Regatta Guidelines

Submitted by admin on Wed, 2009-11-04 09:45

Suggestions for H-12 Nationals Guidelines

DRAFT ONLY

By George Moffat

Carol Suitor

Introduction:

The ideas suggested here are ones that come from having raced in the last five Nationals at the five localities that host these races. Since a club hosts the Nationals only every four or five years, there is usually very little carry-over in either personnel or ideas over such a time period. Further, most of our clubs commonly put on weekly races for ten or twelve boats at most. There is a quantum jump in problems and complications at Nationals when dealing with the typical thirty boat fleet and 700 foot starting lines.

l. Courses

• Courses should generally be windward-leeward (reaching legs generally turn into parades with little chance of passing)

• Windward legs should be a minimum of .75 miles.

• Since US Sailing recommends that the length of the starting line for a 30 boat fleet be 700 feet (1.5 times boat length times the number of entries) this would preclude having a “T” course with windward finish

• An ideal course should probably be a windward-leeward-windward-finish, with the last leg being about .25 miles long.

• Windward-leeward-windward with the finish at the windward mark should be avoided (except for the final race of the day) as too much time is lost resetting the start line and sailing the fleet back to it.

• Offset marks at the windward mark and gates at the leeward mark are strongly encouraged.

2. Starts

• Starting procedures MUST follow US Sailing guidelines.

• The class flag pennant should be large enough to be clearly visible from 700 feet away.

• Sound signals should be consistent--all guns or all horns. If horns, they must be easily audible from an eighth of a mile away above the noise of bow waves and luffing sails. While the rules state that the flag signals prevail and the sound ones only call attention to them, in real life at the end of a 30-boat line, a wall of sails often conceals the visual signals.

3. General

• Races Day 1

- Three or four races are recommended

- Last race should start before 1630

• Races Day 2

- Two races on Sunday

- 1100 start time with no races started after 1230 should be considered (Winds are often very light in the mornings)

• Annual H Class Association Meeting

Scheduled for Sunday morning, usually 9 AM

• Throw Outs

Races should follow US Sailing Guidelines (one throw-out if there are more than four races)

• Lunch breaks

Avoid stopping racing for lunch ashore (causes at least an hour and a half delay wasting valuable sailing time

- Box lunches should be provided to each boat

- Lunch break should be no more than 30 minutes long

• “Comfort”

If lunches are not taken ashore then competitors should have access to a committee boat with a functional head

• Refreshments

- Breakfast

Host Yacht Club usually provides complimentary continental breakfast (fruit, bagels, muffins, donuts, juice, coffee, tea, hot water

- Lunches

Box lunches will be available for purchase prior to the regatta and will be delivered to each sailor in the morning

- Dinner

Saturday night dinner with cash bar

(competitors purchase dinner prior to regatta)

Light fare offered right after sailing

• Housing

- Whenever possible, make available to visiting yachtsmen/women as transportation to and from home can be an issue especially during busy summer weekends.

• Moorings

- Suggest that the host Yacht Club, whenever possible, provide moorings at no cost to the visiting sailors. However, we fully recognize that this may be impossible at certain locales.

- Factors to consider

cost, safety, who controls the moorings and accessibility (how far is the mooring from the starting area?)

• Publicity

This event should be publicized in local papers prior to, during and after events.

• Race management

- Races must conform with current USSA guidelines and procedures.

- Race Committee, Judges, and Protest Committee should be constructed using guidelines of US Sailing.