Australian Open 12 Foot
Sailing Skiff Championship

SAILING INSTRUCTIONS

Winning Appliances

73rd Australian Open 12 Ft Sailing Skiff Championship

2007 - 2008

21-24 March 2008

To be conducted by

Lane Cove 12ft Sailing Skiff Club (LC12ftSSC)

on behalf of the NSW 12 foot Sailing Skiff Association

1. RULES

The regatta will be governed by the rules as defined in The Racing Rules of Sailing, the Class Rules of the NSW 12 Foot Sailing Skiff Association, Queensland 12 ft Sailing Skiff Association, the Prescriptions & Special Regulations of Yachting Australia and these sailing instructions.

2 ELIGIBILITY

The regatta is open to all 12 ft Skiffs that comply with the measurement rules of the NSW 12ft Sailing Skiff Association or the Queensland 12ft Sailing Skiff Association.

The regatta is open to all Cherubs that comply with the measurement rules of the Cherub National Council of Australia.

Any boats in the vicinity of the starting line at the start without a registered sail sign will not be started. Sail signs must be registered with the Race Committee at registration.

3. NOTICES TO COMPETITORS

Notices to competitors will be posted on the official notice board located at the Lane Cove 12 foot Sailing Skiff Club, clubhouse, Longueville Wharf, Stuart Street, Longueville, NSW

4. CHANGES TO SAILING INSTRUCTIONS

Any change to the sailing instructions will be posted before 10:00 am on the day it will take effect.

5. SIGNALS MADE ASHORE

5.1 Signals made ashore will be displayed at both the Clubhouse and Woodford Bay Rigging area. Both rigging areas will have a race official who can provide direct communications with the Principal Race Officer (PRO).

5.2 When flag AP is displayed ashore, ‘1 minute’ is replaced with ‘not less than 30 minutes’ in the race signal AP.

6. SCHEDULE OF RACES

	Date	Starting Time for Racing	Venue
Heat 1	Friday 21 March	Not before 13:00	Long Course
Heat 2 & 3	Saturday 22 March	Not before 13:00 and as soon after Heat 2 as possible	Short Courses
Heat 4 & 5	Sunday 23 March	Not before 13:00 and as soon after Heat 4 as possible	Short Courses
Heat 6	Monday 24 March	Not before 13:00	Long Course

7. RACING AREA

The Racing area is the Parramatta River between Goat Island and Gladesville Bridge.

PROHIBITED WATER (WHICH RANKS AS AN OBSTRUCTION)

a. The area of water between registered moorings and the adjacent shoreline shall be considered PROHIBITED WATER (ie. continuing obstruction for the boats that are racing).

b. The area of water between the Spectacle Island “piles” on north western shore of Spectacle Island and the adjacent shoreline shall be considered PROHIBITED WATER (ie. continuing obstruction for the boats that are racing)

Boats that enter Prohibited Water are required to exit by the same path they entered. Where it is unsafe or impractical to exit via the same path, the boat shall exit by the most direct path and take a penalty in accordance with RRS 44.1, however if the boat gains an advantage from the alternate action it will be disqualified. This amends RRS 44.1.

8 THE COURSES

Courses as described in the attachment 1

DISPLAY OF COURSE DESIGNATION will be by number board displayed from the race committee signal boat prior to the preparatory signal. Short and long courses will use the same numbers and are pre-designated in these instructions (see section 6). Any changes will be notified as per section 4 of these instruction.

9. MARKS

Course marks are a buoy displaying a yellow flag with black “12” except:

a) Start and finish pin end marks are a buoy displaying a white with horizontal black bar flag.

b) Snapper Island is the Island including any navigational marks.

c) Spectacle Island is the Island including any navigational marks.

10. THE START

10.1 Races will be started by using RRS 26 with the warning signal given 5 minutes before the starting signal. Class flag for this regatta is a yellow flag with a black 12.

10.2 The starting line will be between a staff displaying an orange (on-station) flag on the race committee signal boat at the starboard end and a pin buoy displaying a white with horizontal black bar flag at the port end of the line.

10.3 The race committee signal boat may use a clearance mark. Boats shall not pass between the clearance mark and the race committee signal boat boat.

10.4 The start line will be crossed in the direction to the next mark.

10.5 The start area will be in the area bounded by Greenwich , Hunters Hill and Balmain.

11. THE FINISH

The finishing line will be between a staff displaying a blue (on-station) flag on the race committee signal boat and a pin buoy displaying a white with horizontal black bar flag on its port side.

12 PENALTY SYSTEM

Rules 44.1 and 44.2 are changed so that only one turn, including one tack and one gybe, is required.

13. TIME LIMITS

13.1 The time limit for the first boat to finish is 3 hours for long course and 1.5 hrs for short course.

13.2 On the short course days the time limit for the first race is 25 minutes after the first boat finishes.

13.3 Tardy Boats. The race committee may identify boats that will not finish the first race of a day within the designated time limit. Boats so designated are Tardy Boats. The race committee will notify them of their situation and they will be finished in race order at their current locations on scratch, if they proceed directly to the start for the second race of the day.

14. PROTESTS AND REQUESTS FOR REDRESS

14.1 Protest forms are available from the Regatta Office (Club Canteen).

14.2 The protest fee is $25.

14.3 The protest time limit is 90 minutes after the last boat has finished on the last race of the day and shall be lodged at the Regatta office.

15 SCORING

15.1 The Bonus Point System of RRS Appendix A will apply.

15.2 Six races are scheduled of which three races shall be completed to constitute a series.

15.3 When only three races can be completed a boat’s score shall be the total of its race scores. This amends Appendix A.

16. SAFETY REGULATIONS

Sign on / off sheets will be available at both the clubhouse and Woodford Bay rigging areas. A representative from each boat is required to sign on prior to racing and sign off before the protest time limit when racing is completed on each day. Boats that fail to comply with this requirement will be scored DNS or DNF as appropriate.

17. EQUIPMENT AND MEASUREMENT CHECKS

A boat or equipment may be inspected at any time for compliance with the class rules or Part 2 of the Special Regulations of Yachting Australia, especially Specific Regulation R1 (Personal Buoyancy).

18 DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY

It is the competitor’s decision to enter or to start and continue in any race. Competitors shall accept that their participation is at their exclusive risk in every respect. By way of entry competitors shall indemnify the Organising Authorities, the host Sailing Club, their officers, members, servants and agents in respect to all claims and demands of whatever nature which may be made upon them in connection with or howsoever arising from their participation or intended participation. The Organising Authorities, the host Sailing Club, their officers, members, servants and agents accept no responsibility in respect of loss of life, personal injury or loss or damage to property which may be sustained by reason of their participation or intended participation in an Event or howsoever arising in connection with an Event.

19 RISK WARNING

The attention of all entrants is drawn to the Risk Warning of the Lane Cove 12ft Sailing Skiff Club which applies to this event. The details of the warning can be found at:

http://www.lc12ftssc.org.au/instructions.htm

20 INSURANCE

Each participating boat shall be insured with valid third-party liability insurance with a minimum cover of AUD $5 million. All owners/competitors who sign the Entry Form are deemed to have made a declaration that they hold such cover. Competitors may be required to produce evidence of such insurance and any competitor not holding this cover shall withdraw their entry.