Sint Maarten Yacht Club

STANDARD CLAUSES for SAILING INSTRUCTIONS - OFFSHORE

When this document is included in a Sailing Instructions (SI), the two documents combined form the ‘Sailing Instructions’ as defined in RRS Appendix J2. The SI may change any part of this document by stating the Standard Clause (SC) changed and the change.

1.RULES

1.1.The regatta will be governed by the rules as defined in The Racing Rules of Sailing.

1.2.No national authority prescriptions will apply.

1.3.Classes designated as ‘CSA’ will also be governed by the CSA Rating Rule except that if so stated on the SI, boats not holding a current Rating certificate may apply for a temporary rating and if granted, such rating will apply for this event only.

1.4.Classes designated as ‘Multihull’ will also be governed by the CSA Multihull Rating Rule.

1.5.All classes will be governed by the Caribbean Regatta Safety and Equipment Regulations.

1.6.Any other rule changes are detailed in the SI.

1.7.If there is a conflict between languages the English text will take precedence.

2.ADDITIONAL IDENTIFICATION

2.1.If required by the Notice of Race, boats shall display identification while racing. The organising authority will supply such identification and instructions for their use, which instructions will form part of the Sailing Instructions.

2.2.If class flags are to be displayed by competing boats, they are to be displayed conspicuously abaft the main mast of the boat.

3.NOTICES TO COMPETITORS AND COMMUNICATIONS

3.1.Notices to competitors will be posted on the official Notice Board as described in the SI.

3.2.VHF Radio may be used to communicate with competitors on the water. The channel(s) to be used are detailed in the SI.

4.CHANGES TO SAILING INSTRUCTIONS

4.1.Changes to the Sailing Instructions will be posted not less than 2 hours before the warning signal of the first race in which it will take effect, except that any change to the schedule of races will be posted by 2000 on the day before it will take effect.

4.2.Changes to Marks, Courses, and the Starting Order may be made orally by the Race Committee prior to the warning signal of any affected class by:

a)displaying code flag ‘L’ with one sound, and

b)announcing the change by hailing each boat sailing in the starting area or by VHF Radio on the channel designated in the SI.

5.CLASSES, CLASS FLAGS, SCHEDULE OF RACES, And STARTING ORDER

5.1.Classes, Class flags, the Schedule of Races, and the scheduled Starting order for the first race of each day is given in the SI.

5.2.Subsequent races on each day may start in a different order.

6.RACING AREA and LOCATION OF START

The location of the start is described in the SI.

7.PROHIBITED AREAS

While racing, boats shall not enter the following areas which are defined as obstructions:

7.1.The area between any mooring buoy or mark in Cole Bay and the nearest shoreline.

7.2.The area between any yellow mark in Maho Bay and the nearest shoreline.

8.THE COURSES

The course to be sailed for each class will be signalled not later than the warning signal for that class:

8.1.by displaying a course board on the committee vessel showing a symbol for each mark in the order in which it is to be rounded. A Green symbol denotes that the mark is to be rounded to starboard, a red or orange symbol denotes that the mark is to be rounded to port.

8.2.The Race Committee may additionally announce the course by VHF.

9.MARKS

9.1.The marks are described in Attachment A of the SI and an optional accompanying chart. The chart does not form part of the Sailing Instructions.

9.2.Unless specified in the SI, the starting and finishing marks will be orange ball-shaped fenders.

10.THE START

10.1.Unless otherwise specified in the SI the starting line will be between a staff displaying an orange flag on the committee boat and the starting mark.

10.2.If specified in the SI a starting time limit will apply: a boat starting later than the specified time after her starting signal will be scored Did Not Start without a hearing. This changes rules A4 and A5.

11.CHANGE OF THE NEXT LEG OF THE COURSE

11.1.To maintain a course configuration or change course length marks may be moved as necessary, but no mark shall be moved when any boat is on the leg that it bounds. A leg of the course may not be deleted. This changes RRS 32.2 and 33.

11.2.The Race Committee will not signal a change of course unless the change is greater than 30° in direction or 25% in length. This changes RRS 33.

12.PENALTY SYSTEM

12.1.Unless specified in the SI RRS 44.1 is changed so that the Two-Turns Penalty is replaced by the One-Turn Penalty.

12.2.RRS 44 is extended to allow a boat to accept an Exoneration Penalty (scoring abbreviation “EXP”) for a breach of a rule of Part 2 prior to a protest hearing. The Exoneration Penalty will be 30% of the number of boats entered (rounding to the nearest whole number, 0.5 upward) added to her finish position, however she shall not be scored worse than "Did Not Finish".

13.THE FINISH

Unless specified in the SI the finishing line will be between a staff displaying an orange flag on the committee boat and the finishing mark.

14.TIME LIMIT

If a Time Limit is stated in the SI, boats failing to finish within the specified time after the first boat sails the course and finishes will be scored Time Limit Expired (TLE) without a hearing. This changes RRS 35, A4 and A5.

15.PROTESTS AND REQUESTS FOR REDRESS

15.1.For each class, the protest time limit is 1 hour after the last boat has finished the last race of the day, or after Standard Clause 15 has been applied to that race, or the race has been abandoned.

15.2.SC 2 shall not be grounds for a protest by a boat. This changes RRS 60.1(a).

15.3.Except for breaches of RRS Part 2, the protest committee may apply any penalty that they deem equitable. Such a penalty will be scored with the abbreviation “DPI”. This changes RRS 64.1.

16.ARBITRATION

16.1.For protests involving an alleged breach of a rule of Part 2, an arbitration hearing may be held prior to a protest hearing if all parties agree. This changes Part 5, Section B of the RRS.

16.2.One representative from each boat will attend the arbitration and no witnesses will be allowed.

16.3.Protests not withdrawn after arbitration will be heard as required by RRS 63.1.

17.SCORING

17.1.Unless specified in the SI, a boat’s series score will be the total of her race scores.

17.2.A boat scored TLE will be scored points for the place one more than the number of boats that finished within the time limit. This changes A4 and A5.

17.3.To request correction of a perceived error in posted race or series results, a boat may complete a scoring enquiry form available at the race office.

18.EQUIPMENT AND MEASUREMENT CHECKS

A boat or equipment may be inspected at any time for compliance with the class rules and Sailing Instructions. On the water, a boat can be instructed by a race committee equipment inspector or measurer to proceed immediately to a designated area for inspection.

19.PRIZES

Prizes are listed in the SI.

20.DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY

Competitors participate in the regatta entirely at their own risk. See RRS 4, Decision to Race. The organising authority 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.

21.RIGHTS TO USE NAME AND LIKENESS

By participating in this event, competitors grant to the organising authority and the event sponsors the right, in perpetuity, to make, use, and show, at their discretion, any photography, audio and video recordings, and other reproductions of them made at the venue or on the water from the time of their arrival at the venue, until their final departure, without compensation.

Information below this point is not part of the Sailing Instructions.

Additional information (links correct at time of publication):

Racing Rules of Sailing are available at: http://sailing.org/documents/racingrules/

CSA Rating Rule is available at: http://caribbean-sailing.com/csa/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/rule2012v01.pdf

Caribbean Regatta Safety and Equipment Regulations at: https://regattaguru.com/static/safety.html