SAILING INSTRUCTIONS FOR NATIONAL ALBACORE CLASS
UK & EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP
Thursday 29th August to Sunday 1 st September 2024
To be held at
TYNEMOUTH SAILING CLUB
The notation ‘[DP]’ in a rule in the sailing instructions (SIs) or notice of race (NoR) means that the penalty for a breach of that rule may, at the discretion of the jury, be less than disqualification. The notation ‘[NP]’ in a rule of the SIs or NoR means that a boat may not protest another boat for breaking that rule. This changes RRS 60.1(a). The notation ‘[GP]’ in a rule of the SIs or NoR means that If a boat breaks an instruction marked [GP] and is identified, she will be disqualified without a hearing, even if the race is restarted, re-sailed, or rescheduled. The term ‘technical committee’ in these SIs refers to a committee appointed by the National Albacore Class Association and acting in accordance with RRS 92.
1) RULES:
1.1 The regatta will be governed by the rules as defined in The Racing Rules of Sailing 2021-2024 (RRS).
1.2 [NP] [DP] RRS 40 is replaced with: “Competitors shall wear personal flotation devices, at all times when on the water, except briefly while changing or adjusting clothing or personal equipment. Wet suits and dry suits are not personal flotation devices. Inflatable floatation devices are not acceptable.
1.3 RRS 41 shall be changed so that crew can be returned to their dinghy.
1.4 RRS Appendix T1, Post-Race Penalties, will apply.
1.5 If there is a conflict between these Sailing Instructions and the Notice of Race, the Sailing Instructions will take precedence unless specifically stated otherwise.
2) NOTICES TO COMPETITORS:
Notices to competitors will be posted on the official notice board located in the TSC clubhouse.
3) CHANGES TO SAILING INSTRUCTIONS:
3.1.1 Any change to the schedule of races shown in Para 6.2 of the Notice of Race & Para 5 of these Sailing Instructions will be posted by 20.00 hrs on the day before it will take effect.
3.1.2.Only on Friday 30th August and Saturday 31st August can one additional race per day be added to the Schedule of Races.
3.1.3. Any other change to the sailing instructions will be posted no later than 90 minutes before the scheduled warning signal for the first race on the day it will take effect.
4) SIGNALS MADE ASHORE:
4.1 Signals made ashore will be displayed on the flagpole affixed to the west wall of the TSC clubhouse.
4.2 When flag AP is displayed ashore, ‘1 minute’ is replaced with ‘not less than 60 minutes’ in RRS Race Signals.
4.3 [DP] Signal Flag ‘D’ delta with one sound means ‘The warning signal will be made not less than 60 minutes after flag ‘D’ is hoisted. Boats are requested not to leave the beach until this signal is made.’
5) SCHEDULE OF RACES:
DATES TIME ACTIVITY
Thurs 29th August 13.55 hrs Warning signal for Race 1. Race 2 to follow.
Friday 30th August 11.55 hrs Warning signal for race 3. Race 4 to follow.
Saturday 31st August 11.55 hrs Warning signal for race 5. Race 6 to follow.
Sunday 1st September 10.55 hrs Warning signal for race 7. Race 8 to follow.
(Racing, Social events and shore times are all subject to change to suit the weather and racing program).
5.1 The warning signal for each succeeding race in a day will be made as soon as practicable after the previous race.
5.2 On Thursday 29th August and Sunday 1st September a maximum of 2 races will be sailed on each day.
5.3 On the last scheduled day of racing, no warning signal will be made after 14.00 hrs.
6) CLASS FLAG:
The class flag will be the Albacore Class Logo on a rectangular flag.
7) RACING AREAS:
The Racing Area will be either in the ‘North Bay’ off Tynemouth to the north of the North Pier; or in the ‘South Bay’ to the south of the South Pier.
8) COURSES:
8.1 Appendix A illustrates the courses to be sailed and the order in which marks are to be rounded or passed and the side on which each mark is to be left.
8.2 The course to be sailed will be displayed on the side of the Committee Boat prior to the warning signal for each race.
8.3 The number of laps will be displayed on a board at the stern of the Committee Boat.
8.4 A change of the course number and/or the number of laps to be sailed in the next race will be indicated by new numbers being displayed with flag Q (Yellow Flag) and two sound signals approximately three minutes before the warning signal.
8.5 The Committee Boat may display the approximate compass bearing of the first mark.
8.6 If either gate mark 2s or 2p of Course 1 become ‘missing’ boats shall round the remaining gate mark to port.
9) MARKS:
9.1 Marks 1, 2, 2s, 2p, and 3, will be large red cylindrical ‘dumpy’ drum-shaped inflatable buoys.
9.2 Mark 1a will be a smaller round ‘hi-viz’ orange spherical inflatable buoy.
9.3 As provided in SI 11, a ‘replacement’ mark will be an orange inflatable cylindrical shaped ‘pillar’ buoy.
9.4 The Start mark will be a large orange ‘pin’ buoy flying an orange flag.
9.5 The Finish mark for Course 1 will be a smaller orange pin mark with a blue flag.
9.6 The ‘Committee Boat’ is a 7m white ‘cuddy’ workboat with “TYNEMOUTH SAILING CLUB – Race Control” written on both sides and a TSC club burgee on each bow.
10) THE START:
10.1 Races will be started in accordance with RRS Rule 26.
10.2 The starting line will be between a staff displaying an orange flag on the Committee Boat at the starboard end and the start mark at the port end.
10.3 A boat starting later than 5 minutes after her start time may be scored Did Not Start (DNS) without a hearing. This changes RRS A4 and A5.
11) CHANGE OF THE NEXT LEG OF THE COURSE:
11.1 A change will be signalled under RRS 33.
11.2 To change the next leg of the course, the race committee will lay a ‘replacement’ mark and remove the original mark as soon as practicable. In any subsequent changeof the same mark, the new ‘replacement’ mark will be the original mark.
11.3 After rounding a ‘Replacement Mark’ which supercedes Mark 1 (windward mark) ; Mark 1a shall be omitted from the course.
12). THE FINISH:
12..1 For course 1 the finishing line will be between the staff displaying a blue flag on the Committee Boat at one end, and The finish mark at the other end.
12.2 For courses 2 & 3 the finishing line will be between the staff displaying a blue flag on the Committee Boat and Mark 3.
12.3 “Whisky Finish”: The Race Committee may award a finishing place to a boat by pointing Flag W at her with a sound signal. The signalled boat shall be deemed to have finished; the score awarded shall be the position she occupied at the time of the signal. If two or more overlapped boats are signalled, they shall be scored as if they were tied. Any flagged boat shall return to the start area as soon as possible. This changes RRS 28.1 and A3.
13) SHORTENED COURSE:
13.1 If the Race Committee shortens Course 1 (Windward-Leeward) at the leeward gate (marks 2S-2P) the Committee Boat will fly Flag F. Boats must then leave mark 2P to port and proceed to the (Course 1) finish line. Flag F may also be displayed from a RIB as the leading boats approach mark 2P. This alters RRS 32.2.
13.2 If the Race Committee shortens the course at any other mark, RRS 32.2 shall apply unaltered (Flag S).
14). TIME LIMITS:
14.1 The target times for all races shall be 60 minutes. Failure to meet the target time will not be grounds for redress. This changes RRS 62.1(a).
14.2 If no boat has passed mark 1 within 35 minutes of the start, the race will be abandoned.
14.3 If no boat sails the course and finishes within 90 minutes, the race will be abandoned.
14.4 Boats still racing and failing to finish within 30 minutes after the first boat sails the course and finishes, and not subsequently retiring, penalized or given redress, will be scored TLE (Time Limit Expired, see SI 17.2) without a hearing. This changes RRS 35, 63.1, A4 and A5.
15). PENALTY SYSTEM:
15.1 RRS Appendix T1, Post-Race Penalties, will apply.
15.2 Exoneration penalty. A boat that may have broken a rule of RRS Part 2, may, after finishing the race concerned and before the start of a related protest hearing, notify the Race Committee that she accepts an Exoneration Penalty for the race in which the offence took place. This penalty does not reverse an OCS score or a disqualification under RRS 30.3. It is not available for a breach of RRS 2 or of class rules or for gross misconduct under RRS 69. Nor is it available to a boat that caused injury or serious damage, or gained a significant advantage by her breach: in these circumstances, her penalty is to retire.
15.3 Any boat that takes an Exoneration Penalty as above shall make a report on a penalty acknowledgement form, which are available from the race office, within 90 minutes after the last boat has finished the last race of the day or the race committee signals no more racing today or within 30 minutes of the last placed boat back on beach at TSC, whichever is later.
15.4 When an Exoneration Penalty is accepted, points equal to 30% of the boats that started the race in which the penalty is applied shall be added to the score of the boat that is taking the penalty.
15.5 Neither the boat nor a jury may then revoke or remove the penalty unless it is removed by the jury as a result of a hearing relating to the same incident.
15.6 The boat shall not be penalised further in a protest hearing when the Jury decides that it was appropriate to the facts found and the applicable rules.
15.7 After application of a penalty the scores of other boats will not be changed, therefore, two boats may receive the same score.
15.8 Any boat that retires from a race after finishing shall sign the retirement form, located in the race8 office, before the end of the protest time limit.
16). PROTESTS AND REQUESTS FOR REDRESS:
16.1 Protest forms are available at the race office located in TSC clubhouse. Protests and requests for redress or reopening shall be delivered there within the appropriate time limit.
16.2 The protest time limit is 90 minutes after the TSC Committee Boat has entered the harbour after racing has finished for the day. The race committee will post this time on the notice board.
16.3 Post-Race Penalties may be taken by submitting a Penalty Acknowledgement Form at the race office.
16.4 Notices will be posted on the official notice board no later than 30 minutes after the protest time limit to inform competitors of hearings in which they are parties or named as witnesses and the location of the hearing. Hearings will be held as soon as practical after sailing.
16.5 Notices of protests by the race committee, technical committee or jury will be posted on the official notice board to inform boats under RRS 61.1(b).
16.6 On the last scheduled day of racing a request for redress based on a jury decision shall be delivered no later than 30 minutes after the decision was posted. This changes RRS 62.2.
17) SCORING:
17.1 Scoring shall comply with Para 10 of the Notice of Race [NOR].
17.2 The score (prior to application of other penalties) for boats scored TLE will be points equal to the number of boats that sailed the course and finished within the finishing window plus two points, scored by the Race Committee without a hearing. This changes RRS A4, A5, and A10.
17.3 Scoring inquiries may be made by submitting a Scoring Inquiry Form at the race office.
18) [DP] [NP] SAFETY REGULATIONS:
18.1 A tally system will be used to ensure the safety of competitors who should note that safety boats may not be released from the race area until all the boats have tallied off correctly.
18.2 Tally procedure:
18.2.1 A tally board will be located immediately outside, or within, the TSC clubhouse.
18.2.2 Each boat will be allocated a tally number at registration.
18.2.3 Prior to going to sea, each boat shall remove the wrist bands corresponding to their tally number from the tally board and place them around their wrists.
18.2.4 If on reaching the race area a boat realises she has failed to remove either or both of her ‘tally wrist bands’ she shall advise the Committee Boat accordingly. In those circumstances no penalty will be applied.
18.2.5 When returning from racing at the end of the day, competitors shall immediately remove their bands and place them back on the tally board.
18.2.6 All tally board actions shall be done only by the helm/crew of the relevant boat.
18.2.7 The penalty for failing to comply with SI 17.2 will be a donation of £10.00 to the RNLI.18.3 Retirement:
18.3.1 A boat that retires from a race shall, if possible, notify either the Committee Boat or a safety rib before leaving the racing area.
18.3.2 On returning to shore shall immediately tally off in accordance with SI 17.2 .5 and complete the retirement declaration form at the race office.
18.4 Hazards:
18.4.1 Sailing to and from the sailing area hazards include:
18.4.1.a. Anglers on the piers whose lines extend further than you expect.
18.4.1.b Potter’s Rock -Just off the Haven beach and marked with a (faded) pink inflatable buoy. Stay to the ‘Pier’ side of this buoy.
18.4.1.c Commercial Vessels leaving or entering the harbour. The Port of Tyne notice showing forecast timing of ‘expected
shipping’ will be posted on the official notice board. All competitors must vacate the shipping fairway when a ship approaches or when instructed by the Committee Boat or TSC safety ribs.
18.5 Assistance: [DP]
18.5.1 A boat receiving outside assistance shall report that assistance to the race office and complete the outside assistance form, within the protest time limit.
19) [DP] REPLACEMENT OF CREW OR EQUIPMENT:
19.1 Substitution of competitors will not be allowed without prior written approval of the Race Committee.
19.2 Substitution of damaged or lost equipment will not be allowed unless authorized by the Race Committee. Requests for substitution shall be made to the technical committee of the National Albacore Class Association at the first reasonable opportunity.
20) EQUIPMENT AND MEASUREMENT CHECKS:
20.1 A boat or its equipment may be inspected by the technical committee of the National Albacore Class Association at any time for compliance with the class rules and sailing instructions.
21) [DP] RADIO COMMUNICATION:
21.1 Except in an emergency, from the preparatory signal a boat that is racing shall not make voice or data transmissions and shall not receive voice or data communication that is not available to all boats except when using equipment provided by the OA.
22) PRIZES:
22.1 Perpetual awards will also be awarded in accordance with Appendix 1 of the Notice of Race [NOR]
22.2 Additional prizes may be awarded.
23) DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY:
Competitors participate in the championship entirely at their own risk. See RRS 4, Decision to Race. The organizing authority will not accept any liability for material damage or personal injury or death sustained in conjunction with or prior to, during, or after the regatta.
24) INSURANCE:
Each participating boat shall be insured with valid third-party liability insurance with a minimum cover of £ 3,000.000 per event or the equivalent.
