2010 WVSC Long Distance Racing Schedule and Instructions
Management & Rules. All races are under the jurisdiction of the Race Committee of WVSC. They will be conducted using the 2009-2012 Racing Rules of Sailing, the prescriptions of the USSA, and applicable class rules, except as modified by these Racing Instructions.
Any type of sailboat is allowed. If the boat is not a keel-boat, please contact the race coordinator prior to race day to aid in establishing a proper handicap rating.
Competitors should register at the Competitors meeting to confirm they brought a white elephant gift and to record the following:
Skipper's Name Boat model/type for handicapping Sail number Mobile telephone number for contact during the race Agree on PHRF rating Agree on "Racer" or "Cruiser" status based on experience (Anyone that has received a 1st/2nd/3rd club trophy in the past will be considered "Racer". Anyone that has raced enough to qualify for a club trophy in the past will likely be considered "Racer") Receive a map of the race course and any pertinent instructions
Note that the Race Committee may also be a competitor.
Notices to Competitors. Notices to competitors will be posted on the race notice board located in the Clubhouse. Race Committee notices or changes to the Sailing Instructions will be posted and signaled no later than 30 minutes prior to the start of the race.
Long Distance Racing Schedule. Saturday June 12 (alternate June 26) Saturday July 10 (alternate July 24) Saturday Aug 7 (alternate Aug 21) Saturday Sep 4 (alternate Sep 18)
Timing of Racing Events. The long distance races are intended to be recreational in nature as compared to the regular club races. The priorities are in the following order:
First Priority: Be Safe and have fun Second Priority: Sportsmanship and camaraderie Third priority: Sail fast Fourth Priority: Out race your friends
The long distance races will differ from the regular club races in that they will be based on the PHRF handicapping system, and will have staggered/handicapped starts. The slowest boats will start first (at 10:00 am) and the fastest boats will start last, with the target of having all boats finish at the same time. The race rankings will then be the order of finish.
9:00 to 9:30 AM Competitors meeting/registration 9:30 AM Start times assigned 10:00 AM First boat starts
Reporting of the finish order and the exchange of trophies will be one hour after predicted finish.
Races scheduled for a certain time may be postponed for up to 1 hour due to weather.
In previous years, a "skipper" handicap was included based on the experience of the skipper. This will not be in use for 2010.
Courses & Marks. The race courses will not follow standard race course layouts. Course marks may be existing buoys on the lake or racing marks placed by the Race Committee. A simple drawing of the course, general mark locations, rounding requirements, and number of laps will be provided at the Competitors meeting.
The start line for all races will be the East end of the slips, and will be crossed from West to East. Each boat must cross the starting line at or after the time provided to them during the competitors meeting.
On races that include multiple laps, no docking or trips to the restroom will be required (this has been eliminated for increased safety).
Any race courses that extend through the old Bluestem dam will require a verbal note of caution to the racers from the Race Committee during the Competitors meeting. The passage is narrow, with heavy boat traffic and contrary winds. For added safety, the use of the boat motor to get through the cut in the dam in permissible and encouraged.
Starting Sequence. As noted above, the race will include a staggered/handicapped start. Starting times will be based on PHRF ratings for the boats and the wind/race conditions. Starting times will be assigned at 9:30 AM. The slowest boats will be assigned the earliest start times, with the first boat starting at 10:00 AM.
A spreadsheet had been created to simplify calculating the start time. The start times are truncated to the nearest minute. The formulas used are based on guidance from the US Sailing website and are summarized as follows:
Duration = Distance x (Conditions + PHRF)
Duration is the duration of the race in seconds Distance is in Nautical Miles PHRF is the Average PHRF from US Sailing and on tabs 2 and 3 in the spreadsheet Conditions: 480 for heavy air or courses that are all off-wind 550 for average conditions 600 for light air or courses that are all to windward
Example for a Hobie 33 on a 20 nm race on an average day: Duration = 20 x (550 + 96) = 12,920 seconds = 3 hours, 35 minutes
Recalls. Individual Recalls shall be indicated by verbal communication at the starting line, or by telephone call to the boat. The Race Committee will attempt to notify early starters, but it is the responsibility of each racing boat to be aware of her relative position with the starting line. A General Recall is only applicable if weather requires this (see "Altering the Course after the Start").
.Any postponements will be announced on-shore 30 minutes prior to the earliest start time.
Altering the Course after the Start. Any course changes (due to weather changes, etc) will be communicated to the boats via cell phone. The Race Committee will attempt to monitor the weather, but it is the responsibility of each individual skipper to maintain safety for their boat and crew, including watching for and judgments on inclement weather.
The Finish. The finish line will be the East end of the slips (the same as the start line) and will be crossed from East to West. Participants will note their finish time as they cross the line and then proceed to the activity center and record their time as noted during the Competitors meeting. There will not be a need to foot-race to the activity center – the time that counts is crossing the finish line.
Time Limits. The time limit will be established as one hour after the predicted finish time (per the PHRF formula shown above – the spreadsheet calculates this). Any boat that feels that they will not make it back by this time is permitted to use motor power to assist so that they will not miss the trophy exchange. If the motor is used, be sure to note your current "place" and record your finish order accordingly (record your finish after all boats ahead of you when the motor is started).
Safety. It shall be the sole responsibility of each skipper to decide whether to start or continue to race. Each skipper shall evaluate his own boat's sea-worthiness and his and his crew's sailing ability and determine to race, continue racing, or not to race. Each boat must carry safety gear prescribed by its respective class and other authorities.
Additional safety items in addition to those noted above are: 1. No foot-racing on the docks is required (at the start, between laps, or at the end). 2. No racing into a slip or to the docks is required (at the start, between laps, or at the end). 3. Use caution if the race course extends through the cut in the old Bluestem dam. The passage is narrow, winds are contrary, and the traffic is high. Use of the motor is encouraged in the passage. 4. Watch the weather – it is the skipper's responsibility to ensure safety of their boat and crew.
Protests. A boat which infringes a racing rule against another boat may exonerate itself by making two turns or by making one turn if a mark is touched. A claim of protest shall be communicated to the protestee boat as soon as possible after the infringement. Boats of 5 meters or longer should display a red protest flag. A protest should be reported to the RC promptly upon finishing that race. Any protest shall be made in writing within 30 minutes of the time the protesting boat returns ashore. Protest notices and hearing schedules specifying the protestor and protestee shall be posted within the next 30 minutes. An arbitrator will be used to try to resolve the protest prior to an official hearing.
Scoring. Because the start of the race is handicapped/staggered, the ranking of finishes will be the order of the finish. At registration, an attempt is made to list the competitor as "Racer" or Cruiser". The top three of each category will be announced at the post-race festivities (no special trophies will be given for the top three – see "Trophies" below).
Trophies. Each competing boat will bring a wrapped white elephant gift (value not-to-exceed $15) to exchange as a trophy after the race. The exchange will proceed as follows. All competitors will be ranked as a group (not separating Racers and Cruisers).
All gifts are placed together for viewing. The last place finisher selects a gift and opens it. The next prior finisher then picks from the two following options: 1. Select an unopened gift and open it 2. Select a gift already opened by an earlier selection (the person losing the gift then has the same two options to select a new gift, except they cannot pick the gift they just lost) Continue to next prior finisher with the same options. After the first place finisher has selected their gift, the last place finisher then gets to exchange their gift with any person they chose, thus ending the exchange.
All competitors are then REQUIRED (wink) to stay and share sailing stories from the race.
Click HERE for a downloadable copy of these rules.