Charles River Open Team Race 2010

Sailing Instructions

1. RULES

1.1 The regatta will be governed by the rules as defined in The Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS) set by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF),  as ammended by the US Sailing Prescriptions set by US Sailing and the class rules of the intercollegiate dinghy class as described in the Procedural Rules for Intercollegiate Competition ICSA. RRS Appendix D - Team Racing Rules applies.

1.2 If there is a conflict between the Notice of Race and the Sailing Instructions, the Sailing Instructions shall take precedence.

1.3 USCG-approved Type III PFDs shall be worn at all times while on the water except while actively adding or removing clothing. Competitors shall supply their own PFDs. PFDs shall be worn outside of all clothing except for team identification bibs.

1.4 Boats are prohibited from protesting under Sailing Instruction 1.3. This changes RRS 60.1(a).

2. NOTICES TO COMPETITORS

Notices to competitors will be posted on the Official Notice Board located to the west of the lobby of the MIT Sailing Pavilion.

3. CHANGES TO THE SAILING INSTRUCTIONS

3.1 Changes to the Sailing Instructions made ashore will be posted before they will take effect.

3.2 A change in the time for the first warning on Sunday will be announced and posted no later than 1 hour after the finish of the final race on Saturday.

4. BOATS PROVIDED BY THE ORGANIZING AUTHORITY

4.1 FJs will be provided by MIT and Harvard. Claims regarding the performance of the boats will not be grounds for granting redress. This changes RRS 62.1(a).

4.2 Redress will not be granted for knots becoming untied or the loss of pins or rings. The exception to this is a halyard knot at the top of a sail if neither the competitor nor the competitor’s team rigged the boat. This changes RRS 62.1(a).

4.3 The following limitations shall apply:

4.3(a) Boats shall be sailed with the rigging and fittings as supplied. Replacement of broken or damaged gear may only be made with gear sanctioned by the OA. Only electrical or rigging tape may be used to help prevent gear from snagging. Duct tape shall not be used for this purpose.

 4.3(b) Standing rigging shall not be adjusted nor tensions altered except by using the jib halyard or at the direction of the OA.

4.3(c) Every effort shall be made to avoid damage to hulls, rigging and sails. All boats shall be required to provide a $100 damage deposit prior to the start of racing by providing a check at registration in a self-addressed stamped envelope or via credit card on the event website. This deposit does not limit the liability of a competitor. In addition to damage to the provided boats, the damage deposit(s) may be used to pay for the repair of damage to boats or equipment caused by competitors and for the replacement or repair of the identification bibs.

4.3(d) In the event that the damage deposit is partially or wholly used, the team will be required to replenish the deposit in order to continue racing. 

5. SCHEDULE

5.1 A competitors’ briefing will be held on Saturday at 0730 for Groups A and B, 0845 for Groupc C and D and on 1000 for Group E. The first warning signal will be 0750 on Sunday.

5.2 No warning signal will be made after 1700 on Saturday or 1600 on Sunday.

6. REGATTA FORMAT

6.1 The regatta format and number of races will be determined by the race committee, based on the number of teams and the expected weather conditions. The regatta format may be changed on the water; see SI 3.

6.2(a) The planned format is multiple group round-robins, with the groups reconstituted after each round-robin based on the results of completed races. The regrouping may take into account the won/lost record (weighted by the group) and race scores and the current group a team is in as tie-breakers. An elimination ladder may be used. The goal of this event is to provide as many races as possible between evenly matched teams, and to end with Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals and Finals Sunday afternoon. 

6.2(b) Time permitting, in the Quarter-Finals, each qualifying team will race best of three agains one other team. The teams that qualify for the Quarter-Finals will consist of Larchbone and the top 7 teams as determined by the same method as used for regrouping. Larchbone will be considered the top seed. Larchbone and then the top 3 seeds get to choose their opponents in the quarterfinals.

6.2(c) Scores from any previous round will not carry forward into the Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals, or Finals.  The top 4 teams of the Quarter-Final round will then sail a best-to-two-wins Semi-Finals. Larchbone, or the highest seed team from the Quarter Finals will be able to choose their opponent in the Semi-Finals.

6.2(d) The winners of the Semi-Finals will race in the Finals; the losers from the Semi-Finals will race in the Petite Finals, for third and fourth place in the regatta.  All other placements will be those used to determine the regroupings in the course of the round-robins.

6.3 Scores from partially completed rounds may count to determine placement in the finals or final order of finish in the regatta. This changes RRS D4.3.

7. RACING AREA

The racing area will be on the lower basin of the Charles River.

8. COURSE

8.1 The course will be a digital N. The now-famous inverted digital N course may be employed with a leeward start and an illustration will be posted on the official notice board prior to the change.

8.2 The Race Committee may change a leg of the course that begins at a rounding mark by changing the position of the next mark or the finishing line, but no mark shall be moved when any boat is on the leg which it terminates. Subsequent legs may be changed to maintain the course configuration. There will be no visual or audible signals for a course change; this changes RRS 33.

8.3 Courses will not be shortened, this changes RRS 32 and Race Signals ‘S’.

8.4 a)Digital N Course or  b)Upside down Digital N.

a) b)

9. MARKS

The rounding marks will be orange, red or pink spheres. The port-end starting and finishing marks will be white spheres or green spheres.

10. START AND FINISH

10.1 The start and finish lines will be between the staff from which a flag is displayed on a Race Committee boat and the course side of the nearby mark.

10.2 The start shall be a 2 minute rolling start with the first warning approximately 1 minute before the 2 minute signal and warnings for subsequent races being the 30 second signal of the previous start, unless there is a postponement, abandonment or a general recall. This changes RRS Q3.

10.3 The race number may be hailed from the RC signal boat.

10.4 A boat starting more than two minutes after her starting signal will be scored “DNS” without a hearing. This changes RRS 63.1 and D3.1.

11. ABANDONMENT and SHORTENING of COURSE

11.1 Races may be abandoned at any time. This changes RRS 32.1. Abandonment will be signaled by oral instruction. Abandoned races may be re-sailed and if so, a new warning signal for the abandoned race will be made as soon as practical.

11.2 Races shall not be shortened. This changes RRS 32.1.

12. INDIVIDUAL RECALLS

If flag X is displayed, it will remain displayed until all OCS boats are completely on the pre-course side of the starting line or its extensions, or for one minute, whichever occurs first.

13. TIME LIMIT

There will be no time limit for any race.

14. PROTESTS

14.1 The finish boat and the parties to the protest must be notified of intent to protest at the end of the race.

14.2 Protest forms will be available from the Scorer’s Office.

14.3 Protests must be heard within 10 minutes ater all parties have returned to the dock after the flight in which the protest occurred. This modifies RRS 61.2 and RRS 63.2. A flight defined is a round of races for a given seeded group of competitors.

14.4 The Race committee may require that protests be heard on the water after the parties involved have finished the race. The “three-minute justice” system may be used, which changes RRS 63.2 regarding time for preparation for the hearing, and RRS 63.6 regarding witnesses.

14.5 Failure of the parties to be present may not be reason to reopen the hearing.

14.6 Three minute justice with very expedited hearings will be explained verbally at the competitors’ briefing on Saturday.

14.7 All valid protests arising from hull contact shall result in disqualifications. This modifies RRS 64.

14.8 The Scorers shall be informed of protest results as soon as the decision is rendered.

15. Redress

15.1 Requests for redress arising from a race shall be reported to the finish boat. All other requests for redress shall be reported to the Scorer’s Office on the form provided.

15.2 Requests for redress shall be heard by a committee appointed by the Race Committee.

15.3 The time limit for requests for redress shall be 15 minutes after the finish of the last race in the set in which the incident occurred or 15 minutes after the incident whichever is later.

16. Minimum Crew Weight

16.1 It is the responsibility of each team to ensure that it is not sailing under- weight. To that end the official scale shall be available to competitors throughout the event.

16.2 Competitors shall weigh in wearing only light shirt and shorts, no shoes, socks or hats.

16.3 Combined weight of the entire six-person team shall not be less than 900 - (# of female skippers)* 25 pounds. Teams shall carry corrector weight if the combined weight fails to meet the minimum. Corrector weight shall be one pound of corrector for each pound of weight less than their minimum.

16.4 Providing corrector weights shall be the sole responsibility of the competitors.  Only water in sealed jugs shall be acceptable. Competitors shall carry the corrector weights in every race, from boat to boat, and shall secure them in the cockpit of each boat with tie-off lines they supply. Tie-off lines may be on sale from MIT at the price of $5 per foot. 

16.5 Teams shall be subject to weigh-ins and reweighs at any time during the regatta. The weigh-ins shall be at the discretion of the OA and RC,. Teams requested to weigh-in shall report immediately and directly to the weigh-in area in the clothing used to sail their last race. Teams not reporting immediately to the weigh-in area or teams attempting to circumvent the weigh-in procedure by ingesting food or drink, changing or adding clothing, or any other means of attempting to change their weight, shall forfeit any wins from the last flight of races which they competed.

16.6 Underweight teams shall be given losses in all races in their previous flight of races. In the event there are two teams who have been given losses under this SI in the same race there shall be no win given for that race for any reason.

16.7 Team weights shall not be subject to a competitor protest. This changes RRS 60.1.

17. Decorum

17.1 All competitors shall respect and acknowledge the other MIT sailing patrons, regatta volunteers, and fellow users of the river frequently.

17.2 All competitors agree to follow the instructions and directions of the MIT Sailing Pavilion staff, the MITNA volunteers and other event organizers.

17.3 The MIT Sailing Pavilion is open to recreational sailing throughout this event; competitors should be aware of and respect recreational sailors. The OA will make every attempt possible to keep recreational sailors outside of the competition area; competitors shall not engage in on-water discussions/protests with other patrons.

18. Safety

In accordance with RRS 4, the responsibility for a boat’s decision to participate in a race or to continue racing is hers alone. The responsibility for the safety of the boat and each competitor lies solely with each individual and not with the MIT Sailing Pavilion or any of its staff or volunteers.

19. Responsibility of the Winner of the Regatta

The winning team of the 2010 CROTR shall be responsible for helping to organize and run the 2011 CROTR.

By their entrance in the 2010 CROTR, all teams entering the regatta accept this responsibility.

Organizers

Questions about this event should be directed to the organizer(s): Alvar Saenz-Otero, Fran Charles, Matthew Lindblad, Matthew Cohen