Sheldrake Yacht Club

Race Committee Instructions for Running a Sheldrake Yacht Club Race

Pre-Race Day Activities of the Principal Race Officer:

The Principal Race Officer should determine the availability of the yacht to be used as Committee Boat and get the commitment from at least two other members to serve as Race Officers for the day.  Collect the Race Committee equipment from the Regatta Chairman including Race Committee Flag, course placards, signal flags, starting mark flag and pole, air horn for starting signals and finishing boats, handout copies of Sailing Instruction, handout  copies of Scratch Sheet, and copies each of the Race Check-In and Score Sheet forms for use by the Race Committee.  The Race Committee should also bring a digital watch and a handheld VHF radio for communication.

Race Day

Leave the harbor early so as to arrive at the starting area, Green Can 1 off Delancy Point at least 1/2 hour before the warning signal time.

Monitor VHF Channel 78.  Competitors are permitted to contact the Race Committee to request information regarding course, postponements, cancellations or other race or safety related matters.

Estimate wind strength and direction and select the course for the race from the SYC  Designated Course Options & Marks listing.  Select a course with the starting leg to windward if possible.  Lacking this possibility, select a course with at least one windward leg.  Position the Committee Boat so that all yachts starting leave Starting Mark Green Can 1 on the same side as the First Mark of the course.

Anchor the Committee Boat so that the Starting Line between the starting mark on the Committee Boat (Yellow, Quebec Flag) and Can 1 is approximately 90 degrees to the wind direction if the first leg is to windward.  If a windward start is not possible (ie. North wind), set the Starting Line approximately 90 degrees to the rhumb line to the First Mark of the Designated Course.

Set the length of the Starting Line to approximately 1.25 times the aggregate length of the yachts expected to start the race.  Distribute Sailing Instructions and Scratch Sheets.

Display the course letter by course placard or letter signal flag.  Also announce the course letter by VHF radio channel 78.  The course signal should be made at least 5 minutes before the first warning signal.

Record the name and sail number of all yachts in the starting area.

Starting the Race

Unless otherwise specified by the Sailing Instructions, sound a series of short horn blasts approximately 30 seconds before the Warning signal.  The Warning Signal will be at 1250 hours by raising the W (Whiskey) Flag and sounding the horn once  At 1254 hours the W Flag is lowered.  At 1255 hours the P (Papa) Flag is raised for the Preparatory and a single sound of the horn is made.  At 1259 hours the P Flag is lowered.  Finally at 1300 hours the Numerical Pennant (# 1) is raised and a single sound of the horn is made signaling the Start of the Race.  The actual signal times are marked by the raising of the Flags rather than the sound of the horn.  The exact Starting Time should be recorded on the Score Sheet.

 A Postponement may be declared by 2 short blasts of the horn and raising the "AP" flag (Answering Pennant) in place of a Warning, Preparatory or Start signal.  Postponements are for 5 minute increments (no signals during a continuing Postponement) and, is terminated by the lowering of the "AP" and 1 horn at a 4 minute mark, followed 1 minute later with the Preparatory (5 minute) signal.  The normal starting sequence continues from that point.

 Finishing the Race

A race may be shortened if the wind velocity drops or the course proves to be too long.  The finish line should be moved to one of the marks of the course not yet rounded by the leading yacht.  The Committee Boat should be located closer to the mark than the original starting line and positioned so that yachts will pass the mark (buoy) and through the Finish Line on the proper side dictated by the original course.  As the leading yacht approaches, the shortened course must be signaled on the Committee Boat by code flag "S" and 2 loud sounds of the horn. 

The Race Committee has the right to Cancel a Race when in the judgment of the Principal Race Officer the situation dictates such a course of action.  A race must be cancelled if the first yacht does not finish within the time limit stated in the Race Instruction.  Other causes of cancellation may include extreme weather, too much or too little wind, matters of safety and emergencies of various kinds.  Cancellation is signaled by 3 sounds from the horn and an announcement on VHF channel 78.

 After all the yachts have started, relocate the Committee Boat if necessary, to form a Finish Line with Can 1 (Delancy) so that yachts finishing will pass Can 1 on the same side as required of the previous mark of the course.  If the final leg to the finish is a windward leg, set the finish line at 90 degrees to the wind. If the last leg to the finish is not to windward, set the Finish Line 90 degrees to the rhumb line from the previous mark.  The Finish Line should be shorter than the Starting Line, approximately 0.8 times the aggregate lengths of the yachts starting the race.

Record the finishes as follows:

The Principal Race Officer will assign the tasks of Caller, Timer and Recorder.  The Caller should be stationed at a point on the Committee Boat that is at one end of the Finish Line, sight across to the Mark  and signal with horn when each yacht finishes, calling out name and/or sail number of the yacht.  The Timer then announces the time of the finish (hours,minutes,seconds that the signal was made) and the Recorder makes the entry of yacht name, sail number and finish time on the Score Sheet.

 When the number of finishers equals the number of starters (less any known dropouts) or the time limit has expired, it's time to return to port and send (fax, e-mail) or bring the Check-In and Score Sheet to the Scorer (Regatta Chairman) for calculation of results.  Late finishers (after the Committee Boat has weighed anchor) may phone in their finish times to the Scorer. Late finishers may take their time when the yacht crosses a line from the finish mark which is 90 degrees from the previous mark of the course and when the yacht is within 50 yards of the finish mark and on the same side of the finish mark as the yacht was required to pass the previous mark of the course. The Scorer will process the data to determine the final results after handicaps are considered along with course distance.  The Scorer will determine the handicap adjustments for the next SYC Race based on the race results.  All entries in the race will be notified of the results ASAP.

 Revised

RDG May 6, 2004

updated 04/02/07