Agreed at the Committee Meeting of 6th February 2019 with revisions 5th January 2022 and 2nd May 2023
- General Rules
1.1. Racing will take place under the current World Sailing Racing Rules of Sailing
(RRS), the prescriptions of the RYA, these sailing instructions, and the
appropriate class rules. The General Rules and Constitution of Sully SC shall
also apply.
1.2. THE OFFICER OF THE DAY (OOD) SHALL HAVE THE SOLE DISCRETION AS TO
WHETHER OR NOT ANY SCHEDULED RACING SHALL TAKE PLACE and shall
have given due regard to the club risk assessments, the weather conditions,
sea state, and whether the Patrol Boat can be launched and recovered without
damage. No scheduled races will take place if the Patrol Boat cannot be
launched.
1.3. THE OOD’s DECISION IS FINAL AND SHALL NOT BE CHALLENGED BY ANY
OTHER MEMBER. - Notices to Competitors
2.1. Notices will be posted on the sailing notice board in the clubhouse and via the
club website.
2.2. Postponed or abandoned race details will be displayed on the sailing notice
board.
2.3. Postponed Trophy races may be sailed as conditions permit in lieu of
subsequent races or on allocated trophy reserve fixtures. Advance notice of the
sailing of such a postponed trophy race will be made by email and displayed on
the sailing notice board. (RRS 80 is hereby amended). - Changes in Sailing Instructions
3.1. Any changes in the racing calendar will be notified to club members via email.
3.2. The Course will be posted on the Notice Board prior to the launch of the Patrol
Boat.
3.3. Any changes to the course made after the launch of the patrol boat will be
notified verbally to all competitors prior to the sounding of the advance notice. - Signals made ashore
4.1. Signals will be displayed above the clubhouse balcony (race office).
4.2. The Signals to be used are provided in Annex 1. (RRS 26 is amended
accordingly). - Schedule of Races
5.1. Races will be conducted in accordance with the current SSC Programme, which
may be amended by the committee from time to time. Competitors should
check the Club website and sailing notice board.
5.2. Races will be run for Fast and Slow fleet competitors in the same race and
results will be displayed for boats in both fleets in the same table. The Fast
fleet consists of boat of PY handicap 1101 and below. Slow Fleet consists of
boats of PY handicap 1102 and above. Prizes will be awarded as described in
section 16. - Racing Area
6.1. All scheduled races will be held in Sully Bay except for the Long Distance Races
and Round the Island Races (Commodore’s Cup). Buoys will not be laid beyond
a line between Sully Island and Hayes Point in order to avoid racing in the
stronger tide. - Courses
7.1. Courses will be set by the OOD and displayed on the sailing notice board before
the launch of the Patrol Boat prior to the day’s racing. The marks (as described
below) will be shown diagrammatically as will the route and direction of the
course. The planned duration of the race will also be indicated. Long distance
races will be set by the OOD on the day of the race and described appropriately
on the sailing notice board.
7.2. Changes to the course may be made after the launch of the Patrol Boat but, if
so, every effort will be made by the OOD or Patrol Boat crew to inform all
competitors of such change of course in accordance with Rule 3 above. - Marks
8.1. The marks to be used will be the permanent yellow start buoy and temporary
red and orange club buoys. A flag buoy will occasionally be used as a start
mark but will not be a mark of the course after the start. - The Start
9.1. The normal club starting line is the projection of an imaginary line formed by
the apex of the Club House and the permanent yellow start buoy. A flag buoy
may be used to make the start perpendicular to the first leg of the course in
certain wind directions. In this case the line will be between the flag buoy and
the yellow start buoy. The flag buoy will not be a mark of the course after the
start and where possible will be removed after all boats have started.
9.2. Where a race is delayed beyond its scheduled start time the lack of any start
signal shall be accepted as a postponement signal. In the case of a protracted
delay the OOD, through the Patrol Boat, shall attempt to inform competitors
verbally.
9.3. Race start times will be delayed only to allow those who are on the slipway or
in a queue to launch ten minutes before the start time of the race, to launch
before the warning signal. - Recalls
10.1. If a small number of boats are over the line (and it is clear to the race office
which boats are over) an Individual Recall will be notified by means of one light
and one sound signal. RRS 29.1 is amended by the substitution of “one light”
for “Flag X”.
10.2. If more boats are over the line, and it is not possible for the race office to
ascertain who is over the line, a General Recall will be indicated (2 lights and 2
sound signals). RRS 29.2 is amended by the substitution of “two lights” for
“First Substitute”.
10.3. Where the start is between the flag buoy and yellow start mark the Patrol Boat
will attempt (if not otherwise engaged in safety duties) to be in a position to
see who is over the line and maintain radio contact with the race office. - Finishing
11.1. The Club Finishing Line will be the same as the normal club starting line (i.e. a
projection of an imaginary line formed by the apex of the Club House and the
permanent yellow start buoy).
11.2. The race finish will be indicated by showing an S flag, sounding two horn
signals and displaying two lights as soon as possible after the first boat to be
finished starts the finishing leg (the lights will remain on and flag displayed
until all boats have finished). The Race Officer should chose an appropriate
gap between boats such that boats in the same fleet are not split between laps
and consider the appropriate time to finish so all boats (except the slowest)
finish within 40 to 55 minutes of the start. It is not a requirement to finish the
leading boat first, but the leading fastest boats should not be split if they are
close.
11.3. In the case where conditions dictate that slow boats are finished before the
rest, a slow boat finish flag (yellow banner with square shape divided
diagonally yellow and white) will be displayed along with the 2 lights and 2
sound signals indicating that only slow boats will be finished until such a time
that the S flag replaces the slow boat finish flag along with a further 2 sound
signals.
11.4. After the appropriate flag is shown all boats of the relevant fleet/fleets will be
finished regardless of the number of laps sailed and the results will be worked
out on an average lap basis.
11.5. The helmsman of any boat that has retired from a race shall inform the OOD at
the first reasonable opportunity. - Time Limits
12.1. Races will normally be planned to last approximately 40 minutes with the
exception of the long distance and round the island races.
12.2. Where the first boat has not completed a lap in one hour the race will be
abandoned and no results will be counted.
12.3. If the wind drops and/or tidal current increases after the first boat has
complete a lap, and the race is likely to run over one hour the race should be
shortened and the results calculated on the last lap completed.
12.4. Where a boat fails to finish within 30 minutes of the first boat they will normally
be deemed to have retired. If they have already completed one lap they may
be allowed (at the discretion of the OOD) to count the last recorded time and
number of laps if that doesn’t give them an unfair advantage over boats which
finished.
12.5. If the wind drops and/or tidal current increases following the sounding of the
shortened course and boats are unable to complete their lap, the race may (at
the discretion of the OOD) be calculated based on the penultimate lap of those
boats who have finished and the last recorded lap of boats that have not
finished. - Protests
13.1. Competitors intending to protest must inform the OOD in person at the first
reasonable opportunity. The protest in writing must be lodged no later than one
hour after the completion of sailing on that day.
13.2. A protest committee will be formed, if required, in accordance with the RRS. - Eligibility
14.1. Races are open to all current Sully SC members.
14.2. A race will count as a race as long as two boats start.
14.3. Guests or other visitors may take part in races at the discretion of the OOD,
provided they have the insurance as required by the club general rules (and on
payment of a fee where applicable) but their results will not be counted unless
the races are advertised as Open (e.g. the Regatta).
14.4. Club Trophies, unless specifically designated otherwise, may only be held by
club members.
14.5. Club Trophies will not be awarded if fewer than 3 club members’ boats start the
race. - Series Scoring
15.1. The number of races to count on any series will be half the number of races
sailed minus 1, rounded down to the next whole number.
15.2. If a person on duty is permitted by the OOD to race because there are more
than enough other race team members available, it should be on the
understanding that the Sailing Secretary may call on them to make themselves
available should a volunteer be required at a future date. - Prizes
16.1. Prizes will be awarded for each race series to the first, second and third placed
finishers in both the Fast and Slow Fleets.
16.2. Prizes will only be awarded to competitors as in 16.1 if they have completed
enough races in the series so as not to count any DNCs in their final results net
of discards, or if they finish ahead of another competitor in their fleet who does
not count any DNCs in their final results net of discards.
16.3. Prizes will be of a value decided by the Committee and awarded at the annual
dinner.
Annex 1 – Signals
Advance Notice Two lights flashing and repeated horn Approx 1 minute before warning signal (short duration)
Warning One light and single horn and flag 5 minutes before start
Preparatory Two Lights, single horn 4 minutes before start
One Minute One light, single horn 1 minute before start
Start No lights, single horn At start
Individual Recall One light, single horn Just after start if applicable
General Recall Two lights, double horn Just after start if applicable
Notice of Finish Two lights, double horn and flag As soon as practicable after the first boat to be finished starts the finishing leg
Finish No lights, single horn As each boat finishes
Race Abandoned One light flashing and repeated horn
Sailing Abandoned Two lights flashing and repeated horn All boats to come ashore (long duration)