Sailing Instructions – Dayboats and Cruiser Class 3

Issue 1 – 19th 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 2022 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

The schedule of races is given in Appendix A to these instructions. The eligible boats for the dayboat and Class 3 classes are given in Section 6 of the Notice of Race.

7. CLASS FLAGS

7.1 Class Flags for starts.

NameDescriptionFlag
Cruiser Class 3Yacht having a handicap of 0.835 or lessR
DayboatOpen day racing boats, e.g. CODsE

8. RACING AREAS

8.1 The general course area will be the Conwy River Estuary.

9. COURSES

9.1 The course for each race and class will be chosen from those described in the Course Card and signalled by a letter board displayed at the CRF Start Line prior to the warning signal or a special course decided by the Race Officer. The course will also be announced on VHF prior to the warning signal for the class. 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.

9.3 All marks are to be rounded to PORT unless otherwise 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.

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 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 will be a conventional course, starting from a start line at the same time and sailing the course to the finish line.

11. THE START

11.1 The starting area will be in the Conwy estuary. The start line will be either:
(1) CRF line, which is the continuation of a line delineated by two white poles with orange triangles mounted on them adjacent to the entrance to Deganwy Marina. The use of an Inner Limit marker will be confirmed at the briefing. An inner distance mark does not form part of the Start Line, but yachts should not pass between it and the Deganwy Dock wall or the Committee (Start) Boat.
Or (2) the line between a Committee Boat and a nearby outer limit mark.
Or (3) The CYC Club line
Note that when racing is started from lines marked by poles on land, flag signals are given using flag boards (displayed at the Start Point), rather than actual flags.

11.2 If a Committee Boat start is used, this may be in the vicinity of CRF Start line or elsewhere as communicated by VHF radio. The Committee Boat will normally be CYC Guard Boat (Sior). When racing is started from a Committee Boat, alternative signals may be used from those prescribed by RRS 26. These alternative signals will be explained at the briefing.

11.3 The Classes will start together unless it is decided to offer separate starts, in which case the classes will start at 5 minute intervals, or as directed by the race officer by radio on the day

11.4 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.

11.5 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

11.6 The Sequence of starts is shown in the Schedule of Races, Appendix A.

11.7 Keeping clear of other starts
Boats are requested to keep well clear of the Start Line when other classes are starting.

11.8 Every effort will be made to broadcast sound signals by VHF

12. INDIVIDUAL RECALL

12.1 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.

12.2 Competitors are reminded that a boat that has started incorrectly and is returning to the correct side of the Start Line has no rights and must give way to boats that have started correctly.

13. POSTPONEMENT

13.1 The postponement signal may be used at any time before the Starting signal of a race.

13.2 Postponement is signalled using Code Flag AP (the Answering Pennant) accompanied by 2 sound signals. The postponement continues until AP is removed, accompanied by 1 sound signal. The warning signal for the next race is given 1 minute after AP is removed. All subsequent starts are postponed accordingly.

14. CHANGE OF COURSE

The courses will not be changed after the start. But may be shortened.

15. THE FINISH

15.1 The Finishing Line will be either the CRF Line, as defined in the course card, or a line between the flag mast on a Committee Boat and a nearby limit mark or the CYC Club line. The finish line shall be crossed from the direction of the previous mark of the course.

15.2 Shortened Course (amending RRS 32.2)
If a shortened course is signalled (Flag S accompanied by 2 sound signals), the signal means either:
(a) the finishing line is the line between the flag mast on a Committee Boat or RIB and a nearby rounding mark; or
(b) the race will finish when the leading boat next crosses the CRF line from either direction.

15.3 An announcement will normally be broadcast on VHF if the course is shortened for a particular class or classes.

15.4 Retirement
A boat which has retired from a race shall inform the Race Committee as soon as possible

15.5 Abandoned Races
A race which is abandoned for the day will not be re-sailed.

16. TIME LIMITS (amending RRS 35)

16.1 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.

16.2 Subject to SI 16.3, any boat which has not finished at the time limit will be scored DNF

16.3 The fixed time limit may be extended at the Race Committee’s reasonable discretion.

17. PENALTY SYSTEM (Changes RRS 44)

17.1 A boat may take a One-Turn penalty if she may have broken RRS 31 (touching a mark of the course) or a One-Turn penalty if she may have broken a rule of RRS Part 2 (infringing a sailing rule)

17.2 A penalty must be taken as soon as possible after getting well clear of other boats. The turn must include one tack and one gybe.

18. PROTESTS AND HEARINGS

18.1 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.

18.2 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.

18.3 The protest or request shall be accompanied by a fee of £10, which may be refunded at the discretion of the Protest Committee.

18.4 Only the Race Committee may protest under rule 75.

19. SCORING AND PRIZES

19.1 The scoring system will be as stated in Appendix B to these Sailing Instructions.

19.2 Trophies/Prizes will be awarded for 1st place overall in each class in each series. Daily and other special prizes will also be awarded.

20. SAFETY

20.1 Cruisers must comply with the 2022-2023 World Sailing Offshore Special regulations, Appendix C, Special Regulations for Dinghy Racing. In addition, all boats must carry safety equipment as stipulated in the Conway One Design Class Rules.

20.2 All boats shall have a working VHF radio with access to all necessary channels

20.3 All persons on board a dayboat must wear a personal flotation device (PFD) to ISO 12402-5 – Level 50 or equivalent. Cruiser Class 3 boats should carry sufficient Lifejackets compliant to ISO12402-3 (Level 150) and must be available for all persons on board.

20.4 All safety equipment shall be checked by the person in charge, at least once a year.

20.5 A boat that retires from a race shall notify Race Control as soon as possible.

21. OFFICIAL VESSELS

21.1 A Committee Boat may be stationed on the Start or Finish Line will fly the CYC burgee.

21.2 A rib may be used as a mark laying vessel.

22. DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY/STATEMENT OF RISK

22.1 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.

22.2 All competitors are deemed to have read, understood and accepted the statement of risk contained in the Notice of Race.

23. 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 StartSignalFlagSound
5WarningClass Flag raised1 sound
4PreparatoryCode Flag P raised1 sound
1One MinuteCode Flag P lowered1 long sound
0StartClass Flag lowered1 sound

CLASS FLAGS:

ClassDayboatCruiser Class 3
IC FlagE
R

OTHER SIGNAL FLAGS:

IC FlagS
AP
P
L
X
MeaningShortened CoursePostponementPreparatoryChange in SIsIndividual recall
Sound Signal2 sounds2 sounds1 soundNo sound1 sound

(See RRS ‘Race Signals’ for detailed meanings of flag signals).

APPENDIX A

SCHEDULE OF RACES: Dayboats and Cruiser class 3

A maximum of two races per day may be sailed depending on weather conditions.

When 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 first flight – Class flag plus Yellow
Class second flight – Class flag plus Red
Class third flight – Class flag plus Green
Date July 2023HW (HT)EventClassCode FlagWarning SignalStart Time
Sat 22nd14:24
7.1m
First raceDayboats

Class 3
E

R
13:00

13:05
13:05

13:10
Sun 23rd15:00
7.0m
First raceDayboats

Class 3
E

R
13:45

13:50
13:50

13:55

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.
  2. Scoring
    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.
    Victor Ludorum (Overall trophy) – This trophy will be awarded to the best performing boat.