Mayo Sailing Club

General

The 2001 Mayo Sailing Club ("MSC") Detailed Fixture List,

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All boats competing must complete the attached Entry Form and submit same in advance of the first race to the Sailing Secretary together with the prescribed Entry Fee of £25.00 to cover the Spring, Summer and Autumn series. Points will not be awarded in respect of any boat in a series until the Entry Form has been submitted and Entry Fee paid.

Prizes for all the events covered by these Instructions will be presented at the Laying Up Supper at the end of the season.

All Cruiser races will be run under the ECHO and CHS Handicap Systems and prizes will be provided for both systems.

The attached Sailing Instructions shall apply to all Club Races (save the TSB Bank Round Clare Island Race and Club Regatta) including the Commodores Cup, Captains Prize, Liner Shipping Trophy, and RNLI Race.

All yachts entered for the Series will be divided into two Fleets to be known as "Cruisers One" and "Cruisers Two". Each yacht will be allocated to a Fleet based on size and performance at the sole discretion of the Sailing Committee whose decision will be final. Starting times given in the sailing instructions are for Cruisers Two. The start for Cruisers One will be 20 minutes after cruisers Two.

All Races will be sailed under the Racing Rules of Sailing 2001 - 2005 ("RRS"), the ISA Prescriptions thereto, and the Class Association Rules of all Classes taking part except as any of these are changed by these sailing instructions.

Yachts, crew and equipment are the responsibility of competitors, whether owners, tenants or borrowers, and competitors shall be liable for all damage.. The decision to sail is solely that of helm and crew and no liability for loss, damage or injury whether to any competitor or crew, their yachts, any other yacht or equipment or any personal or third party property howsoever arising is accepted by the Organising Committee, Mayo Yacht Club Limited, or Mayo Sailing Club, its Flag Officers, Committee Members, servants or agents.

The safety of each yacht and crew and her entire management including third party liability insurance cover for the entire series shall be the sole responsibility of the competitor.

By participating in the series all competitors accept and are bound by these Sailing Instructions in their entirety, the Racing Rules, the ISA Prescriptions thereto, and the Constitution and Rules of MSC.

No Boat may sail with a different number on its mainsail or spinnaker to that shown on its Entry Form unless notification in writing of the amended sail number has first been given to the Sailing Secretary or his Deputy and permission to change numbers obtained.

Notices to competitors will be posted on the Official Notice Board located at the front of the Clubhouse near, but outside the main entrance. Any notice amending these Sailing Instructions must be displayed for at least 30 minutes prior to the Warning Signal of any race. No Notice may be posted on the Official Notice Board except by the Sailing Secretary or on his authority.

These Sailing Instructions may be varied by the Sailing Secretary or the Race Officer at his discretion by posting a notice on the Official Notice Board not later than thirty minutes prior to the Warning Signal of any race. No separate written instructions will be given. The name of the Race Officer for the purpose of these Instructions for each race is given in the fixtures list.

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All boats participating must carry Marine Band VHF radio, compass, three in date red flares, anchor and warp, at least two bailers/buckets, and have sufficient buoyancy on board for all crew on board. All safety equipment must be operational.

Compliance with this Instruction is the sole responsibility of each competitor.

Start times are given on the attached MSC fixture list. Warning signals will be given ten minutes before the start time. Where one start time is listed both fleets will start together. If there are insufficient boats participating in a race the Fleets may be started at the same time at the discretion of the Race Officer.

Warning Signal: Ten minutes before the start of each race, the Class Flag will be broken out and a sound signal made. The Class Flag for Cruisers Two will be Code Flag 2, and that for Cruisers One will be Code Flag 1.

Preparatory Signal: Five minutes before the start of each race code flag "P" will be broken out and a sound signal made.

Starting Signal: The Class Flag and Code Flag "P" will be lowered and a sound signal made. The time at each signal shall be taken from the flag or, if there should be no flag, from the sound signal.

In the absence of code flags, Sound Signals only will be used

The starting line will be an imaginary line between flagpole of the committee boat the starting mark. The "Starting Mark" shall be an orange flag buoy. An inner limit mark may be moored approximately on the starting line. A yacht sailing between the inner limit mark and Committee Boat shall be disqualified.

Individual recall will be signalled in accordance with Rule 29.2.
Code flag "X" will be broken out with one sound signal.
Code flag "X" will continue to be displayed until all premature starters have recrossed the line satisfactory, or four minutes after the starting signal, whichever is the earlier. No yachts shall be individually hailed.

General Recall will be signalled in accordance with Rule 29.3.
Code flag "First Substitute" will be broken out with two sound signals. This Flag will be displayed for approximately four minutes. The Warning Signal for the new start will be made one minute after lowering the code flag "First Substitute".

In the absence of Flag Signals, Sound Signals only will be used

The Course to be sailed will be notified by reference to the Course Card which will be distributed to all entrants. The course will be denoted by a letter and a number followed by a green or red flag displayed on the committee boat. The Race Officer may shorten the race at any time. To signal a shortened course, the Race Officer shall display code flag "S" and make two sound signals and, if possible, notify all boats by radio. In the event of adverse conditions, or otherwise at his sole discretion, the Race Officer may decide to amend the Course.

The finishing line shall be an imaginary line between the Starting Mark and the committee boat which will be moored in near Inishgort; except when the course is shortened, when yachts will be advised by radio of the location of the finishing line.

In each Race there will be a time limit of two hours thirty minutes from the starting signal for its class for the first boat to finish. Yachts finishing outside the time limit but finishing within 45 mins. of the first yacht to finish will be deemed to have finished; all other yachts finishing outside the time limit will be deemed not to have finished (DNF).

a. Postpone a Race, which will be signalled by displaying the code flag "Answering Pennant" on the flag pole outside the Clubhouse or on the Committee Boat, accompanied by two sound signals. The end of the postponement period shall be signalled by lowering the code flag "Answering Pennant" and making one sound signal. The Warning Signal will be made not less than five minutes after the end of the postponement period.

b. Abandon a Race, which will be signalled by displaying code flag "N" and making three sound signals.

c. Abandon a Race and decide to re sail it on the same day, which will be signalled by displaying Code Flag "N" over Code Flag "X" and making three sound signals.

d. Cancel a Race, which will be signalled by displaying Code Flag "N" over "First Substitute" and making three sound signals.

A Race may be abandoned or cancelled after the start.

All races will be abandoned where the wind speed exceeds 30 knots at the start of the race. The wind speed will be measured by the race officer, and will his readings will not be subject to protest in the interest of safety.

Only protests written on the correct ISA form will be acceptable. All protests must be lodged with the Race Officer within one hour and thirty minutes after the time of the protesting Yachts finish. The Committee Boat must be advised of the protest by the protesting Yacht on finishing the race and the Yacht protested against must be notified as soon as possible. Every effort will be made to have protests heard on the day on which they arise. Competitors involved in protests and their witnesses must not leave the Club area until the protest has been heard or postponed. Only code flag "B" will be considered as a protest flag.

The Low Point Scoring System, Rule A2 RRS, will apply, save that

First place will be awarded 0.75 points

A Yacht that cannot be scored as a competing Yacht in accordance with rule 74.5(a) will be scored points for the finishing place one more than the number of yachts entered in the series.

All other Yachts, including a yacht that finishes but thereafter retires or is disqualified, will be scored points for the finishing place one more than the number of Yachts that were scored as competing Yachts in accordance with rule 74.5(a) in that race.

For every four races of a series sailed each Yacht may exclude one worst score.

Points will be awarded for the Super Series as follows:

1st place	10 points
2nd place	8 points
3rd place	6 points
4th place	5 points
5th place	4 points
6th place	3 points
7th place	2 points
8th place and all subsequent finishing yachts	1 point

No sailovers will be permitted and no points will be awarded for a race unless at least two boats start.

All races will be run under both the "ECHO" and "CHS" Handicapping Systems and prizes will be provided for both fleets. All yachts competing must have current ECHO and/or CHS handicap Certificates. For specific races designated by the Sailing Secretary as "One-Off" Races the Handicap Secretary may allocate a standard or any handicap to any yacht competing. The decision of the Handicap Secretary on the ECHO handicap of a Yacht shall be final.

Any radio instructions or information will be broadcast by the race officer on Channel12 .

In the event of a yacht getting into distress the yacht immediately astern, abeam or nearest to it will assume the responsibility of Rescue Co-ordinator. As Rescue Co-ordinator, he/she will communicate with the yacht in distress to see if assistance is required. The Rescue Co-ordinator and any other yacht summoned to render assistance may apply to the racing Committee for redress.

If the yacht in distress does not require any assistance the Rescue Co-ordinator should relay this to the rest of the fleet by radio.

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