Regattas
This year there will be 2 seasons of racing -- Summer and Fall because of the Pandemic. Regattas are held on 2 weekends every month alternating between Saturdays and Sundays. Hopefully, this year will also include timed racing on Wednesday evenings as a part of a “fun racing” series.
At Asheville Sailing Club, beginners are welcome and we understand that many members are new to the concept of racing. Oftentimes, before the races start, our Commodore will present an overview the basics of sailing rules with emphasis on starts, roundings, and procedure when boats meet. These discussions are an excellent chance for sailors of all levels to strengthen their racing and general sailing knowledge. Sailors of all levels can also seek guidance from more experienced sailors who are more than happy to share their knowledge.
Also check out our Learn-to-sail programs!
NOTICE OF RACE
Asheville Sailing Club Points Regatta
MMM DD, 2021 1:00 pm
Organizing Authority (OA): Asheville Sailing Club
The notation ‘[NP]’ in a rule means that a boat may not protest another boat for breaking that rule. The notation ‘[DP]’ in a rule means that the rule is subject to a discretionary penalty which can be less than disqualification.
1. RULES
1.1 The regatta will be governed by the rules as defined in the 2021 – 2024 The Racing Rules of Sailing and the rules of participating classes except as amended by this Notice of Race.
1.2 Appendix P (Special Procedures for Rule 42) shall apply, P2.1 is amended to delete “first”, P2.2 and P2.3 shall not apply.
1.3 The following Prescriptions of US Sailing are the only prescriptions that will apply:
RRS 32, 61.4, 67, 76.1, Appendix R and Appendix V.
1.4 [DP] [NP] All coach and support vessels shall be equipped with a functioning engine safety cut-out switch (kill switch) which shall remain attached to the driver at all times while the engine is running.
1.5 Racing rules will be changed as follows:
Part 3-rule 25: Sailing instructions (SIs) will be provided verbally at the skippers meeting. No written SIs will be made available to competitors.
Part 3-rule 26: The starting sequence is as follows:
Signal Flag and Sound Minutes to Start
Fleet Start Sequence No Flag 10
Fleet Warning blue flag up; 1 sound 5
Preparatory red flag up; 1 sound 4
One-minute red flag down; 1 long sound 1
Starting blue flag down; 1 sound 0
Part 3-rule 29.1: Individual Recalls. Race Committee will signal over early boats with a sound (the X flag signal may be given), followed by a hail of the offending boat numbers. Boats over early are not exonerated if they do not hear the Race Committee hail. Offending boats must return and completely clear the starting line to be exonerated.
Part 3-rule 29.2 Two sounds and a hail will signal a general recall – a white flag may be displayed.
Part 3-rule 32: Three long warning horns during a race indicate that the race shall be immediately abandoned, and all boats should return to the starting area. Any lightning in the area shall be grounds for immediate abandonment. No flag signals will be given for abandonment. The A flag will be used to signal no more racing for the day.
Part 3-rule 35: Time limits. If no boat has passed the first mark within 20 minutes the race will be abandoned. Boats failing to finish within 30 minutes of the first boat to finish will be scored DNF. The race committee has the right to waive or modify this rule before or during a race, if conditions justify it (e.g. wind dies during the race).
1.5.1 Appendix S 9.2 and 11.1: The starting and finish line will be the same for each race in the series, The northeast post of the covered picnic area and the buoy to the east.
1.5.2 No boat will be tied or held by hand to any part of the dock/slip after the preparatory signal except for an emergency. Offending boat will complete a 720 penalty after starting the race.
2. ELIGIBILITY AND ENTRY
2.1 The regatta is open to all members of the Asheville Sailing Club and their guests. Non-members may race but will not be scored.
2.2 Eligible boats may enter by completing the signup on the Asheville Sailing Club site under the applicable regatta name prior to racing. Here is the link https://www.ashevillesailing.org/regattas
2.3 All boats will be scored using the Portsmouth Handicap System. The race committee scorer will use the DPN value listed 2017 Portsmouth Precalculated Classes.
3. FEES
There are no required fees to participate. A regular annual membership fee for the Asheville Sailing Club is required to be scored. Guests skippers will be scored and can race for no more than three regattas a year before membership is required.
4. SCHEDULE
Registration will occur on-line at the Asheville Sailing Club website --https://www.ashevillesailing.org/regattas at least 30 minutes prior to the skippers meeting. The first race will begin soon after the conclusion of the meeting. No race shall begin more than 3 hours after the posted start of the skipper’s meeting.
5. MEASUREMENTS
It is expected that all boats conform to their respective class rules for measurement. No measurements will be made at the regatta. Class restrictions (e.g. number of crew, sails) may be relaxed at the discretion of the Race Committee and ASC officers as long as no unfair advantage is gained.
6. SAILING INSTRUCTIONS
No written sailing instructions will be provided to competitors. All race information will be provided at the skippers meeting prior to the first race. Changes to racecourses may be made onshore after the conclusion of a race.
7. COURSES
Courses will set by the PRO to fit the wind direction and speed with starting line east of dock at the marina. The mark will be placed in the general location of the locations listed below:
A. Wires
B. Dam
C. Long Shoals Rd. Hole
D. Starting Pin
The approximate location of the marks is shown in the image below:
The Race Committee reserves the right to modify the racecourse, including courses not listed on the NOR, prior to the start of the race.
8. PENALTY SYSTEM
8.1 RRS Appendix V shall apply.
8.2 A two-turns penalty (720°) must be completed by a boat after a rule infraction with another boat at the earliest time possible. A one-turn penalty (360°) must be completed by a boat touching a mark.
8.3 Any rule disputes must be brought to the attention of the Race Committee at the conclusion of the race and will be settled at the conclusion of racing for the day.
9. SCORING
9.1 The scoring system in RRS Appendix A4 will be used.
9.2 Four total races are planned.
9.3 When fewer than four races have been completed, a boat’s series score will be the total of her race scores. When four or more races have been completed, a boat’s series score will be the total of her race scores excluding her worst score.
9.4 Two races are required to be completed to constitute a series.
9.5 The regatta will be scored according to the ASC Regatta Organization 2021 document distributed to the ASC membership.
10. PRIZES
This regatta comprises a portion of the ASC seasonal and annual championships. No prizes will be distributed at this regatta.
11. RISK STATEMENT
RRS 3 states: ‘The responsibility for a boat’s decision to participate in a race or to continue to race is hers alone.’ By participating in this event each competitor agrees and acknowledges that sailing is a potentially dangerous activity with inherent risks. These risks include strong winds and rough seas, sudden changes in weather, failure of equipment, boat handling errors, poor seamanship by other boats, loss of balance on an unstable platform and fatigue resulting in increased risk of injury. Inherent in the sport of sailing is the risk of permanent, catastrophic injury or death by drowning, trauma, hypothermia, or other causes.
12. FURTHER INFORMATION
For further information, please contact Vice Commodore Don Read at (828) 775-7323 email address [email protected]
Asheville Sailing Club
2021 Regatta Organization
1. Schedule - The club will continue its tradition of holding regattas on the second Saturday and fourth Sunday of each month during the regatta season. All regattas are official point regattas except the Frostbites, and Fun sailing.
2. Notice of Race - A Notice of Race (NOR) will be sent to ASC members by e-mail 3-5 days before each event by the Vice Commodore.
3. Race Eligibility - Although regattas are open to anyone, only members of ASC or guest are scored in races and only members of the ASC accumulate points for the seasonal and ASC Annual Championships. Members who join by the third point regatta in a season may have their earlier races count towards the season series. Members must join ASC by the 5th point regatta to be eligible for the ASC Annual Championship; as in the season series, regattas may be counted retroactively. Once a skipper signs up for a particular fleet, the skipper must remain in that fleet for entire racing season.
4. Skipper Meetings - Skipper meetings will begin promptly at 1:00pm. It is the competitor’s responsibility to register with the race committee and be ready to sail at that time.
5. Racing Rules – Point regattas are sailed under the US Sailing Racing Rules of Sailing (2021-2024). Any changes to the rules will be specified in the NOR or at the skippers meeting. All skippers are expected to self-enforce the rules and perform penalty turns when an infraction occurs. Any rule dispute will be settled by the Race Committee following the day’s racing.
6. Race Safety – By participating in ASC activities, all participants accept all risk associated with sailing activities and certify that their boat is equipped with all required safety equipment as per current U.S Coast Guard regulations. ASC competitors are expected to assist other boats in distress and to abandon racing if conditions become unsafe. Competitors who assist another competitor in distress during a race will be assigned a score for that race equal to their average score for that day of sailing. The Race Committee retains the right to cancel racing if conditions become unsafe. The Race Committee retains the right to require the wearing of life jackets when wind speeds are gusting over 15kts. All safety boats must have the cut-off switch worn and attached to the motor while the motor is running.
7. Regatta Scoring – A point regatta shall be official if at least 2 races are completed. A race must have at least 3 boats started to count. Two boats will be considered a class fleet. Skippers are assigned points based on time adjusted finish, calculated from the US Sailing Portsmouth ratings (see #8). The first-place boat receives 1 point, the second-place boat 2 points, etc. Any registered boat that does not finish (DNF) shall receive a score of the total number of registered boats. Any registered boat that does not compete (DNC), is on course side at the start and fails to return (OCS), or is otherwise disqualified (DSQ) shall receive a score of the total number of registered boats plus 1. After all the races are completed, each boat’s regatta score will be determined using the following equation:
average finish position / total number of boats in the class fleet
average finish position / total number of boats in the fleet
Class fleets are currently defined by as Flying Scots, Jet-14, Lasers, Open.
A “dropout” will be invoked if more than 3 races are completed - meaning each skipper’s worst finish will not count in the final regatta score. The final regatta score is used to calculate regatta performance for the season and ASC Annual competitions (see #10). It rewards skippers that perform well in larger class fleets (a first-place boat receives 0.1 in a 10-boat class fleet but only a score of 0.33 in a 3-boat class fleet).
All regattas are scored by the registered skipper, not boat. If a crew member or someone else other than the registered skipper helms the boat during a race, the score will still count for the registered skipper.
8. Handicap Scoring – Race times and final standings will be adjusted based on boat type. Handicaps will be the US Sailing Portsmouth ratings found at http://www.ussailing.org/racing/offshore-big-boats/portsmouth-yardstick/current-tables. No wind adjustments will be used.
9. Race Committee - It is expected that each sailor contributes to the racing culture at ASC by volunteering to be Race Committee or to assist the Race Committee. It is the responsibility of the Race Committee of each regatta to:
a. Hose the docks before the regatta,
b. Set up the Safety boat
c. Set the marks
d. Define the starting sequence and determine the racecourse,
e. There will be only one start per sequence
f. Retrieve the marks
g. Get results to the Vice Commodore (Don Read [email protected]).
10. Awards - Awards will be given to active members for fleets for events: Spring Series, Summer Series, and Fall Series. The ASC Annual Champion and the annual awards will be the combination of the results of three series. In addition, there will be annual awards for each class fleet champion. The seasonal series consists of 4 points regattas. Seasonal series standings will be determined by taking the average regatta score of the best 2 regattas of each skipper. The ASC Annual Champion is determined by taking the average regatta score of the best 6 regattas over the entire season (5 regattas if skipper fulfills Race Committee obligations). If a skipper does not participate in the minimum number of regattas for a seasonal or the annual series (2 or 4 respectively), he/she shall not be eligible for awards. These numbers may be adjusted by the Vice Commodore if weather or other events cause cancellations of point regattas. Social events do not count toward official points regattas.
The Wednesday night series will receive one overall First place award.
11. Asheville Sailing Club Race Scoring will follow the ISAF Appendix A scoring rules
a. Here are the scoring rules: Below is the actual link.
1. As an example, using the following two skipper’s scores:
(skipper A scored 1,2,1,2; skipper B scored 2,1,2,1)
a. First both had the same score which created the tie. Rule A8.
b. Second both had the same finishes; two 1st and two 2nd. Rule A8.1
c. Next Rule A8.2 applies, the person who finished 1st in the fourth race wins.
b. Here a link to the ISAF Appendix A.
http://www.wayfarer-international.org/WIT/race.related/RacingRulesOfSailing/RRS.text/RRSAppAScoring.html
c. Here are the scoring rules:
ISAF Appendix A Scoring
90.3 Scoring
(a) The race committee shall score a race or series as provided in Appendix A using the Low Point System unless the sailing instructions specify some other system. A race shall be scored if it is not abandoned and if one boat sails the course in compliance with rule 28 and finishes within the time limit, if any, even if she retires after finishing or is disqualified.
(b) When a scoring system provides for excluding one or more race scores from a boat’s series score, the score for disqualification under rule 2; rule 30.3’s last sentence; rule 42 if rule P2.2 or P2.3 applies; or rule 69.2(c)(2) shall not be excluded. The next-worse score shall be excluded instead.
(c) When the race committee determines from its own records or observations that it has scored a boat incorrectly, it shall correct the error and make the corrected scores available to competitors.
A1 NUMBER OF RACES
The number of races scheduled, and the number required to be completed to constitute a series shall be stated in the sailing instructions.
A2 SERIES SCORES
Each boat’s series score shall be the total of her race scores excluding her worst score. (The sailing instructions may make a different arrangement by providing, for example, that no score will be excluded, that two or more scores will be excluded, or that a specified number of scores will be excluded if a specified number of races are completed. A race is completed if scored; see rule 90.3(a).) If a boat has two or more equal worst scores, the score(s) for the race(s) sailed earliest in the series shall be excluded. The boat with the lowest series score wins and others shall be ranked accordingly.
A3 STARTING TIMES AND FINISHING PLACES
The time of a boat’s starting signal shall be her starting time, and the order in which boats finish a race shall determine their finishing places. However, when a handicap or rating system is used a boat’s corrected time shall determine her finishing place.
A4 LOW POINT SYSTEM
The Low Point System will apply unless the sailing instructions specify another system; see rule 90.3(a).
A4.1 Each boat starting and finishing and not thereafter retiring, being penalized, or given redress shall be scored points as follows:
Finishing place Points:
• First - 1
• Second - 2
• Third - 3
• Fourth - 4
• Fifth - 5
• Sixth - 6
• Seventh - 7
Each place thereafter Add 1 point.
A4.2 A boat that did not start, did not finish, retired or was disqualified shall be scored points for the finishing place one more than the number of boats entered in the series. A boat that is penalized under rule 30.2 or that takes a penalty under rule 44.3(a) shall be scored points as provided in rule 44.3(c).
A5 SCORES DETERMINED BY THE RACE COMMITTEE
A boat that did not start, comply with rule 30.2 or 30.3, or finish, or that takes a penalty under rule 44.3(a) or retires, shall be scored accordingly by the race committee without a hearing. Only the protest committee may take other scoring actions that worsen a boat’s score.
A6 CHANGES IN PLACES AND SCORES OF OTHER BOATS
A6.1 If a boat is disqualified from a race or retires after finishing, each boat with a worse finishing place shall be moved up one place.
A6.2 If the protest committee decides to give redress by adjusting a boat’s score, the scores of other boats shall not be changed unless the protest committee decides otherwise.
A7 RACE TIES
If boats are tied at the finishing line or if a handicap or rating system is used and boats have equal corrected times, the points for the place for which the boats have tied and for the place(s) immediately below shall be added together and divided equally. Boats tied for a race prize shall share it or be given equal prizes.
A8 SERIES TIES
A8.1 If there is a series-score tie between two or more boats, each boat’s race scores shall be listed in order of best to worst, and at the first point(s) where there is a difference the tie shall be broken in favor of the boat(s) with the best score(s). No excluded scores shall be used.
A8.2 If a tie remains between two or more boats, they shall be ranked in order of their scores in the last race. Any remaining ties shall be broken by using the tied boats’ scores in the next-to-last race and so on until all ties are broken. These scores shall be used even if some of them are excluded scores.
A9 RACE SCORES IN A SERIES LONGER THAN A REGATTA
For a series that is held over a period of time longer than a regatta, a boat that came to the starting area but did not start, did not finish, retired or was disqualified shall be scored points for the finishing place one more than the number of boats that came to the starting area. A boat that did not come to the starting area shall be scored points for the finishing place one more than the number of boats entered in the series.
A10 GUIDANCE ON REDRESS
If the protest committee decides to give redress by adjusting a boat’s score for a race, it is advised to consider scoring her.
(a) points equal to the average, to the nearest tenth of a point (0.05 to be rounded upward), of her points in all the races in the series except the race in question.
(b) points equal to the average, to the nearest tenth of a point (0.05 to be rounded upward), of her points in all the races before the race in question; or
(c) points based on the position of the boat in the race at the time of the incident that justified redress.
A11 SCORING ABBREVIATIONS
These scoring abbreviations shall be used for recording the circumstances described:
DNC Did not start; did not come to the starting area.
DNS Did not start (other than DNC and OCS)
OCS Did not start; on the course side of the starting line at her starting signal and failed to start, or broke rule 30.1.
ZFP 20% penalty under rule 30.2
BFD Disqualification under rule 30.3.
SCP Took a Scoring Penalty under rule 44.3(a)
DNF Did not finish.
RET Retired
DSQ Disqualification
DNE Disqualification (other than DGM) not excludable under rule 90.3(b)
DGM Disqualification for gross misconduct not excludable under rule 90.3(b)
RDG Redress given
DPI Discretionary penalty imposed.
12. This regatta organization will be followed for the 2021 season. It will be discussed, modified as needed, and voted to be used for the following season.