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BMYC Sailing Instructions 2011
The following document(s) can be downloaded: BMYC Sailing Instructions 2011 (doc)
BMYC SIs Amendment VHF replacing flags Nov 2011 (doc)
An amendment to the SIs was issued on 26th November 2011. It can be downloaded from the link above.
BRIGHTON MARINA YACHT CLUB
Sailing Instructions
| 1 | RULES |
| 1.1 | Racing will be governed by the current ISAF Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS) with Royal Yachting Association Prescriptions and the rules of the appropriate classes except as amended by these Sailing Instructions and/or Notices of Race. |
| 1.2 | By participating in a race conducted under these rules each competitor and yacht owner agrees to be governed by these rules. |
| 2 | DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY |
| 2.1 | The race committee of the Brighton Marina Yacht Club (BMYC) are providing the races only on the understanding that they or their representatives bear no responsibility for any loss, damage, injury or inconvenience to yachts or persons howsoever arising directly or indirectly from their rules, policy or rulings during the races or related activities. |
| 2.2 | The establishment of these sailing instructions in no way limits or reduces the complete and unlimited responsibility of the owner/competitor for his crew and the management thereof. |
| 3 | CONDITIONS OF ENTRY |
| 3.1 | Entries for open series will only be accepted from entrants of other recognised sailing clubs on proof of their club membership. Entry for any race is subject to acceptance by the Race Committee at its absolute discretion. Closed series races are only open to yachts owned or skippered by members of BMYC. |
| 3.2 | All competitors shall sign on with the race officer prior to racing and shall have paid the full race fee due or agree to pay before results can be produced. |
| 3.3 | The sole determining factor in whether or not BMYC will start and/or finish a race will be the ability of the Race Officer of the day to conduct a race under the prevailing conditions and within the terms of RRS and these Sailing Instructions. |
| 4 | ALTERATIONS TO THE SAILING INSTRUCTIONS |
| 4.1 | In accordance with RRS 86<.1 (b) these Sailing Instructions contain alterations to the RRS. |
| 4.2 | The Race Committee reserves the right to alter or amend these Standard Sailing Instructions. In the case of such an alteration a copy of the amendment shall be posted on the Race Notice Board and attention drawn to such amendments on the same notice board. |
| 5 | |
| 5.1 | The Race Office and the official Race Notice Board will be in BMYC. |
| 5.2 | All enquiries to the Club Administrative Secretary on (01273) 818711 or by email to office@bmyc.org.uk. |
| 6 | COURSE |
| 6.1 | The course will be made available at the time of signing on or will be announced on the radio channel designated by the Race Officer or by other manner e.g. text message. |
| 6.2 | If the course is changed prior to the start the Race Officer will fly International Code Flag L and announce the new course on the designated radio channel. |
| 6.3 | Yachts not able to receive radio transmission must come within hail of the Race Officer to receive the revised course. |
| 7 | MARKS |
| 7.1 | Course marks will be navigational buoys, yellow spar buoys, or inflatable buoys. |
| 8 | PROHIBITED AREAS |
| 8.1 | All yacht shall keep to the south of the bathing areas to Brighton beaches. These areas are normally marked by small yellow buoys, and yachts shall not pass between or to the north of these buoys. |
| 9 | CLASSES, CLASS SIGNALS AND START TIMES |
| 9.1 | All classes start as prescribed in the Notice of Race displayed on the Race Notice Board. |
| 9.2 | The class flags will be as follows:- IRC1 fleet – Numeral Pennant 1 IRC2 fleet – Numeral Pennant 2 PY fleet – International Code flag G. |
| 9.3 | All race entrants shall fly their class flag from the backstay or from a visible position on the stern of the yacht if there is no backstay. |
| 9.4 | Should there be less than three boats signing on in either of IRC 1 & 2 classes for either of the first two races of a series then they will be combined to form one class. Otherwise they shall be run as separate classes if so indicated in the Notice of Race. |
| 10 | STARTS |
| 10.1 | For starts controlled from the Shore the starting line is defined as a transit of the two orange triangles on the Breakwater with the BMYC No 1 spar buoy as the Outer Distance Mark (ODM) unless otherwise prescribed. If only one triangle is in place the start line shall be the line between the triangle and the No 1 buoy. If there is no ODM no yacht shall start from a position further than 500 metres from the end of the Breakwater. |
| 10.2 | For starts controlled from a Committee Boat the starting line will be between the flagstaff bearing an orange flag on the Committee Boat and the ODM. The ODM will be the nearest buoy unless there is an Inner Distance Mark (IDM) when the ODM will be the second nearest buoy. |
| 10.3 | A yacht starting later than 15 minutes after her starting signal will be scored Did Not Start. |
| 10.4 | When a gate start is used, the gate boat (pathfinder) shall have right of way over all other boats racing from the start of the race until 2 minutes after the start, or until all other boats have started, or until the race is abandoned whichever is the earlier. During this time when the gate boat has right of way it must hold its course. This changes RRS Rules 10, 11 and 12 only. |
| 10.5 | When a gate start is used, the gate boat (pathfinder) may use its engine until the start of the race, but not after. This changes RRS Rule 42.1. |
| 11 | SHORTENING COURSE |
| 11.1 | If the course shortened signal is made from the shore the finish line shall be between the flagstaff displaying the signal and the BMYC No 1 Buoy unless otherwise noted in the course instruction. |
| 11.2 | If the course shortened signal is made from a Committee Boat the finishing line will be between the flagstaff flying a blue flag and the nearest mark of the course. This changes RRS Rule 32.2 |
| 12 | FINISHING
|
| 12.1 | Where the finish is controlled from the Shore the finishing line is between BMYC No 1 Buoy and the flagstaff on the breakwater unless otherwise prescribed. |
| 12.2 | Where the finish is controlled from a Committee boat the finishing line will be between the flagstaff bearing a blue flag and the nearest mark. |
| 12.3 | When no finishing mark is laid yachts shall finish on the transit of two orange triangles on the Breakwater and within 500 metres of the breakwater. |
| 13 | TIME LIMITS |
| 13.1 | The time limit for the first yacht in
each class is three hours from the start of the race except for races
starting after 18:00hrs when the time limit is be |
| 13.2 | Yachts failing to finish within 90 minutes of the first yacht in their class finishing correctly will be scored Did Not Finish. This changes RRS Rule 35. This does not apply to Offshore races. |
| 13.3 | When no yacht in the class finishes within the time limit the results of the race shall be determined by timings taken at the previous crossing of the finish line if available. This does not apply to Offshore races. If no previous timings are available the race shall be abandoned. This changes RRS Rule 35. |
| 14 | POSTPONEMENT/ABANDONMENT |
| 14.1 | A race that is not run on the advertised date can be re-sailed at the sole discretion of the Series Officer. Sunday un-run races will normally be run the next possible following Sunday. Wednesday un-run races will not be re-sailed. |
| 14.2 | If the Series Officer has not decided to re-sail a race it will be deemed abandoned. |
| 15 | DECLARATION |
| 15.1 | A member of the crew for the race must sign the declaration sheet (signing off sheet) within 2 hours of finishing the last race of the day (1 hour for evening races) to confirm that the yacht has sailed the race in accordance with the RRS, these rules and the race instructions, or has retired. Failure to sign off within this time limit will result in the yacht being awarded points equal to a retirement. |
| 16 | RETIRING |
| 16.1 | Yachts retiring from a race should fly their ensign and draw the attention of the Race Officer to their retirement on the designated radio channel or if this is not possible by hailing the Race Officer. |
| 17 | |
| 17.1 | A fleet's race will only be valid if one yacht or more, which is signed on, crosses the start line or is scored in accordance with the abbreviations in RRS Appendix A11 excepting DNC. |
| 17.2 | For a race to count toward a series result not less than two yachts, which are signed on, cross the start line or are scored in accordance with the abbreviations in RRS Appendix All excepting DNC for the number of races that count toward an individual boat’s result multiplied by 0.75. For the Offshore Series only there is no minimum number of yachts for the race to be valid toward a series result. |
| 18 | EXONERATION PENALTY |
| 18.1 | A boat that may have broken a rule of Part 2, or rule 31.1 or 42, may, after finishing the race concerned and before the start of a related protest hearing, notify the race officer that she accepts a 20% scoring penalty as stated in rule 44.3(c), (except that the minimum penalty is two places if that does not result in a score worse than DNF). This penalty does not reverse an OCS score, a disqualification under rule 30.3 or a penalty under Appendix P. It is not available for a breach of rule 2 or of class rules or for gross misconduct under rule 69. Nor is it available to a boat that caused injury or serious damage, or gained a significant advantage by her breach: in these circumstances, her penalty is to retire. |
| 18.2 | When an Exoneration Penalty is accepted,
|
| 19 | ADVISORY HEARING |
| 19.1 | When there is an incident that will not result in the lodging of a protest or a request for redress, a boat, protest committee or race officer may request an advisory hearing with the race office, and notify any boat involved in the incident. An adviser will then call a hearing to learn what may have happened and will state whether any rule appears to have been broken, and by which boat. A boat may as a result notify the race office that she accepts an Exoneration Penalty when it applies to the incident, or choose to retire, although there is no requirement for her to do either. |
| 20 | RYA ARBITRATION |
| 20.1 | When a protest or request for redress is lodged, a boat may at the same time request RYA Arbitration, or the protest committee or race officer may offer it. |
| 20.2 | If the parties and a member of the protest or race committee agree that RYA Arbitration is suitable, an arbitrator (who may be that member of the protest committee) will call a hearing conforming to Section B of Part 5 of the Racing Rules of Sailing, except that rule 64.1 will not apply. Instead, when the arbitrator decides that a boat that is a party to the arbitration hearing has broken a rule for which the Exoneration Penalty is available, the party will be invited to accept that penalty, and, if it is accepted by a protested boat, the protesting boat will be allowed to withdraw the protest, changing rule 63.1. |
| 20.3 | When there is not an agreement to use RYA Arbitration, or when, after RYA Arbitration, a protest is not withdrawn or the Exoneration Penalty is not applicable to the facts, there will be a normal protest hearing, at which the arbitrator may be a member of the protest committee. Rule 66 will not apply to the arbitration decision. A boat may still accept an Exoneration Penalty at any time before the start of a protest hearing and receive its protection from further penalization. She may also retire. |
| 20.4 | When redress is offered and accepted at the RYA Arbitration, the protest committee or race officer may seek to have this reviewed by asking for a full hearing. When redress is offered and not accepted, or not offered at all, the boat may have her request heard before a protest committee. |
| 21 | PROTESTS |
| 21.1 | Unless otherwise prescribed in the sailing instructions protests shall be delivered to the Race Officer as soon as possible but in no case later than 2 hours (1 hour for Evening races) after the yacht has finished the last race of the day. |
| 21.2 | The time limit may be extended at the discretion of the Race Committee. |
| 21.3 | All competitors intending to lodge a protest shall fly a protest flag at the finish line and bring this to the attention of the Race Officer. |
| 21.4 | Protests will be heard at the time specified on the Race Notice Board. |
| 22 | SCORING |
| 22.1 | The Low Point scoring system of RRS Appendix A4.1 will apply unless otherwise stated in the Notice of Race. |
| 22.2 | Where a yacht does not compete in a race in a series because of Race Officer duties that yacht will be awarded points equal to third place or the average points of races in which they compete (rounded to the nearest whole point) whichever is the lower provided the race is valid and at least one boat in any class finishes. A yacht may only be awarded points for Race Officer duties once in any series. |
| 22.3 | The number of races that will constitute a series will be given in the Notice of Race. |
| 22.4 | A provisional list of results will be available as soon as possible after the last yacht has finished and will be posted on the Race Notice Board. |
| 22.5 | Corrected times for a race shall be rounded to the nearest second with 0.5 seconds rounding up. |
| 23 | USE OF ENGINE |
| 23.1 | All yachts will compete under RRS 42 excepting a yacht using its engine to leave harbour in compliance with Brighton Marina Bye-Laws after the preparatory signal of its class shall stop its engine before crossing the start line. As soon as possible after starting it shall complete a 720º turn without interfering with other yachts starting correctly or racing. |
| 24 | MEASUREMENT AND RATING CERTIFICATES |
| 24.1 | Yachts racing shall have been allocated a Portsmouth Yardstick number by BMYC or hold a current IRC or shall be of a class for which the club has class racing and hold a valid measurement certificate or club approved handicap. |
| 24.2 | A copy of the current IRC must be lodged with the race committee prior to racing and a copy of the certificate must also be kept on board whilst racing. |
| 24.3 | The new year’s IRC will come into force immediately after the Frostbite Series. |
| 24.4 | A yacht or equipment may be inspected at any time for compliance with the class rules and sailing instructions. On the water a yacht can be instructed by a member of the race committee to proceed immediately to a designated area for inspection. |
| 24.5 | In the interest of fair sailing those yachts racing with BMYC will not be permitted to alter their handicap rating with the sole purpose of taking advantage of different seasonal conditions. |
| 24.6 | Bunk cushions may be removed without penalty from yachts racing in all inshore series. |
| 24.7 | In the IRC classes the maximum crew shall be the Crew Number printed on the boat’s rating certificate plus one. No crew weight limit shall apply except where class rules are in force. This changes IRC rule 22.4.2. |
| 25 | RACE OFFICER DUTIES |
| 25.1 | All racing yachts will be required to perform Race Officer duties. |
| 25.2 | The Series Officer will be available to assist and advise with course setting and result calculation. |
| 25.3 | It is the responsibility of the Race Officer to ensure that he/she has enough assistants (at least two) to run an organised race. |
| 25.4 | Flag procedures for start and finish sequences are detailed in the Race Officers pack. If the Race Officer is unsure of any sequence they must consult the Series Officer or a member of the Race Committee. |
| 25.5 | It is the duty of any Race Officer who cannot be present on the prescribed day to find a substitute whom he can confidently appoint to fulfil the required duties. Failure of attendance on the prescribed day will result in the Race Officer having to explain to a full Race Committee. |
| 26 | BEHAVIOUR |
| 26.1 | Skippers of all yachts associated with the Brighton Marina Yacht Club and/or sailing under the BMYC banner will be held responsible for the behaviour and actions of their crew at all times during such events. Any misbehaviour which is deemed likely to bring the name of the Brighton Marina Yacht Club into disrepute will be treated with immediate action and could result in that yacht being banned from taking part in any event associated with the Brighton Marina Yacht Club. |
| 27 | SAFETY |
| 27.1 | All yachts will be required to carry safety equipment in working order in accordance with ORC Category 4 for inshore racing except for boats of a recognised one design with a Class Association that provides relevant safety regulations. In which case the boat must comply fully with the Class Association’s safety regulations AND the skipper/owner(s) must be current member(s) of the Class Association. For Offshore Racing, yachts must comply with the category of safety regulation that applies to a particular race as shown in the Notice of Race. A list of Category 4 safety equipment can be found in the BMYC yearbook and is available from the Race Committee. |
| 27.2 | A boat may be inspected for compliance with safety requirements at any time by a person appointed by the Race Committee for that purpose. |
| 27.3 | Any yacht refusing, failing or unable to comply with any of the safety regulations may be subject to protest by the Race Committee or another competitor |