DULUTH YACHT CLUB 2012 SAILING INSTRUCTIONS

1. RULES

1.1     Racing will be governed by the 2009-2012 ISAF Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS) except as altered by these Sailing Instructions or as announced at the skipper's meeting and/or posted at the DYC website. The race committee is not obligated to post notices on the website.

1.2     Personal floatation devices (PFD) - Each crew member on board is required to wear a PFD for the start and finish of each race. When a Y flag is displayed by the race committee boat, each crew member on board is required to wear a PFD for the duration of the race. Failure to comply with these requirements will result in the yacht scoring a DSQ for that race.

1.3     Rules 60.1, 62 and 78 are changed as follows: Yachts competing with a provisional rating shall not be entitled to protest, appeal or request redress for a rating.

1.4     Section A of the Racing Rules of Sailing is changed as follows: Protests will be subject to the ISAF Protest Arbitration procedure, described under PROTESTS AND ARBITRATION in these Sailing Instructions.

1.5    For all Spring and Summer Offshore Series races, Rule 52 of the Racing Rules is modified to provide as follows:

52      Manual Power
A boat’s standing rigging, running rigging, spars and movable hull appendages shall be adjusted and operated only by manual power; provided, boats may use electronic auto-helms or auto-pilots.

2. NOTICE TO COMPETITORS

2.1     Notice to competitors will be posted at the DYC clubhouse located at Harbor Cove marina. Notices may be seen at the DYC Website,
http://duluthyachtclub.corn/, however the race committee is not obligated to post notices on the Website.

2.2     All competitors are encourage to monitor channel 72 on their VHF beginning one hour before the scheduled start of the first race of the day, for the course, starting line location, fleet starting order, postponements and other announcements from Race Officials. Competitors are asked not to contact the Committee Boat by radio unless specifically requested to do so by the Committee Boat or a Race Committee member or representative.

3. SIGNALS

3.1     Signals made "ashore" will be displayed from the Committee Boat at its dock.

3.2     Postponement - Code flag "AP", Answering Pennant, with two horns (one horn when lowered) means "The race is postponed.” No attempt will be made to indicate the time of the warning signal; all postponements will be for an indefinite period of time.
4. SCHEDULE AND TIME OF RACES

4.1     Skippers meeting will take place 45 minutes before the first race of the day (17:15 for Wednesday night races). See Appendix 1 for the race schedule.

5. CLASSES

5.1  Classes will be determined and posted on the Notice Board prior to, and announced at, the skippers meeting of the season's first scheduled Wednesday and Weekend race.

5.2 Yachts racing in a designated one-design class must meet the one-design class rules for that class except as modified by these Sailing Instructions.

6. RACING AREA FOR BUOY RACES

6.1   The racing area is Lake Superior and the Duluth-Superior Harbor within approximately 10 miles of the Duluth Shipping Canal. A race area map is available in the DYC Leading Edge and on the DYC website.

6.2 The race course for each fleet will be posted on the Race Committee Boat.

7. RATINGS

7.1    Handicap classes will use PHRF as adopted by the Duluth Yacht Club Rating Committee.

7.2   One-Design Racing under PHRF - All instrumentation, class membership requirements, and other one-design rules not specifically oriented towards sail and spar size, shape, or material or towards hull configuration are waived for yachts scored using the PHRF system.

7.3   Provisional Ratings - Provisional ratings will be assigned to yachts racing that
have not been previously assigned a rating by the Duluth Yacht Club Rating Committee.

7.4    “Jib and Main" (JAM) class - all boats choosing to race in this class will be assigned the same rating they would receive if racing under spinnaker. Boats that wish to move between JAM and another class can do so prior to the start of a race series or mid-distance race.

7.5   Boats may appeal their rating by writing to the Chairperson of the Rating Committee outlining the basis for the appeal.

8. EQUIPMENT

8.1   While racing all yachts shall carry life-saving equipment conforming to
government regulations that apply in the racing area. Failure to do so will result in the yacht scoring a DSQ. DYC strongly recommends compliance with Offshore Racing Council's Category IV requirements (these will be posted on the DYC Website).

8.2    Personal floatation devices (PFD) - each crew member on board is required to wear a PFD for the start and finish of each race. When a Y flag is displayed by the Committee Boat, each crew member on board is required to wear a PFD for the duration of the race. Failure to comply with these requirements will result in the yacht scoring a DSQ for that race.

9. STARTS FOR BUOY RACES

9.1    Races will be started using Rule 26 with classes starting at 5-minute intervals; the starting signal of the preceding class shall be the warning for each succeeding class. Class starting order will be posted on the race committee boat race board.

9.2    The starting line will be between the staff holding the starting flag on the Committee Boat (generally on the starboard end) and a starting mark.

9.3 Yachts whose preparatory signal has not been made shall keep clear of the starting area and of all boats whose preparatory signal has been made. A yacht failing to keep clear shall be subject to placement penalty or DSQ upon protest. The starting area is defined as a "box" extending 200 feet to windward and 200 feet to leeward of the starting line, and extending 200 feet beyond the ends of the starting line.

10.  RECALLS

10.1            Individual recall will be made in accordance with Rule 29.1. The Committee Boat will display flag X and one blast of the horn. The Committee Boat may attempt to notify premature starters by hail and or VHF radio channel 72, but is under no obligation to do so.

10.2            General recall will be in accordance with Rule 29.2, which provides as follows:

When at the starting signal the race committee is unable to identify boats that are on the course side of the starting line or to which rule 30 applies, or there has been an error in the starting procedure, the race committee may signal a general recall (display the First Substi­tute with two sounds). The warning signal for a new start for the recalled class shall be made one minute after the First Substitute is removed (one sound), and the starts for any succeeding classes shall follow the new start.

11. CHANGING OR SHORTENING OF COURSE AFTER START

11.1 When changing the course after that start, The Race Committee through its designated representatives will lay a new mark and will lift the original mark as soon as practicable. Any mark to be rounded after rounding the new mark may be relocated to maintain the original course configuration.

12.  ABANDONMENT

12.1 Race abandonment will be done as described in Rule 16.

12.2 Schedule permitting, an abandoned race may be re-sailed at a later time and/or date.

13. THE FINISH
13.1 The Finish will be located between the staff displaying a Blue Flag (or Shape) on the Committee Boat and a nearby-mark.

13.2 Rule 34 applies if the Race Committee is absent.

14. TIME LIMIT

14.1 The time limit will be 120 minutes for all Classes for all buoy races. Yachts finishing more than 30 minutes after the first yacht of her class finishes or after the time limit, whichever is later, will be scored points equal to the number of finishers plus 1.

15. RETIREMENT

15.1 A yacht that retires from a race, or elects not to compete in additional races for that day, is asked to notify the Committee Boat before leaving the race area. If that is impossible or impracticable, then immediately after arriving ashore, the competitor shall notify a Race Committee representative.

16.  PROTESTS AND ARBITRATION

16.1 Protest shall be written on U.S. sailing protest forms available on the DYC Website or available from the Committee Boat briefcase. Lacking a proper protest form, a protesting boat shall provide in writing the information required under RRS 61.2.

16.2 Time Limit - The time limit for filing protests shall be one hour after the docking of the Committee Boat after the last race of the day. Written protest must be submitted to the Committee Boat or directly to a Race Committee member.

16.3 All protests will be subject to Arbitration, following guidelines described in ISAF International Judges Manual: Appendix 8. Protest Arbitration. Additional guidance for the arbitration process will be posted on the DYC Website.
        
16.4 RRS 44.1 is modified to allow a boat to take an Arbitration Penalty for a breach of a rule of Part 2 after the incident but prior to the protest hearing by acknowledging the breach before arbitration or by accepting the opinion of the arbitrator.

16.5 A short arbitration hearing will be held promptly after the race in which the incident occurred for protests involving an alleged breach of a rule of Part 2 or Part 3 of the RRS.

16.6 After a written protest form is properly lodged, one representative from each boat will meet with the arbitrator(s) unless the protestor requests the protest be withdrawn. Observers will be allowed but must remain silent. A decision will be made and conveyed promptly.

16.7 A yacht that accepts the arbitrator's opinion that she broke a rule of Part 2 or Part 3 of the RRS shall receive a penalty score of 2 points or points equal to 40% of the number of boats entered in that race, whichever is greater. The acceptance of an arbitrator penalty during arbitration is voluntary and cannot be grounds for redress or be appealed. A boat that accepts a penalty in the arbitration hearing shall not be penalized further with respect to the same incident unless she failed to retire when rule 44.1 required her to do so.

16.8 When parties in arbitration do not accept an arbitrator's penalty ruling when made, the matter will go before a Protest Committee, where a greater or lesser penalty may be assessed.

17. SCORING

17.1 The scoring system will follow Appendix A of the RRS.

18. PRIZES

18.1 Prizes will be awarded to yachts based on the positioning within their designated class. Additional prizes are also awarded in various categories.

19. DISPOSAL OF TRASH
    
19.1 Yachts observed discharging trash over the side shall be either disqualified from
all races sailed on the day the infraction is observed, subject to other suitable disciplinary action, or both. This changes Rule 63.1.

IMPORTANT NOTICE OF LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
The Duluth Yacht Club and/or Race Committee, its members or any other committee shall not be liable for any injury or damage whatsoever to persons or property whether caused by or resulting from their act, omission or alleged negligence, or from weather or sea conditions, hazards of any kind, defects or failure of yachts to be seaworthy in hull, rigging or gear, or any acts, omissions or alleged negligence of other participants which may occur during or arising out of or in connection with any race, regatta, event, cruise, spectacle or any activity sponsored or aided in whole or in part by the Duluth Yacht Club. Notice is hereby given to all participants (including crew, spectators, officials and others) that they participate in any activity solely at their own risk. Skippers of participating yachts are required to apprise all crew members of this Limitation of Liability as a Condition of Entry.



FOUL LANGUAGE IS PROHIBITED DURING DYC RACES