as scheduled.
5.4 Skippers’ meetings will take place in or at the Harbourmaster’s building. Meetings will start at 09:30hrs on the day of the race unless otherwise posted. Warning will be signalled at 10:50hrs and race will start at 11:00hrs unless otherwise directed at the skippers meeting by the race committee.
5.5 All boats are expected to have a valid PHRF-LO certificate. If a boat does not have a valid certificate the race committee will assign a provisional ASP and Time-on- Time correction factor for that race. To avoid delaying results, competitors without PHRF certificates or provisional handicaps are requested to request a provisional handicap from the Club Handicapper before race day. We rely on and use PHRF’s information to enable boats of different sizes to compete on a level playing field. The certificates issued are PHRF’s only source of revenue.
5.6 Reciprocal agreements with Collingwood Yacht Club allow CYC boats to enter TYC races.
6 CLASSES & CLASS FLAGS
6.1 Class flag will be the TYC burgee. TYC will run flying sail and non flying sail classes provided there are a minimum 3 boats in each class.
6.2 Skippers must elect to sail in either flying sails or non flying sails prior to the race. Boats registered at the skippers meeting will be classed as non-flying sails unless the registering skipper specifically elects flying sails.
6.3 The warning for the first division will be signalled by the hoisting of the Thornbury Yacht Club burgee.
6.4 The warning for the second division when required, will be code flag W.
6.5 The warning for the third division, when required, will be numerical pennant #3
6.6 The warning for the forth division, when required, will be numerical pennant #4 etc.
7 RACING AREAS
Attachment A shows the location of the racing area.
8 THE COURSE
8.1 The diagrams in Attachment A show the locations of fixed race marks, including the approximate bearings between the marks and the leg lengths between marks.
8.2 The courses will be communicated to the race skippers at the pre-race skipper’s meeting or on the water via VHF radio.
8.3 Generally the courses will be selected from the West, Centre, East and Fairway marks and may be triangular, windward/leeward or a combination. For longer distance races the race committee may include other navigation marks or an inflatable tetrahedron to set a fair course for that particular race.
8.4 If a course change becomes necessary after the skippers meeting the race committee will communicate the changes to all racers using the VHF radio on the prescribed channel.
9 MARKS
9.1 The fixed race marks will be inflatable orange spherical buoys approximately 3 feet in diameter. The moveable mark will be an inflatable orange tetrahedron. The Fairway mark at the mouth of the Thornbury Harbour lead-in may also be used as a turning mark or a start/finish mark as deemed necessary by the race committee.
9.2 Fixed marks will be known as West, Centre, East and Fairway marks. The movable tetrahedron will be known as the “tetrahedron mark”.
10 THE START
10.1 Generally races will be started at 11:00hrs with the first warning signal at 10:50 hrs GPS time.
10.2 Races will be started using a 10 minute start sequence. The following signals will be made:
Signal Visual signal and sound Minutes before start
Warning TYC Flag + 1 sound 10
Preparatory Preparatory flag + 1 sound 4
One Minute Preparatory flag removed + 1 long sound 1
Start TYC flag removed + 1 sound 0
10.3 The warning for subsequent starts may coincide with the previous start signal or follow it by a time interval of 10 minutes at the discretion of the race committee.
10.4 The starting line will be described to the race skippers at the pre-race skippers meeting. The Fairway mark may form part of the starting line. The other end of the starting line may be bounded either by a race committee boat or a designated land mark. The race committee may decide to establish an alternate start line if prevailing weather conditions dictate.
10.5 An alternate self start may be used at the discretion of the race committee. The self start will be administered from one of the participant boats in the race.
10.6 If self start is designated only sound signals will be used to signal warning, preparatory, one minute and race start.
10.7 Sound signals may be simultaneously broadcast by VHF radio over the designated communication channel.
10.8 Timing for all races will be local GPS time.
10.9 There will be no penalty for boats starting the race late. Boats may start at any time after the start signal.
10.10 The around the end rule (RRS 30.1) will apply to all TYC races, whether or not the Race Committee flies flag code India.
11 THE FINISH
11.1 The finishing line will generally be between the Fairway mark and the Committee boat. However due to prevailing circumstances the finishing line may be struck between the Fairway mark and a mark on shore, at another mark of the course, at a finishing mark set by the race committee or any series of landmarks or navigation buoys as deemed necessary by the Race Committee.
11.2 If the race is sailed under self start racers are responsible for recording their own finish times.
11.3 Finish times will be recorded as local GPS time.
11.4 Finish times will be reported to the race organizer for results calculation at each racers earliest opportunity
12 TIME LIMITS
12.1 Generally a time limit of 4 hours will be in effect for all TYC races. Exceptions to this rule will be
12.1.1 The TYC Regatta races will have a 3 hour limit:
12.1.2 The Lakes Garages Long distance Race will have a 5 hour time limit.
12.2 The race committee reserves the right to change these limits in the interests of safety, fair racing or general satisfaction of the TYC racing fleet
12.3 Boats failing to finish within time limits will be scored as “Did Not Finish”.
13 SCORING
13.1 Boats will be scored using PHRF-LO ASP and Time-on-Time correction factors
13.2 After applying the appropriate handicap, the Low Point Scoring system, with the first place finisher receiving 1 point, will apply with the following modifications to the Appendix A4 of the RRS;
DNF = DID NOT FINISH -number of boats started +1
RET = RETIRED -number of boats started +1
DNS = DID NOT START - number of boats started +2
DNC = DID NOT COMPETE -number of boats started + 2
DSQ = DISQUALIFIED -number of boats started + 2
13.3 CYC boats entered in TYC races will be scored as per their corrected times within the TYC fleet. Place flags will be awarded to CYC boats as placed. However TYC placings will exclude CYC boats. Points and flags will be awarded to TYC boats excluding any CYC placings.
14 SAFETY
14.1 Skippers will register their boats for the race at the pre-race skippers meeting.
14.2 A boat that retires from a race shall notify the race committee as soon as possible.
14.3 Every boat shall carry at least the minimum safety equipment as described in the Canadian Coast Guard’s safe Boating Guide. The appropriate equipment shall be on board, in working order, and ready to use at all times.
14.4 On downwind starts, spinnakers shall not be hoisted before clearing the starting line.
14.5 Competitors in the John Zsolt Single Handed Race must wear a safety harness and PFD and be attached to their boat at all times during the race.
15 REPLACEMENT OF CREW OR EQUIPMENT
15.1 The use of an Autohelm/Autopilot is permitted during any TYC race.
15.2 The use of power winches is permitted during any TYC race.
15.3 The Mighty Mary race will be the only race with a restriction on regular crews. The Mighty Mary Race will have 2 divisions within one race. Division 1 will be for boats skippered and crewed by all females. Only all female boats will be eligible to compete for the Mighty Mary Trophy. Division 2 is for mixed crews. The helmsperson in division 2 must be female. The remainder of the crew may be either male or female at the skippers discretion.
Male crew members may not take the helm starting from 4 minutes prior to the starting signal until the boat crosses the finish line.
In an emergency a male member may take the helm temporarily. That boat will retire or may proceed only after taking an on-water penalty by accomplishing 2 full turns to include 2 tacks and 2 gybes.
16 RADIO COMMUNICATION
16.1 The race committee will communicate with the racing fleet via VHF radio Channel 09 Communication between boats while on the race course and to the race committee will be via VHF radio Channel 09 unless agreed otherwise at the pre-race meeting.
16.2 Except in an emergency, competitors shall not communicate with other competitors via cell phone or VHF channels not likely to be monitored by all competitors.
16.3 In the event that excessive radio traffic necessitates an alternative channel, the Race Committee will advise competitors of the alternate channel to be used. Competitors shall acknowledge the change before switching to the new channel.
16.4 Transmissions between the Race Committee and competitors shall be made at a transmission power level appropriate for the distance between vessels.
17 PRIZES
Position flags will be awarded to 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishers for single races. The exception will be the Annual Thornbury Regatta. The overall placers for the series of races constituting the TYC Regatta will be awarded place flags. Winners of races designated as cup races will be awarded the sponsored trophy at the end of season banquet.
18 DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY
Competitors participate in the regatta entirely at their own risk. See rule 4, Decision to Race. The organizing authority will not accept any liability for material damage, personal injury or death sustained in conjunction with or prior to, during, or after Thornbury Yacht Club races.
19 INSURANCE
All boats competing in TYC races will carry minimum $2,000,000 Cdn Third party liability insurance.
