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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 Instructions 1.3. This changes RRS 60.1(a).

2 NOTICES TO COMPETITORS

Notices to competitors will be posted on the Official Notice Board located at to the west of the lobby at the sailing pavilion.

3 CHANGES TO THE SAILING INSTRUCTIONS

3.1 Changes to the Sailing Instructions made ashore will be posted before it 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 420s and FJs will be provided by MIT. 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:
(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. Electrical or rigging tape may be used to help prevent gear from snagging.
(b) Standing rigging shall not be adjusted nor tensions altered except by using the jib halyard or at the direction of the OA.
(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.
(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 at 1815 on Friday for competitors scheduled to race on Friday and at 0745 on Saturday. The first warning signal will be 1830 on Friday and 0800 on Saturday and Sunday.

5.2 No warning signal will be made after sunset on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The RC is the sole determiner of the time of sunset.

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 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. An elimination ladder may be used. The goal for this event is to provide as many quality races as possible between evenly matched teams, and to end with a Match Bracket Sunday afternoon, consisting of at least a Semi-final and Finals. The final might include the winners of each of the divisions.

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. Other courses may be employed 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 that 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 Digital N Course

9 MARKS

The rounding marks will be orange, red or pink spheres. The port-end starting and finishing marks will be white 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 started using the Sound Signal Starting System – Appendix Q modified to allow 2 minute rolling starts as follows:
(a) The first warning signal will be approximately 1 minute before the first preparatory signal. This changes RRS Q3.
(b) The one minute signal shall be the Warning of the subsequent race.
(c) After any postponement or abandonment the sequence described in 10.2 (a) shall apply for the first race only. Subsequent race shall be started as described in 10.2 (b).

10.3 The race number may be displayed 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 for protests arising from non Part 2 protests will be available from the Scorer’s office.
(a) Part 2 protests do not need protest forms.

14.3 Protests will be heard ASAP after the race the protest occurred . This modifies RRS 61.2 and RRS 63.2.

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 will be explained at the competitors briefing on Friday and Saturday.

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

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

14.9 Races may be umpired utilizing either D2.2 or D2.3(b).

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.

16 MINIMUM CREW WEIGHT

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

16.2 Competitors shall weigh in wearing only light dry clothing with empty pockets or dry swimming attire, no shoes, socks or hats.

16.3 Except for teams in the Clydesdale division combined weight of the entire six person team shall not be less than 870 - (# of female skippers)* 15 pounds. Teams shall carry penalty weight if the combined weight fails to meet the minimum. Penalty weight shall be one pound of corrector for each pound of weight less than their minimum.
(a) Teams might be required to sail at the Clydesdale division for any final sail-off or sail-offs.

16.4 The weight minimum for teams in the Clydesdale division shall be 960 – (# of women skippers) *15.

16.5 Providing penalty corrector weights shall be the responsibility of the competitors. Only water in sealed jugs shall be acceptable. Competitors shall carry the penalty 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 $1 per foot.

16.6 Teams shall be subject to weigh-ins and re-weighs at any time during the regatta. The weigh-ins shall be at the discretion of the OA, RC, umpires and or jury if any. 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 or teams attempting to circumvent the weigh-in procedure by ingesting food or drink, changing or adding clothing or any other means of changing their weight shall be requested to leave the regatta, their races shall be forfeited and a Rule 69 report may be filed.

16.7 Underweight teams shall be given losses in all races sailed between their previous weigh-in and being found underweight. If they have not yet been weighed then they shall be given losses in all races up to that point. 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

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

17 DECORUM

17.1 All competitors shall treat the staff of MIT Sailing, its patrons, volunteers, and fellow users of the river with respect.

17.2 Requests from the staff, OA and RC are to be obeyed.

17.3 Teams are responsible for their assigned boats throughout the regatta. Failure to do so might result in the forfeiture of part or whole of their damage deposit.

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.

Questions about the regatta? Please contact the organizing team at mitna-crotr-owner@mit.edu

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