Sailing Instructions

2007 Laser United States National Championships

Laser, Laser Radial and Laser 4.7

August 10-12, 2007

Malletts Bay Boat Club, Colchester, Vermont, USA

 Sailing Instructions

1.  Rules
1.1 The regatta will be governed by the Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS), the prescriptions of the United States Sailing Association (US Sailing), the rules of the International Laser Class Association (ILCA), the Notice of Race, except as any of these are changed by these Sailing Instructions. 

1.2 The organizing authority is North American Laser Class. The event will be held at The Malletts Bay Boat Club.

1.3 The regatta is designated Category C in accordance with ISAF Regulation 20.

1.4 The official language for this regatta will be English.

2. Eligibility and Entry
2.1 All competitors must meet the eligibility requirements as stated in the Notice of Race and have filed valid entries in accordance with the Notice of Race.

2.2 All Laser Radial competitors will display a blue band on the mast between the vang and gooseneck.

3.  Notices To Competitors
Notices to competitors will be posted on the official notice board located on the North side of the ground floor of the MBBC Clubhouse.

4.  Changes In Sailing Instructions
Any change in the sailing instructions will be posted before 0900 on the day it will take effect, except that any change in the schedule of races will be posted before 2000 on the day before it will take effect.

5.  Signals Made Ashore
5.1  Signals made ashore will be displayed from the MBBC Flagpole.

5.2     When Flag AP is displayed ashore, '1 minute' is replaced with 'not less than 60 minutes' in Race Signal AP.

 

5.3     When Code Flag L is displayed ashore, a change in sailing instructions has been posted on the regatta notice board.

 

5.4     When Code flag I is displayed ashore, all Races will be sailed in the Inner Malletts Bay.  If the Laser 4.7 Class flag is displayed above Code Flag I, only the Laser 4.7 class will sail in the Inner Malletts Bay.

 

6.  Schedule of Races:

Thursday, August 9
1600-2000 Registration & Sail Measurement

Friday, February August 10
0730-0930     Registration and sail measurement
0930             Skippers Meeting
1200             First warning signal, races to follow

Saturday, August 11
 1100            First Warning signal, races to follow
 1800            Barbeque at MBBC

Sunday, August 12
1000             First warning signal, races to follow
Awards to follow ASAP after last race.

6.2 Ten (10) races are scheduled for this event.

6.3 The finish boat will display Code Flag H when the last race of the day has been completed.  If the finish boat displays a Class Flag above Code Flag H, the last race of the day has only been completed for that class.  If the starting boat or finishing boat displays 4.7 class flag over code flag I, the 4.7 class shall proceed to the Inner Bay course area for the next race.

 6.4 On the final day of the regatta no warning signal will be made after 1500.

7.  Racing Area
The primary racing area will be the Outer Malletts Bay, 3+ miles from the Club. The secondary racing area will be the Inner Bay, 1 mile from the Club.

8.  Courses
8.1  The diagrams in Attachment A show the courses, including the approximate angles between legs, the order in which marks are to be passed, and the side on which each mark is to be left. The course length will adjusted to target a race time of 45-60 minutes.  

8.2  The Laser fleet will sail the “Outside Trapezoid” course as noted on Attachment A.

8.3  The Laser Radial fleet will sail the “Inside Trapezoid” course as noted on Attachment A.

8.4  The Laser 4.7 Fleet will sail a “Trapezoid” course as designated in Attachment A.  If the Laser 4.7 Fleet is sailing in the inner bay on a separate course, it will sail a windward/leeward course as designated in Attachment B.

8.5  No later than the warning signal, the race committee signal boat will display the approximate compass bearing from the starting line to the first mark.

9.  Marks
9.1 Marks 1, 4 and 5p/5s will be orange tetrahedrons. Mark 3p and 3s will be orange APS cylinders or orange tetrahedrons. Marks 1A and 2a (off-sets) will be small orange balls. Mark 2 will be a large orange tomato mark.

9.2 The finish mark will be a smaller orange tetrahedron.

9.3 New marks, when used in accordance with instruction 11, Change of Course, will be yellow, excepting that if a new weather mark is set, the offset mark will be an orange ball. When in a subsequent change of course a new mark is replaced, it will be replaced with an original mark.

9.4 Mark 5 will not be a mark of the course on the first windward leg.

9.5 On the Inner Bay windward/leeward course for Laser 4.7, all marks will tetrahedrons or balls.

10.  The Start
10.1 Races will be started in accordance with RRS 26.

10.2 The Class Flags will be:
Laser Full Rig – White Flag
Laser Radial – Blue Flag
Laser 4.7 – Yellow Flag

10.3 The starting line will be between the RC Flag on the large sailboat at the starboard end of the line, and the RC flag on the boat at the port end of the line.  A mid line ball may be used for reference only but will not be part of the starting line.

10.4 No race shall be started unless there is a minimum consistent wind speed of 3 knots throughout the racing area.

10.5 A boat shall not start later than 5 minutes after her starting signal. Such boat will be scored DNS. This changes RRS A4.1.

10.6 The warning signal for a succeeding start may be made at, or any time after, the starting signal of the preceding start.

11.  Change Of Course
A change of course will be signaled in accordance with RRS 33. Any mark to be rounded after rounding the new mark may be relocated to maintain the original course configuration. When in a subsequent change of course a new mark is replaced, it will be replaced by an original mark.

12.  The Finish
The finishing line will be between the RC flag on the boat at the starboard end of the line and the leeward side of the orange tetrahedron on the port end of the line.

13.  Abandonment & time limit
13.1 The time limit for a race will be 2.5 hours. Boats failing to finish within 30 minutes after the first boat finishes or within the time limit, will be scored DNF. This changes RRS 35 and A4.1.

13.2 The Race Committee may abandon any race it judges not to be a fair test of sailing skill.

14.  Measurement & Equipment
Each competitor is responsible for ensuring their equipment is in compliance with the ILCA rules. Failure to do so may result in disqualification from the regatta. Section 3 of the NOR will be enforced and other measurement and equipment checks may be done at any time during the regatta.

15.  Protests
15.1 Competitors intending to protest shall inform the Judge boat immediately after finishing and before communicating with coaches or spectators. The Judge Boat will display a white flag with a blue J, and will be located on the non-course side of the Finish Boat.  If the Judge boat is not on station, competitors shall report to the Finish on the non-course side of the boat. Boats that do not finish shall report their intent to protest to any Race Committee Boat at the first possible opportunity. This adds to RRS 61.1(a).

15.2 Protests should be lodged with the protest secretary on board the committee boat within 45 minutes of the time the Race Committee Boat docks. The Race Committee will post the docking (beginning of protest) time on the official notice board as soon as practical after docking.  Forms are available from the protest secretary.

15.3 Protests will be heard in the approximate order of receipt. The time and place of protest hearings will be posted within 30 minutes after the end of the protest time. This is the notice required by RRS 63.2.

16.  Scoring
16.1 The Low Point Scoring System, Appendix A2, will be used except as modified below.

16.2 A minimum of three races must be completed to constitute a regatta.

16.3 There will be one throw-out when six or more races are sailed.

17.  Safety
17.1 Life jackets shall be worn at all times while racing, failure to do so will result in disqualification. This changes RRS 40 and 63.1.

17.2 When races are sailed in the Outer Malletts Bay, there will be a designated check-in race committee boat flying code flag L located between Malletts Head and the Race Course.  Each competitor shall check in at this boat when leaving the Inner Malletts Bay, and prior to the warning signal for the first race of each day in which it intends to compete by hailing the sail number and be acknowledged by the race committee. 

Upon completion of the last race of the day, or any other time when leaving the Outer Bay, each competitor must check in with this boat. A boat failing to do so will given a 20% scoring penalty in the first race of the day in which it competes. Subsequent failures to check in will result in the boat being scored DNS. This changes RRS 35, RRS 63.1 and RRS A4.1.

17.3 A competitor that withdraws from a race or intends not to start a race shall
inform the nearest safety or race committee boat as soon as possible.

18. SUPPORT AND COACH BOATS
Except when rendering assistance to a boat in danger or at the request of the Race Committee, support and coach boats shall stay outside 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 Racing Area is defined as a 50 yards distance from the perimeter of the trapezoid course including the upwind outside layline on any upwind leg. Any coach or support boat who infringes this rule will be asked by a member of the Race Committee to leave the course area for the day.  Any subsequent infringement will result in the disqualification of all boats associated with the support personnel who do so.

19.  Disclaimer of Liability
Competitors participate in the regatta entirely at their own risk. See RRS 4, Decision to Race. The organizing authority or the Malletts Bay Boat Club will not accept any liability for material damage or personal injury or death sustained in conjunction with, prior to, during, or after the regatta.

20.  Trophies
Trophies will be awarded for the following places
4.7 1st-3rd.
Radial 1st-5th.
Radial 1st Junior.
Laser 1st-5th.
Laser 1st Junior, 1st Apprentice Master, 1st Master, 1st Grand Master, 1st Great Grand Master.