Sailing Instructions

Bow Mar Yacht Club hosts a series of club sailing races, to be held every Sunday from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend on Bow Mar Lake (Bowles Lake). Races will not be held the first weekend of July because of the Norm Tanner Regatta.

This Series will be governed by rules as defined by the Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS), except as changed by these Sailing Instructions (SIs).

Any sailor who does not abide by the rules set forth here can and will be disqualified from racing and may be asked to leave the racecourse.

1. DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY:

Competitors participate entirely at their own risk. (See RRS Rule 3 Decision to Race.) Bow Mar Yacht Club, and BMOI, as the organizing authorities, will not accept any liability for material damage or personal injury or death sustained in conjunction with, prior to, during, or after the series.

2. Schedule:

Sunday Club races will be run every Sunday, from Memorial Day through Labor Day weekends, with the exception of the Sunday of the Norm Tanner Regatta.  Races start at 2pm every Sunday.

3. Eligibility:

All racers must be current BMYC members, or the guest of a current BMYC member. The member-host must be present, on the water or on the beach.

4. Junior Sailors:

Junior sailors, under 16 years old, may skipper a boat in the races if they have earned their Advanced Solo License. The race committee will have a list of Advanced Solo-Rated junior sailors.

Junior sailors, who are not yet Advanced Solo-Rated, may sail with another Advanced Solo-Rated jr sailor or with an adult sailor.

5. Club boats:

Club check-out boats are available for use in races on a first come, first served basis. No reserving boats is allowed.

6. Life Jackets

All sailors, skipper and crew, are required to wear a USCGA (US Coast Guard Approved) PFD (personal floatation device). The PFD must be worn at all times while on the water. The jacket must be zipped-up and worn properly.

Racing

7. Rules:

The Sunday Club Race Series will be governed by the Racing Rules of Sailing , unless otherwise specified.

8. First Race Start time:

1:30pm warning horn (one long horn)

2:00pm first race start (sequence will commence following one long horn at approximately 2pm)

9. Skipper is scored, not boat:

Because many of our racers use club boats, and use different boats each weekend, the race committee will score participants by the name of the skipper, and not by the boat/boat number.

10. Declared skipper:

Since the RC will score participants by the skipper’s name, multi-handed boats: Snipes, Fevas, Scows, etc., must declare which sailor will act as skipper for all races that day. When checking-in with RC, the boat must tell RC who will be their skipper for THE DAY. That person will be scored as “skipper” for all the races that day.

11. Check In:

All boats are required to check-in with race committee (RC) prior to the start of their first race. Boats who fail to check-in may not be scored.

Each boat shall sail by the RC Boat, while RC is flying the Code Flag “L”,  hail her boat type and her “Skipper for the day”. This shall be done before the first race in which a boat competes on each day. Any boat failing to check-in and failing to finish will be scored DNC (Did Not Compete).

12. Courses:

Course(s) will be posted on the RC boat, on the white board. There may be two courses - a longer course for faster boats, a shorter course for slower boats. Watch the course board carefully for your start.

All mark roundings will leave the mark to port except when designated by RC. If marks are to be rounded to starboard, those marks will be denoted with an underscore on the course board.

Races conducted with a Gate option will be denoted with the word GATE.

13. Marks:

Marks 1 through 4 are white and red cylinder buoys located around the edge of the lake. Inflatable marks will be denoted by their color , Red,=R Green=GR, Orange= OR, etc.

14. Start & Finish Lines:

The Start Line shall be a line between an inflatable or fixed race buoy in the vicinity of the RC boat and an orange flag on the RC boat.

The Finish Line shall be a line between an inflatable or fixed race buoy in the vicinity of the RC boat and an orange flag on the RC boat.

The RC may move from the initial Start Area and establish the Finish Line at a new location.

15. Start sequence:

Race starts will consist of a 3-minute horn system, as described below.

HORN START SEQUENCE

A 3-min start consists of the following horn sequence:

3 min- Three long blasts

2 min- Two long blasts

1.5 min- One long blast, 1 short blast

1 min- One long blast

30 sec- Three short blasts

20 sec- Two short blasts

10 sec- One short blasts

5-4-3-2-1- Separate short blasts for each

0- One long blast (Start)

16. Non-racers in start area:

Boats not in the start sequence must keep clear of the start area. Boats not racing who are in the start area will be disqualified.

17. Time Limit:

The time limit for each Fleet race is 60 minutes. The Race will be abandoned if no boat from a fleet finishes within 60 minutes of its start signal. Once a boat finishes within the time limit, all other boats in the fleet have 15 minutes to finish or they will be scored as TLE (Time Limit Expired).

RC may, at its discretion, finish racers from any qualified fleet, in their current position, if the race is not abandoned and at least one boat meets the time limit.

18. Protests:

A protesting boat must notify the protested boat by hailing “Protest” within earshot of the other boat. No red flag is required. This should be done as soon after the incident as possible, and before the end of the race, to give the protested boat the opportunity to do the applicable penalty turns.

If the protested boat makes their applicable penalty turns during the race, it shall not be further penalized and the protest is closed.

If the protest is not resolved on the water the protesting boat shall, if possible, notify the RC of the protest after finishing the race, and before the start of the next race.

Protests from the day’s races must be heard immediately after the racing, once RC has come ashore. Hearing and decision on the protest must be concluded that day. The protest can be verbal, and is not required to be in writing.

The RC head will appoint one or two experienced sailors present to act as Protest Committee. The RC head should be present at the hearing, along with the protesting boat and the protested boat. Once a final decision is made on the protest, the RC head will make note of it on the day’s score sheet.

19. Scoring:

Scoring for this series is based on the Low Points Scoring System, as outlined in the Racing Rules of Sailing.

20. Trophies:

Each fleet has a perpetual trophy, and take-home trophies for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishers. These trophies will be awarded at the BMYC Year-End Awards Party in the fall.

21. Perpetual trophies won by non-residents:

Perpetual trophies won by non-residents may not physically leave Bow Mar. Perpetual trophies awarded to non-residents will be held by the commodore or race chair until the following year.