Key West Race Week – Part Three – Sailing Instructions
December 27, 2009
I love the Sailing Instructions (SI’s). I think I love the SI’s because by simply reading them you are often better prepared than many of your competitors. I know this, cause on a few occasions I haven’t read them; and almost always been burned because of it did not read them, or read them well enough.
Now thanks to the internet many regattas pre-publish the SI’s and therefore there is NO excuse for not being armed with all the information you need to go racing. Key West Race Week 2010, Presented by Nautica, is no different, and in my first reading I found a few things of interest that should be kept in mind while racing.
Rules
I find section 1.2 a little interesting, only because I don’t know what it means. I’ve made the mistake in the past of saying, “Well if I don’t know it couldn’t be all that important.” I’ll be doing some reading to learn more.
Changes to Sailing Instructions
Well, we know that someone will need to be tasked with checking the board at 0830 every morning to see if there are any changes or announcements.
As well, the RC will make an effort to announce changes on the water (3.2). My experience is that what the RC will say is that the will be running the racing according to the notice posted. Not much help if you didn’t send someone to check it out.
Signals Made Ashore
If the RC hoists the AP flag ashore, which they will announce at 0830 and/or at 0900, then racing cannot start before 90 minutes after AP comes down. Usually it is 60, so this is a “good to know” note that may make the AP down scramble a little less severe.
Schedule of Races
The first start sequence in each circle is scheduled to begin at 1030. The maximum number of races on each day is three. WHEW!
Class Flags/Stickers/Numbers
No numbers for the J80 class, but we will have event stickers to put on.
Courses
There will be leeward gates and windward offset marks. They intend to set the windward offset between 150 and 200 feet from the weather mark, which means that for J80’s there is plenty of time (probably about 10 seconds) from the time we pass the weather mark to the offset that overlaps can be made or broken.
Marks
Windward and leeward marks are tetrahedrons. The offset is an orange ball.
The Start
Any buoy attached to the committee boat should be considered part of the committee boat.
The line will be a line between flags on the two ends of the start line. Meaning they will have line callers at both ends and they will be pretty good at calling OCSs.
Changing the next leg of the course
If the course to the windward leg has been changed, the new mark will be a yellow tetrahedron, unless it is the final leg. In that case the course board will note the course to the finish.
The Finish
The finish line for downwind finishes will be on the opposite side of the committee boat. Upwind it will be well above the weather mark.
Penalties
You can, at the time of the incident, take a 20% by following rule 44.3. You can also do a one-turn penalty, unless it was in the Zone. Then it is the two turn penalty.
In my mind this means that downwind in big breeze you’ll fly your yellow flag for fouling. Upwind – you will likely spin. At the zone…you’re spinning.
Protests
Because we are moored at Stock Island our time limit for delivering a protest is 90 minutes from the time our signal boat docks. Which I would guess is 45 minutes after we finish the last race.
Arbitration
There is arbitration – that’s a good thing.
Scoring
No throw-outs for our classes.
MOB
We are required to conduct an Man OverBoard – that’s a person in the water rescue – procedure in order to comply with ISAF/KWRW regulations. This is also a good idea – but I wonder who else will really do it. (we will)
Radio Communication
We are on channel 74.
OK – this is basically the “Spock” notes for the SI’s. Meaning, when I read the SI’s my eyebrow did the Dr. Spock thing. So I included it. Let me know what you found that was interesting by posting a comment or sending me an email.
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