Lough Erne Yacht Club

Topper Class Traveller Series

6.4.02; 28.4.02; 11.5.02; 29.6.02; 27.7.02; 4.8.02; 15.9.02

 

SAILING INSTRUCTIONS

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1. ORGANISING AUTHORITY AND VENUE

The organising authority is the Topper Class Association and the clubs at which it will be sailed i.e. Cushendall, Lough Erne, Quoile, Whitehead, Coleraine, Carrickfergus and Ballyholme.  The event will be sailed near these clubs except in the case of Coleraine when it will be sailed at Portrush.

 

2. RULES AND ALTERATIONS TO RULES

Racing will be governed by the Racing Rules of Sailing, the prescriptions of the RYA, the rules of the Topper International Class Association except as any of these are changed by these sailing instructions. The regatta is designated Category B.

 

3. ENTRIES

Eligible boats may be entered by completing registration on the official entry form and shall register their details and sign the entry form before the series begins. All boats must enter their sail number and must display that number on their mainsail throughout the race.

 

The safety of a yacht and her entire management shall be the sole responsibility of the competitor racing the yacht, who must ensure the yacht and the crew are adequate to face the conditions that may arise in the course of the race. The establishment of these sailing instructions in no way limits or reduces the absolute responsibility of the competitor for his crew, his yacht and the management thereof. It is the sole and exclusive responsibility of each yacht to decide whether or not to start or continue the race.

 

Each vessel will have valid and current third party insurance. The race organisers shall not be responsible for any loss, damage, death or personal injury howsoever caused to the competitor, his boat or crew, as a result of taking part in the race or races.

 

Owners / representatives shall acknowledge their responsibility on the official entry form and draw the attention of their crew to this disclaimer before the start of any race.

 

4. SAFETY

Adequate personal buoyancy shall be worn at all times while on the water. Wetsuits do not constitute adequate personal buoyancy. In all races owners must ensure crews are properly prepared and clothed to face bad weather.  Signing out and signing in will be required a boat that retires from a race shall notify the race committee ASAP.

 

5. NOTICES TO COMPETITORS

Notices to competitors will be posted in the clubhouses of the participating club.

 

6. CHANGES IN SAILING INSTRUCTIONS

Changes to sailing instructions will be posted for 60 minutes before the advertised start time of any race, which is not sailed back to back.

 

7. MEASUREMENT

Before the start of the first race each yacht shall be made available for an official scrutineer. Only one sail is permitted to be used in the championship and that may be inspected and endorsed by the Scrutineer prior to the first race.

A sail damaged during the event must be inspected by the Scrutineer, who may, at his/her discretion allow the use of a substitute measured sail. These circumstances, including any change of sail number must be submitted to the Race Officer, by the helm for approval.

 

The Race Committee may permit a yacht to use sails carrying distinguishing numbers other than required by IYRR 25.1 only. in exceptional circumstances. Such requests must be made in writing to the Race Officer.

 

8. SIGNALS MADE ASHORE

When flag AP is displayed ashore, ‘1 minute’ is replaced with ‘as soon as possible’ in race signal A.P.

 

9. SCHEDULE OF RACES

 

3 RACES EACH DAY

Race 1: Warning Signal: 11.00hrs

Race 2: Warning Signal: Immediately after Race 1 finish

Race 3: Warning Signal: Immediately after lunch

 

10. RACING AREA

On water close to organising club

 

11. COURSES

These may be triangular, trapezoidal or windward/ leeward.  They shall be displayed diagrammatically on the official notice board of the host club.  Prior to registration

 

12. MARKS

A written description of these shall be posted on the official notice board prior to registration.  Mark boats may be functional near the racing marks.

13. THE START

Races will be started using rule 26, System 1, the warning signal will be ICF ‘T’

A boat shall not start later than 10 minutes after her starting signal.

 

13.1 Line Start

The starting line will be that formed by the main mast of the Race Committee boat and the outer limit. Your attention is drawn to the fact that if ICF ‘I’ ‘Z’ or Black Flag is used that flag will be flown in place of  ICF ‘P’

 

14. THE FINISH

The finishing line will be that formed by a mark of the course and a finishing vessel’s mast displaying a blue flag.

In each race there will be 2 finishing lines. One will be the mark, Mark 1, at which the first boat finishes and will be called the Primary Finishing Line.

The other will be at the mark preceding, Mark 3, and will be called the Secondary Finishing Line.

When the first boat has finished at the Primary Finishing Line, such boats as have rounded the penultimate mark will complete the leg and finish at the Primary Finishing Line.

Boats approaching the penultimate mark to start the final leg of the course, when the first boat has finished at the Primary Finishing Line, will be finished at the Secondary Finishing Line.

 

15. TIME LIMIT

The time limit on the race will be 45 minutes. If in any race should one boat complete the course within this time limit the race may be extended by 30 minutes. In the event of the race failing to complete a second or subsequent round within the time limit, the positions at the end of the last complete round shall be taken as the result of the race. Boats failing to finish within the time limit will be scored Did Not Finish. This changes rule 35.

 

16. PROTESTS

The Race Officer shall be notified of any protest immediately following the race in which the incident took place and before the warning signal of the next race.

Protests shall be written on forms obtainable from the Race Office, and lodged with the Race Office within 1 hour of the finishing time of the last finisher of the last race of the day.

Protests will be held in the order of receipt as soon as possible. The Chairman of the Protest Committee will be afloat and carrying out observations. He may protest any boat found not to have exonerated itself.

 

17. SCORING

Scores from each race at an individual event will be combined to provide an overall event score. 3 Events are required to be completed to constitute a series. A boat’s series score will be the total of her event scores.

When 7 events have been completed a boat’s series score will be the total of her event scores excluding her two worst scores.

When 5 or 6 events have been completed a boats series score will be the total of her event scores excluding her worst score.

When less than 5 events have been completed a boats score will be the total of her event scores.

 

Participants shall be categorised according to age i.e. under 12, 14, 16 years on 31.12.02 and over 16 years.

Positions gained in the Topper Traveller series, the Ulster Championship and Irish Championship may count towards inclusion in a proposed Northern Ireland Topper Squad.

 

18. SUPPORT BOATS

Team leaders, coaches and other support personnel shall not be in the racing area from the time of the preparatory signal for the first class to start until all boats have finished or the race committee signals a postponement, general recall or abandonment. The penalty for failing to comply with this requirement will be disqualification of all boats associated with the support personnel who do so.

 

19. PRIZES

Results will be advised on the club notice board and the Topper web site.

Prizes will only be provided at the final event of the series.

 

Notice of Race        Entry Form