Sailing Instructions
 Draycote Water Sailing Club Merlin Rocket De May Classic and Vintage Open Meeting Saturday 16th July 2022
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Rules

1.1 The regatta will be governed by the current Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS), the prescriptions of the RYA,
and the appropriate class rules, except as any of these are changed by these sailing instructions.
1.2 Any class rule that may give any class an unfair advantage by, for example, altering the penalty system
or permitting the touching of marks, shall not apply. However all class rules relating to construction,
buoyancy and manner in which the boat is sailed shall apply.

Entries

Eligible boats may be entered by completing registration with Draycote Water Sailing Club, and paying the
appropriate fee. Eligibility requirements for boats are that they comply with their current class rules. Eligibility
requirements for competitors are that they are members of a RYA affiliated organization.
2.1. Insurance
All boats shall have a valid certificate of insurance against third party risks providing the minimum cover
specified in the declaration of insurance (currently set at £2,000,000 for any one incident), which must be
signed by all competitors before they go afloat.

Safety

3.1. Personal Buoyancy
Adequate personal buoyancy shall be worn at all times whilst on the water. Wet suits and dry suits are not
adequate personal buoyancy. This changes RRS rule 40.
3.2 Exposure Proof Clothing
During the month of November all persons on the water shall wear exposure proof clothing. For the purpose
of this instruction exposure proof clothing shall mean an adequate expanded neoprene wet suit providing
protection from neck to ankle or a dry suit providing watertight cover from neck to ankle.
3.3 The safety of a boat and her entire management including insurance shall be the sole responsibility of
the owner/person in charge who must ensure that the boat and crew are adequate to face the conditions that
may arise in the course of the race. Neither these sailing instructions nor any inspection of the boat limits or
reduces the absolute responsibility of the owner/person in charge for the boat, the crew, and her
management. The race organizers shall not be responsible for any loss, damage, death or personal injury
howsoever caused to the owner/person in charge or crew, as a result of their taking part in the race or races.
Moreover every owner/Person in charge warrants the suitability of the boat for the race or races.

Distinguishing Numbers

All boats shall compete under their registered numbers to comply with RRS rule 77. Under exceptional
circumstances a boat may be permitted to carry sail numbers or letters in contravention of her class rules
provided that written application, stating the circumstances, is made to the Race Committee prior to the events
online registration closing date. If such permission is granted no further change will be permitted. If a
competitor enters with the same sail number as that of another class, the Race Committee might ask to add
(and will provide) an extra digit. This will be applied to both sides of the sail in front of the actual number for the
duration of the event.
DRAYCOTE WATER SAILING CLUB
Draycote Water Sailing Club Merlin Rocket De May Classic and Vintage Open Meeting Saturday 16th July 2022
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Notices to Competitors.

Notices to competitors will be posted on the official notice board located at the lower entrance to the
clubhouse adjacent to the main club flagstaff and wet bar.
And it would probably be good to wear a hat and cover up skin to avoid sunburn in July.

Changes in Sailing Instructions

Any change to the sailing instructions will be posted at least 30 minutes before race time on the day it will
take effect and shall be valid for all subsequent races in the series unless notified to the contrary. The
posting of such notice will be signaled using a halyard of the club flagstaff.

Schedule of Races

The schedule of races and the handicap splits will be as posted on the official notice board:
Handicap races will be average lap times with an intended race length of approximately of 35 minutes.

Class Splits & Flags

For each handicap race on Saturday there will be one race but the start will be split into 3 fleets. This
amends RRS Appendix A. The start signals for each fleet and the composition of each fleet will be described
on the official notice board.

Obstructions

9.1. Fishing boats, whether engaged in fishing or not, shall rank as obstructions. For this purpose, the area
within which a fishing line extends from, or is being cast from a fishing boat, shall form a part of the fishing
boat.
9.2. Rescue boats and Committee Boats when not displaying definitive start or finish flags, shall similarly
rank as obstructions.

Exclusion Areas

Boats shall not sail at any time within 30 metres of the shore except at the Club compound, nor, during the
fishing season, within the buoyed area in Toft Bay or within 80 metres of Draycote reservoir banks. These
areas rank as obstructions.
Landing in an exclusion area is allowed only in an emergency.
The pontoon and moorings in front of the clubhouse are for use only by official boats.

The Course

Handicap racing. The course will be described on the official notice board.
The start / finish line will be required to be crossed at the end of each and every
 lap. The number of rounds is not predetermined.
Pursuit racing. The course will be displayed on the clubhouse balcony adjacent to the main
 flagpole, and may be displayed on the back of the committee boat where possible.

Marks

The starting mark will be a red spherical shaped buoy
Handicap racing Rounding marks will be large orange inflatable buoys
Pursuit racing Rounding marks will be the club racing buoys (Maps available to competitors from
 the office for a £1.00 refundable deposit)

The Start

13.1. The starting line will be between a staff displaying an orange flag or shape on the race committee
boat and a starting mark.
DRAYCOTE WATER SAILING CLUB
Draycote Water Sailing Club Merlin Rocket De May Classic and Vintage Open Meeting Saturday 16th July 2022
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13.2. Boats whose preparatory signal has not been made shall keep clear of the starting area, and of all
boats whose preparatory signal has been made.
13.3 For handicap races the start signals for each fleet will be at three minute intervals. The warning
signal shall be made 3 minutes before the starting signal and the preparatory signal shall be made 2 minutes
before the starting signal. This changes RRS rule 26.
13.4. A boat shall not start later than three minutes after the starting signal for her start.
13.5 The pursuit race shall be started by using RRS rule 26 with the warning signal made 5 minutes
before the first class start.
13.6 A race may not be started if, in the opinion of the Race Officer, there is excessive or insufficient wind.
13.7 The attention of competitors is drawn to RRS rule 30.3 (Black flag). No signal will be made that there
are boats contravening RRS rule 30.3 (Black flag) other than displaying the sail number on a board at the stern
of the main committee boat where possible. Patrol boats may inform such competitors subject to prevailing
conditions at the time but the onus remains with the competitor to retire immediately from that race and not
impede boats which have started correctly.
13.8 Recalls:
Should flag P be used instead of the black flag then individual recalls will be
signalled in accordance with RRS rule 29.1 except that flg X will be flown for no longer than 30 seconds. This
changes RRS rule 29.1.
13.8.2 General recalls will be signalled by the flying of “first substitute” and two sound signals. The “first
substitute” will remain flying for no more than 1 minute. The recalled classes will be started immediately at the
end of the start sequence. The last scheduled start will be the warning signal of the recalled class. If the
recalled class is the last class to start, the warning signal for a new start shall be made 1 minute after the first
substitute is removed (one sound signal). This changes RRS rule 29.2.

Change of Course after the Start

Change of position of marks: The position of marks may be changed during a race in the event of a wind
change. Such change will be made only if no boat is sailing towards the mark on that leg of the course.
Flag C will not normally be flown to indicate any change, nor will “+”or “-“signs be displayed.
This changes RRS rule 33.

The Finish

Handicap racing: The finishing line will be between a staff displaying an orange flag or shape on the race
committee boat, and a staff displaying an orange flag or shape on the line boat.
Shortly before the finish, Flag S will be displayed on the main committee boat accompanied by two sound
signals. This is the “about to finish” signal. All boats will finish the race when they next pass through the
finish line at the end of their current lap, regardless of the number of laps completed. Their finishing position
shall be determined on an average lap basis.
Pursuit racing: The finishing line will be either a rolling line of two RIBs displaying blue flags and/or
between a committee boat displaying a blue flag and an adjacent mark of the course and/or a blue flag on
the shore and a mark of the course.

Time Limit

Boats failing to finish within 30 minutes after the first boat of her start finishes will be scored “Did not finish”
without a hearing.
This changes RRS rules 35 and RRS appendices A4 & A5.
DRAYCOTE WATER SAILING CLUB
Draycote Water Sailing Club Merlin Rocket De May Classic and Vintage Open Meeting Saturday 16th July 2022
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Declarations

There is no requirement to sign on or off unless declaring penalties or retirement. The declaration sheets are
on the official notice board and the standard codes of RRS Appendix A11 will be used.

Protests

18.1. Protests shall be written on forms available at the race office and delivered there within 30 minutes
after the time of the last boat’s finish, except when races have been notified to competitors as being run
back-to-back. In this case protests for all back-to-back races must be made within 30 minutes of the time
the last boat finishes the last race. The race committee may extend the time limit in exceptional
circumstances.
18.2. The exoneration penalty and RYA arbitration procedures of the RYA rules disputes procedures will
be available. See the official notice board for details.
18.3 The jury will hear protests in approximately the order of receipt as soon as possible.
18.4 RRS rule 66 is changed by adding this sentence: “On the last day of racing, a party to a hearing
may ask for a reopening no later than 30 minutes after being informed of the decision”.

Scoring

19.1 The low point scoring system RRS appendix A2 will apply, modified so that each boat’s series score
will be the total of her race scores with her worst score discarded if 3 or more races have been
completed. Two races shall be completed to constitute a series.
19.2 The pursuit race is non discardable and counts for double points.

Support Boats

Team leaders, coaches, and other support personnel shall not be in 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 penalty for failing to comply with this requirement will be
the disqualification of all boats associated with the support personnel who so do.
21 Radio Communications
A boat shall neither make radio transmissions whilst racing, nor receive radio communications not available
to other boats. This restriction also applies to mobile telephones. This will not apply to cameras or GPS
devices, first authorized by the race committee.

Disclaimer

Competitors participate in the regatta entirely at their own risk. See RRS rule 4, Decision to Race. The
Organising Authority will not accept any liability for material damage or personal injury or death sustained in
conjunction with or prior to, during, or after the regatta.

Local Rules

All sailing, including club racing, is controlled by Draycote Water Sailing Club and may take place only when
the Club Burgee is flying on the flagstaff in front of the Clubhouse. All entrants and authorized guests will be
deemed to be temporary members of Draycote Water Sailing Club during the period of the open meeting
and, as such, will abide by all of the Club rules and by-laws and may sail only the boat entered for the open
meeting.
All entrants and authorized guests shall also comply with the following Water Authority Regulations: -
We reserve the right to disqualify any competitor without a hearing any competitor who does not comply with
these local rules (this changes RRS 63.1 and A5):-.
DRAYCOTE WATER SAILING CLUB
Draycote Water Sailing Club Merlin Rocket De May Classic and Vintage Open Meeting Saturday 16th July 2022
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a) No parking of vehicles on any roadways, slipways or grass areas. All vehicles shall be parked in the

 sailing club main car park once the trailer and boat are unloaded.

b) Dogs are not allowed on the site. They may be walked in the adjacent Country Park
c) A disclaimer will be signed to state that visiting boats have been washed and/or disinfected before

being brought on to site.