THUNDERBIRD MARINE CORP HOWE SOUND REGATTA 2016

Part of the VARC 2016 Championship Series And / 640 / ONE DESIGN REGATTAS

Hosted by the West Vancouver Yacht Club

September 17th & 18th, 2016

SAILING INSTRUCTIONS

1. RULES

This event will be governed by the Racing Rules of 2013 - 2016, the Sail prescriptions, the WVYC Notice of Race, VARC NOR, PHRF rules as they may apply, ORC rules as they may apply, the PIYA rules as they may apply, the Farr 30, and Melges 24 OD rules and these Sailing Instructions.

2. NOTICES TO COMPETITORS

Notices to competitors will be posted on the official notice board located on the main floor of the West Vancouver Yacht Club.

3. CHANGES TO SAILING INSTRUCTIONS

Any change to the Sailing Instructions will be posted before 0900 hrs on the day it will take effect except that any change to the schedule of races will be posted by 1900 hrs on the day before it will take effect.

4. SIGNALS MADE ASHORE

4.1 Signals made ashore will be displayed from the flagpole on the lawn adjacent to the clubhouse.

4.2 When flag AP is displayed ashore, '1 minute' is replaced with 'not less than 45 minutes in the race signal AP’.

5. SCHEDULE OF RACES

5.1 The scheduled time of the first race warning signal each day is 1055 hrs.

5.2 On the last day of the regatta no warning signal will be made after 1500 hrs.

6. CLASS FLAGS

6.1 Numeric Pennants will be used as the Warning Signal for the VARC Classes i.e. 1 for Div 1, 2 for Div 2 etc.

6.2 OD Class flags will be displayed for Farr 30, VIPER 640 and Melges 24.

7. RACING AREA

7.1 The racing area shall be the waters around Greater Vancouver and may include Howe Sound, English Bay and the Strait of Georgia.

7.2 The start / finish line are defined in Attachment A.

7.3 The course area is defined in Attachment A.

7.4 The start / finish line will be announced on VHF 73 radio at 1030 hrs each morning.

8. THE COURSES

8.1 The diagram in Attachment A shows the course.

8.2 Marks shall be rounded to PORT.

9. MARKS

9.1 See Attachment A for Mark descriptions.

9.2 The starting mark will be a yellow cone inflatable mark.

9.3 The finishing mark will be a blue cone inflatable mark.

9.4 There may be an offset mark on the Committee boat.

10. THE START

10.1 Races will be started by using Rule 26 with the warning signal made 5 minutes before the starting signal.

10.2 The starting line will be between an inflatable mark and an orange flag on the signal boat.

10.3 A boat starting later than 4 minutes after her starting signal will be scored Did Not Start without a hearing. This changes Rule A4.

11. THE FINISH

11.1 The finishing line will be between the signal boat and a blue inflatable mark.

12. Change of the next leg of the course

12.1 To change the next leg of the course, the Race Committee will lay a new mark and remove the original mark as soon as practical. When in a subsequent change a new mark is replaced, it will be replaced by an original mark.

12.2 Boats shall pass between the Race Committee boat signaling the change to the next leg and the nearby mark leaving the mark to port and the Race Committee to starboard. This changes Rule 28.

13. PENALTY SYSTEM

13.1 For OD Classes: A boat that may have broken a rule of Part 2 while racing may take a One-Turn Penalty. However, if a boat breaks a rule of Part 2 within the Zone of any rounding or finishing marks; her penalty shall be a Two-Turns Penalty. This amends Rule 44.1.

13.2 Rule 44 applies for all other divisions.

14. TIME LIMITS

14.1 Boats failing to finish within 30 minutes after the first boat sails the course and finishes will be scored TLE without a hearing. This changes Rules 35, A4 and A5. Time Limit Expired = Finished boats + 2.

15. PROTESTS

15.1 Protests forms are available at the Race Office located on the main floor of the West Vancouver Yacht Club. Protests and requests for redress or reopening shall be delivered there within the appropriate time limit.

15.2 The protest time limit is 30 minutes after the Race Committee boat has docked.

15.3 Notices will be posted no later than 30 minutes after the protest time limit to inform competitors of hearings in which they are parties or named as witnesses. Hearings will be held in the protest room located in the Race Directors office building on Monday September 19, 2016.

16. SCORING

16.1 The low point Scoring System of RRS Appendix “A” shall apply.

16.2 ONE or more sailed races constitute a series.

16.3 If six (6) or more races are scored, there will be one throw out.

16.4 As per the Farr 30 One Design rules, there will be no throw outs regardless of the number of races run

17. SAFETY REGULATIONS

17.1 Radio Check in, each day on VHF 73 to the Race Committee PRIOR to the warning signal for the first race is required. 17.2 A boat that retires from a race SHALL notify the Race Committee as soon as possible.

18. EQUIPMENT AND MEASUREMENT CHECKS

18.1 Random yacht and equipment inspections may be conducted prior to, between races and after racing each day to check for compliance with Class Rules, the NOR , the SI and the 2014-15 ISAF Offshore Special Regulations, Category 4 as amended, or PIYA Nearshore 2015

19 RADIO COMMUNICATION

19.1 Except in an emergency a boat shall neither make radio transmissions while racing nor receive radio communications not available to all boats. This restriction also applies to mobile devices,

19.2 Boats are encouraged to monitor the Race Committee VHF Channel 73 particularly during the last minute of the start sequence.

19.3 Boats may notify the Race Committee by VHF channel 73 of intent to retire from racing.

20. MOORAGE

20.1 The provisions of NOR 13 remain in effect. 20.2 Rafting will be required so please help your fellow competitors.

21. DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY

Competitors participate in the regatta entirely at their own risk. See Rule 4, Decision to Race. The Organizing Authority will not accept any liability for death sustained in conjunction with or prior to, during or after the regatta.

22. SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Boats shall comply with the Schedule of Events.

23. SPONSORS I would like to thank our sponsors for their generosity towards this event.

Thunderbird Marine Corporation Pro-Tech Yacht Services Ltd North Shore Linens North Sails