Sailing and racing rules

(Click here to download these Instructions and Rules for printing out)

General note

No race officers are designated. Volunteers are very welcome. If there are none, race will be started from the water and times will be taken using GPS. For all series of three races, the results of the best two races will count.

 

SAILING INSTRUCTIONS

  1. COURSES

Course letters will be shown in the window of the Clubhouse starting box and refer to courses on the Course Sheet.  Where keelboats and dinghies are participating, the keelboat course will be displayed below the letter K and the dinghy course will be displayed below the letter D.
Course Examples:

K D           Keelboats – Course B3/Dinghies – Course B1
B 1
3

K D           Keelboats – Course G2/Dinghies – Course G2
G
2

  1. STARTING LINE

This is an extension of the line between the centre of the orange V marker on the starter box and the orange transit pole at the top of the slip.  The outer limit is the north east corner of the New Quay.

  1. FINISHING LINE

This is the same line as start line described above. Boats may finish across any point on this line

  1. RACE START PROCEDURE

See Racing Calendar for start times. We have adopted the same start sequence as for West Highland Week and the Scottish Series and which has become the RYA standard.

WARNING Red light ON
Klaxon ON		 5 minutes to go
PREPARATORY Blue light ON
Klaxon ON		 4 minutes to go
ONE MINUTE Green light ON
Long Klaxon		 1 minute to go
START Lights OFF
Klaxon ON		 OFF!!!
  1. POSTPONEMENT

In the event of a postponement letter P or the Answering Pennant will be displayed at the window of the starting box.  The start sequence will commence at one minute after the above signal is lowered.

  1. INDIVIDUAL RECALL

Three SHORT blasts on the klaxon.

  1. GENERAL RECALL

Three LONG blasts on the klaxon.  The start sequence will commence again with the Warning Signal.

  1. ABANDONMENT

Yellow flashing light before the start.

  1. SHORTEN COURSE

Continually flashing red light until the last boat finishes.

  1. TIME LIMIT

There will be no time limits.  However on long races boats should record their own finishing times along with the name of the next boat to finish.

  1. ALTERNATIVE PENALTIES

The 720 degree turns penalty.  Appendix B1 of the racing rules will apply.

  1. ALTERATIONS TO SAILING INSTRUCTIONS

These will be displayed on the Clubhouse notice board.  The Club radio will only be used in exceptional circumstances such as late changes to start time or course and the Race Officer’s decision is final.

 

SAILING AND RACING RULES

  1. Races will be sailed under IYRU Rules, RYA Prescriptions, rules of each class concerned and these Club rules, except where amended by the Sailing Instructions.
  2. All boats should carry adequate safety equipment. Guidance for keelboats maybe found in: Offshore Racing Council Special Regulations, contained in RYA publication, ‘Racing Yacht Safety’. Dinghies should carry a paddle, bailer and full buoyancy as appropriate.
  3. All boats will carry a lifejacket for each crew member.  Lifejackets will be worn at all times by dinghy crews.
  4. It is the responsibility of the person in charge of each boat taking part in a Club activity to ensure that the craft is fully found, thoroughly seaworthy and adequately manned.
  5. The Club will not be held responsible for any loss or injury.  It is recommended that each boat carry a minimum of £500,000 Third Party insurance.
  6. It shall be the sole responsibility of each yacht to decide whether or not to start or to continue a race.
  7. Any boat not in the water or off the moorings by the 5 minute signal will be classed as a non-starter, unless a 720º turn is carried out on the pre-start side of starting line.
  8. The Race Rules Adviser will arbitrate in any discussions over incidents, resolving them promptly in an informal but positive way, assisting competitors to understand the rules better. Alternative read rule 15 and 16.
  9. Wednesday Series races and Saturday cup races will use CYCA Handicaps.
  10. The scoring system will be as recommended in Appendix RYA1, Section 2.  For this purpose the Declared Entry will be the number of starters in the race.
  11. A race will only count for points if three or more boats start. A representative from each boat intending to race must be present at the clubhouse briefing prior to start.
  12. All races organised jointly by CSC with other clubs and the KV Wooster Round Arran, the New Quay Chandlers Round Sanda races and such other races as may be so designated by the Committee, are open races into which yachts or dinghies not skippered or helmed respectively by club members may enter and be eligible for prizes.  All other races are club events and only those yachts or dinghies, whose skippers or helms are bona fide Club Members, prior to the commencement of an individual race or of a series of races, culminating in a prize, are eligible for prizes.
  13. A representative from each boat must sign off in the Clubhouse, within one hour of the last boat finishing.  Boats not doing so will be assumed to have retired.
  14. Cup races subject to abandonment will be re-run at the first available, suitable opportunity.
  15. Protests shall be made in accordance with IYRU Rule 68 and be submitted to the Race Officer or a member of the race Committee within 2 hours of the finish of the race. Protests must be made on official RYA protest forms, copies of which may be obtained from the race officer.
  16. Protests will be considered by the Protest Committee who will have power to remit the protest to the General Committee if necessary.
    Members wishing to appeal against a ruling by the Protest Committee should send an appeal in writing to the Hon Secretary together with a deposit of £2 which will be refunded if the appeal is considered reasonable.
  17. The race officer shall have the power, should he or she observe or be made aware of an infringement of the IYRU and/or CSC Sailing and Racing Rules, to disqualify any boat from any Club Race.
    Otherwise and for the avoidance of any doubt, disqualification may only be imposed following a protest in terms of Rule 15 and 16.
    An appeal, which will take the form of a protest against the race officer’s decision to disqualify, shall be available to the disqualified yacht or dinghy, by following the procedure generally laid down in the CSC Rules 15 and 16, but subject to the protest form being returned to the race officer or member of the race committee within 2 hours of the notification of the disqualification against which the protest is made.
  18. All lateral navigation buoys must be left on their proper hand except where the course states otherwise.
  19. Competitors should avoid interfering with port operations and working vessels at all times.