Issue 0 – 11th July 2023
1. RULES
1.1 Racing will be governed by the rules as defined in the Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS), the prescriptions of the Royal Yachting Association (RYA), together with these Sailing Instructions (SIs) and the appropriate class rules.
1.2 The Racing will be in accordance with the World sailing Special regulations for offshore racing Appendix B Special Regulations for Inshore Racing
1.3 In the event of a conflict, these SIs shall prevail. The Organising Authority is the Conway Yacht Club.
1.4 RRS52 will be amended to the extent that powered winches, or other sail or rig handling equipment, may be used by all boats.
2. CHANGES TO SAILING INSTRUCTIONS
2.1 Changes in these SIs (including changes to the Schedule of Races) will, if possible be notified by displaying International Code (IC) flag L but may alternatively be communicated to each boat on the water before the warning signal by any reasonable method including broadcast on the appropriate VHF channel.
3. COMMUNICATION WITH COMPETITORS
3.1 Notices to competitors will be given at a briefing to be held at 1900 hrs. on Friday 21st July 2023 in Conwy Yacht Club. Additional short briefings on each day will be given at 1100 hrs by VHF radio on channel 72 for the Cruiser classes 1 & 2 and at 1200 on Channel M2(P4) for the dayboats and Cruiser class 3
3.2 Notices (including results) will be displayed on the Conwy River Festival website and may also be posted on the notice board outside Conwy Harbour Office (Race Office) and at Deganwy and Conwy Marinas.
3.3 Communications by VHF
Information regarding race courses, times, starting sequences and other matters will normally be broadcast to competitors in the Cruiser classes 1 & 2 on VHF Ch. 72 and to competitors in the Cruiser class 3 and Dayboat classes on VHF Ch. M2 (P4). The VHF channels may be changed if necessary.
3.4 Competitors are requested to keep a listening watch on the appropriate channel for information and instructions, and to maintain radio silence immediately prior to and during the start sequence of each class.
4. CODE OF CONDUCT
4.1 Competitors and support persons shall comply with reasonable requests from race officials.
4.2 Competitors and support persons shall handle any equipment by the organizing authority with care, seamanship, in accordance with any instructions for its use and without interfering with its functionality.
5. SIGNALS MADE ASHORE
5.1 Signals made ashore will be made at CYC Starting Tower, Deganwy Promenade and/or at Conwy and Deganwy Marinas.
6. SCHEDULE OF RACES
6.1 The schedule of races is given in Appendix A to these instructions. The eligible boats for Classes 1 and 2 are given in Section 6 of the Notice of Race.
7. CLASS FLAGS
7.1 Display of Class Flag
Every boat competing shall, on arrival at the relevant start area, conspicuously display their Class Flag (Numerals 1 or 2) on their backstay and shall report their arrival to the Committee Boat on Channel 72.
7.2 Class Flags for starts
The class flags (Numerals 1 and 2) to signal the starts are defined in the Appendix A to these instructions.
8. RACING AREAS
8.1 The general course area will be the Conwy River Estuary, Conwy Bay and to seaward.
9. COURSES
9.1 The course for each race and class will be chosen from those described in the Course Card (if issued) or a special course decided by the Race Officer, and will be announced on VHF prior to the warning signal for the class. Whenever possible, the course will also be displayed on the Committee Boat / Starting Tower at the Start Line. The schedule for each day for one or two races will be confirmed as part of the VHF daily briefing and/or course announcement prior to the first race warning signal.
9.2 The positions of the racing marks are given on the CRF Race Marks document. Other than the navigation marks, marks will only be laid as required at the positions shown in the race marks document. These will be large orange inflatable buoys. In addition, a moveable mark may be positioned to windward or leeward of the start line. This will be designated either Windward or Leeward as appropriate and its bearing will be notified by VHF and may optionally be displayed on the Committee Boat at the Start Line.
9.3 All marks are to be rounded as indicated in the Course Card or as announced by the Race Officer.
10. RACE FORMATS AND HANDICAPPING SYSTEM
10.1 Handicapping Systems
10.1.1 Race results will be calculated using the Conwy River Festival Handicap system based on performance in previous Conwy River Festivals and local club handicaps, with a base handicap derived from the HALS race results system. The Spinlock IRC TCC system, where applicable will be used to calculate an additional set of results for Class 1 only.
10.1.2 The Race Committee reserves the right to allocate a provisional Base Number (BN) to any boat for whom no BN is shown in the Base List, and to adjust the BN retrospectively if it appears manifestly incorrect.
10.1.3 Boats wishing to race under the Spinlock IRC TCC system must provide a valid IRC TCC certificate or LV TCC number.
10.1.4 The decision of the Race Committee with regard to the handicap of a boat shall be final.
10.2 Sails
Where a boat’s handicap is based on the use of a particular sail or sails, the boat is deemed to have elected to use those sails for the duration of the event and shall not use alternative sails.
10.3 – Race formats
The races for Class 1 boats will a conventional course, starting from a start line at the same time and sailing the course to the finish line.
For Class 2 the races will be in the form of a pursuit race with staggered start times and a common finish time. The start times for each boat in Class 2 will be calculated from their handicap. The slowest boat(s) will start at the scheduled start time, see Appendix A. The other competitors will start at the designated number of whole minutes later than the first start. The timings for each boat’s start after the scheduled start time will be published at the briefing on Friday July 21st, based on the closed entry list at that time.
11. THE START
11.1 The Starting Area
The Starting Area will generally be in the vicinity of Channel buoy 2A but may be moved at the Race Committee’s discretion. In this case the location of the starting area will be broadcast on VHF as soon as possible after the decision has been made.
11.2 Heavy Weather
In the event that heavy weather prevents racing in or from normal starting area then at the discretion of the Race Committee, races may be started in the confines of the estuary. In this case a course will be broadcast on VHF and will comprise a number of circuits, using the permanently laid navigation buoys.
11.3 The Starting Line
The Starting line (designated “SL” in the Course Card) shall be a line between the flag mast on the Committee (Start) Boat and the outer distance mark, which may be a large orange/yellow inflatable buoy, or a fixed navigation mark.
11.4 An inner distance mark (if used) does not form part of the Start Line, but yachts should not pass between it and the Committee (Start) Boat. This mark will normally be a small orange/yellow buoy streamed from the stern of the Committee (Start) boat.
11.5 The Starting System prescribed by RRS Rule 26 will be used. See Appendix C of these Sailing Instructions for details of the RRS starting system.
11.6 Boats may be allocated into flights. The flight allocation will be announced in the daily morning radio briefing. The start of the first flight will be at the time shown in Appendix A. Successive flights will start at 5-minute intervals.
11.7 The Sequence of starts is shown in the Schedule of Races.
11.8 Keeping clear of other starts
Boats are requested to keep well clear of the Start Line when other classes are starting.
11.9. Every effort will be made to broadcast sound signals by VHF
12. CHANGES OF COURSE
The courses will not be changed after the start.
13. THE FINISH AND COURSE SHORTENING
13.1 The Finishing Line for Class 1 race
The Finishing Line (designated “FL” in the Course Card) shall be a line between the flag mast on the Committee (Finishing) Boat and an outer distance mark (which may be a marker buoy, Committee Boat or RIB). The finish line shall be crossed from the direction of the previous mark of the course.
13.2 Finish for Class 2
The finish of class 2 boats will be a set time from the scheduled start signal (approximately 110 minutes), Boats will be recorded by the race committee at their position on the course at that finishing time, the boat in the lead being awarded first place, the next boat second place and so on. The countdown to the finishing time will be broadcast on Channel 72 by the race committee. Boats should record, at the finishing time, the identity of the boat ahead and astern of them to assist the race committee in confirming finishing positions.
13.3 Shortened Course
The Class 2 pursuit race will not be shortened.
For Class 1 the Race Committee may shorten the course in accordance with RRS 32.
13.4 An announcement will normally be broadcast on VHF if the course is shortened for a particular class or classes.
13.5 Retirement – A boat which has retired from a race shall inform the Race Committee as soon as possible.
14. ABANDONED RACES
A race which is abandoned for the day will not be re-sailed
15. TIME LIMITS (Changes RRS 35)
15.1 For all classes, racing will terminate at a time, each day, having regard to Deganwy Marina gate closing times (Conwy Marina gate closes approximately 10 minutes later). Gate closing times are published at the respective marinas.
15.2 Subject to SI 15.3, any boat which has not finished at the time limit will be scored DNF.
15.3 The fixed time limit may be extended at the Race Committee’s reasonable discretion.
16. PENALTY SYSTEM (Changes RRS 44)
16.1 A boat may take a One-Turn penalty if she may have broken RRS 31 (touching a mark of the course) or a Two-Turns penalty if she may have broken a rule of RRS Part 2 (infringing a sailing rule)
16.2 A One- or Two-Turn penalty must be taken as soon as possible after getting well clear of other boats. Each turn must include one tack and one gybe.
17. PROTESTS AND HEARINGS
17.1 The time limit for lodging a protest, or request for redress, shall (unless extended by the Race Committee) be 1 hour from the time of the last boat to finish on that day and should be lodged at the Race Office. Boats should attempt to advise the Committee Boat of their intention to protest by VHF radio.
17.2 The protest or request for redress shall if possible be on the form provided by the RYA but in default thereof shall not be invalid provided that it complies in all other respects with the provisions of RRS 61 and 62 as amended by these SIs.
17.3 The protest or request shall be accompanied by a fee of £10, which may be refunded at the discretion of the Protest Committee.
17.4 Only the Race Committee may protest under rule 75.
18. SCORING AND PRIZES
18.1 The scoring system will be as stated in Appendix B to these Sailing Instructions.
18.2 Trophies/Prizes will be awarded for 1st place overall in each class in each series. Daily and other special prizes will also be awarded.
19. SAFETY
19.1 Cruisers must comply with the 2022-2023 World Sailing Offshore Special regulations, Appendix B, Special Regulations for Inshore Racing.
19.2 All boats shall have a working VHF radio with access to all necessary channels
19.3 Lifejackets, compliant to ISO12402-3 (Level 150); harnesses and strops, must be available for all persons on board.
19.4 All safety equipment shall be checked by the person in charge, at least once a year.
19.5 A boat that retires from a race shall notify Race Control as soon as possible.
20. OFFICIAL VESSELS
20.1 Committee Boat stationed on the Start Line will fly a large ORANGE flag, and a Committee Boat stationed on the finishing line will fly a large BLUE flag.
20.2 A rib may be used as a mark laying vessel.
21. DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY/STATEMENT OF RISK
21.1 The responsibility for a boat’s decision to participate in a race or to continue racing is hers alone. The Race Committee reserves the right to refuse entry to any boat which they consider to be unseaworthy or unsuitable to participate.
21.2 All competitors are deemed to have read, understood and accepted the statement of risk contained in the Notice of Race.
22. INSURANCE
22.1 Every boat shall carry third party insurance in the sum of at least £3,000,000.
END OF SAILING INSTRUCTIONS
GUIDANCE NOTES FOR COMPETITORS
Note 1 – Starting Sequence
STANDARD STARTING PROCEDURE (RRS 26)
| Minutes before Start | Signal | Flag | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Warning | Class Flag raised | 1 sound |
| 4 | Preparatory | Code Flag P raised | 1 sound |
| 1 | One Minute | Code Flag P lowered | 1 long sound |
| 0 | Start | Class Flag lowered | 1 sound |
CLASS FLAGS:
| Class | Cruiser Class 1 | Cruiser Class 2 |
|---|---|---|
| IC Flag | Numeral 1 | Numeral 2 |
OTHER SIGNAL FLAGS:
| IC Flag | S | AP | P | L | X |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Shortened Course | Postponement | Preparatory | Change in SIs | Individual recall |
| Sound Signal | 2 sounds | 2 sounds | 1 sound | No sound | 1 sound |
(See RRS ‘Race Signals’ for detailed meanings of flag signals).
Note 2 – Recall at the Start
2.1 When at a boat’s starting signal any part of her hull, crew or equipment is on the course side of the starting line code flag X will be displayed and a second sound signal will be made. Such boats must return completely to the pre start side of the Start Line and then start correctly. Flag X will be displayed until all such boats have returned completely to the pre start side of the line or for a maximum of four minutes. After four minutes an OCS boat not returning will be disqualified. The Race Committee will endeavour, but not guarantee, to broadcast the identity of the boat(s) that have been recalled.
2.2 Competitors are reminded that a boat which has started incorrectly and is returning to the correct side of the Start Line has no rights and must give way to boats which have started correctly.
Note 3 – Shortening Course
For Class 1, if the Race Committee signals a shortened course (Flag S accompanied by 2 sound signals), the finishing line shall be either:
(a) at a rounding mark, the line between that mark and the flag mast on a Committee Boat or RIB; or
(b) at the end of a lap, the line which boats are required to cross at the end of a lap. This will normally be the line between the flag mast on the Committee Boat and ODM.
An announcement will normally be broadcast on VHF if the course is shortened for a particular class or classes.
Appendix A
SCHEDULE OF RACES: Cruiser classes 1 and 2
A maximum of two races per day may be sailed depending on weather conditions.
When the Class 1 boats are allocated into separate flights for starting, the times above are for the first flight of each Class. The start for subsequent flights is five minutes later and so on.
To indicate the warning signal for each flight the following signals will be displayed at the warning signal and removed at the flight starting signal.
| Class 1 first flight – Numeral 1 plus Yellow |
| Class 1 second flight – Numeral 1 plus Red |
| Class 1 third flight – Numeral 1 plus Green |
| Date July 2023 | HW (HT) | Event | Class | Code Flag | Warning Signal | Start Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 22nd | 14:24 7.1m | First race | Class 1 | 1 | 12:55 | 13:00 |
| Class 2 | 2 | 13:10 | 13:15 | |||
| NGC | TBA | TBA | ||||
| Sun 23rd | 15:00 7.0m | First race | Class 1 | 1 | 13:25 | 13:30 |
| Class 2 | 2 | 13:40 | 13:45 | |||
| NGC | TBA | TBA |
APPENDIX B
1. A race in which no boat starts or scores finishing points shall be deemed to have been abandoned, and no points shall be awarded.
Scoring shall be in accordance with RRS Appendix A Low Point system as amended below. All races sailed shall count. Ties shall be broken in accordance with RRS Appendix A8 but a finishing place shall always have preference.
Points for boats that do not score points for a finishing place:
DNF, OCS, RAF: Same points as total number of boats competing in the race
DSQ, BFD and disqualification for any other reason: 1 point more than number of boats competing in the race
DNS, DNC (did not start, whether or not the boat came to start area): one more point than the total number of boats competing in the Series
3. Overall Trophies
Points are calculated from the Handicap Series. There are no discards in 3 races.
(a) The Top Yacht trophy will be presented to the best performing yacht in the Cruiser Classes 1 &2 under the CRF handicap system
(b) The Avanti FastPal Trophy will be presented to the best performing yacht in the Cruiser Class 1 under the Spinlock IRC TCC system