GULF ASSOCIATION, INC. ORGANIZED 1901 – REORGANIZED 1920

PHRF ALAN McMILLAN, (PYC) CHAIRMAN THOMAS D. BEERY, JR. (SRYC) CHAIRMAN OFFSHORE COUNCIL PHRF RATING COMMITTEE 54 LAKE DR. GYA-PHRF.COM 1001 COVE PENSACOLA, FL 32507 PASCAGOULA, MS 39581 (850)-449-3101 (CELL) [email protected] (228) – 769-6718 (HOME)

BOARD OF HANDICAPPERS . Craig Wilusz (FWYC) Wes Stanley (BYC) Karl Boehm (TYC) Julian Bingham (MYC) Merlin Wilson (SYC) January 15, 2014 MINUTES FOR THE ANNUAL REVIEW, JANUARY 15, 2014

The Annual Review was held Wednesday, January 15, 2014 at Singing River Club. All Area Handicappers were present.

Appointment of Craig Wilusz as Area Handicapper for Florida: Alan McMillan, the GYA PHRF Area Handicapper for Florida, is retiring from the GYA PHRF Rating Committee 01/15/2014 in accordance with the tenure provisions of the GYA PHRF By-laws.

Alan has been on the committee for the past five years and has made major contributions to the overall success of the PHRF rating System in the GYA. Sailors from Florida, as well as the entire GYA, have been well represented by Alan.

Based on the recommendation received from Mickey LaGarde, Commodore of Fort Walton , and other sailors in the local area, I have selected Craig Wilusz, currently the Assistant Handicapper to Alan, as Alan’s replacement. Craig has attended several PHRF board meetings and has provided valuable input during reviews of various . Craig is a competitive sailor, having raced his 640 and in various regattas throughout the GYA, including local regattas in the Fort Walton area, the WFORC, and the GYA Challenge Cup.

Alan McMillan, the GYA Offshore Chairman, affirmed this selection and has made the appointment.

DISCUSSION ITEMS:

1. “Hiking Lines”: The Melges 24 class rule on “hiking lines” has been changed to make mandatory a shorter (in height) stanchion (now 350mm minimum, 360mm max) and the requirement that the “hiking lines” be tight. Previously, the “hiking lines” could be slack as long as they did not touch the deck when pushed down hard in the center, between two higher stanchions. When the PHRF committee allowed ODR rated boats to be sailed per their class rules the rating on the Melges 24 was lowered from 96 to 93. DECISION: The committee voted unanimously to change the base rating back to 96 to reflect the new class rule. Each owner will receive a revised certificate reflecting this decision and each certificate will carry a -3 second adjustment for not meeting the new rule. When each owner certifies to the PHRF committee that they are in complete compliance with the new rule, the -3 second adjustment will be removed. This decision is effective immediately.

1 2. SELF RIGHTING: The current by-laws require a boat to be self righting to obtain a PHRF certificate. Boats that do not meet this requirement are given an “X-PHRF” certificate which allows them to participate in local races where the X-PHRF certificate is acceptable to the Race Committee. The problem with this requirement is that there is no definition of what constitutes “Self Righting”, and it has been left up to the committee to decide on a case by case basis. Originally, the self righting requirement was established in the GYA PHRF as a means of rating offshore type boats vs day sailors, such as Flying Scots, Lightings, etc. However, as sport boats have become more prevalent the self righting requirement, without definition, could easily be challenged. It was further discussed that setting a minimum requirement that a boat must meet a minimum Length Overall of 20.0 feet and meet the by-law requirement for “self bailing” would accomplish the original intent of the self righting rule.

DECISION: The committee vote unanimously to change the by-laws to replace the “self righting” requirement, including the by-laws requirement for “self righting with fixed righting ballast” with a by- laws requirement that to obtain a PHRF certificate a boat must meet a minimum Length Overall of 20.0’. Boats that do not meet this requirement (and the by-law requirement for self bailing) will be given an “X- PHRF” certificate. The following by-laws change will be voted on at the next meeting:

ARTICLE V. PHRF RATING CERTIFICATE: Replace existing paragraph A. with the following: “To obtain a PHRF certificate a boat must be a mono- with a self-bailing cockpit and must beet a minimum LOA of 20.0’. Any boat that uses water as ballast must be fully water ballasted while racing and may not shift ballast from one side to the other while racing.”

3. BATTENS: The committee reviewed the by-laws change for production boats rated without class rules (non ODR) that allow up to a maximum of 5 battens in the . It was decided that there are current (a future) production boats in this category that will be designed and/or come from the manufacturer with more than 5 battens. The committee voted unanimously to change the by-law requirement Article VII, paragraph D. after: “the sail dimensions conform to the IMS sail rules, without regard to sailcloth material… DELETE “except that the main sail has no more than five battens”. Passed unanimously and will be voted on at the next meeting.

4. HIKING DEVICES: The committee reviewed the by-laws requirement that allows hiking devices except that trapezes and/or harnesses are never allowed. The committee decided to remove the word “harnesses” and add “hiking boards/racks” are never allowed or permitted. Passed unanimously and will be voted on at the next meeting.

5. CARBON FIBER MASTS VS ALUMINUM MASTS: The committee reviewed the application on a ODR that has a carbon fiber . All other Ultimate 20s have aluminum mast as rated in the GYA. The boat with the carbon fiber mast was previously rated in the GYA with a -3 second penalty. The U-20 class rules allow either an aluminum or carbon fiber mast from an approved supplier. On this basis, the committee voted unanimously to allow the carbon fiber mast without penalty provided it was equal to or heavier in weight with no improvement in performance over the aluminum mast.

(Note: Revisions to the By-Laws proposed at the September 18 meeting were voted on at the Annual review as follows:

1. MARKING HEADSAILS OVER 140%: The break for headsail credits is: up to 110% +6, 111 to 135% +3, 136 to 155% +-0. Should we change the marking requirements to agree with our limitations?

DECISION: Unanimous agreement to change By-laws article VII, paragraph J.. from: “All headsails over 140% must be marked for size….” To “All new headsails, after January 1, 2014, over 135% must be marked for size….” Passed unanimously.

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2. HEADSAILS ALLOWALABLE GIRTH MEASUREMENTS: Currently, our by-laws limit the mid girth of headsails to: “not to exceed 50% of the foot length….”. Us Racing Rules of Sailing (Rule 50.4) was changed from 50% in 2013 to read “… the difference between a headsail and a spinnaker is that the width of a headsail, measured between the midpoints of its luff and leech, is less than 75% of the length of its foot…” Should we change our by-laws to agree with the recent Racing Rule of Sailing change? If so, should we penalize +3/+6 seconds for this change?

DECISION: Unanimous agreement to change our by-laws Appendix B, paragraph 1. B: After: “Thus headsails with mid girths between 50% and 75% shall not be allowed” Add: “without a rating review and/or adjustment on a case by case basis. Applications for a headsail whose mid girth is between 50% and 75% shall include dimensions for headsail luff, leach, foot, and mid girth measured between the mid points of luff and leech, for the current largest rated headsail and any proposed headsail whose mid girth dimension is between 50% and 75% of the foot length.” Passed on a 4 to 1 vote.

3. MAINSAIL ROLLER FURLING CREDIT: Currently we give +6 seconds for a roller furling mainsail and an additional +6 seconds if it is an in-mast roller furling mainsail. Should we combine these two into just one roller furling mainsail credit? If so, should it be +6, +9 or +12 seconds?

DECISION: Unanimous agreement to change by-laws Appendix C, paragraph 1.c. from: “….working Roller Furling mainsail system,…” to “…working Roller Furling in-mast mainsail system, ….”, from “….may receive +6 seconds ….” to “….may receive +12 seconds…”. DELETE “Optional in-mast roller furling systems where the mast section is significantly greater than the standard mast, may receive an additional +6 seconds of credit.” Change Appendix D. “ROLLER FURLING” 2) from ““….working Roller Furling mainsail system,…” to “…working Roller Furling in-mast mainsail system, ….” and from “POSSIBLE +6 SECONDS!” to “POSSIBLE +12 SECONDS!”. DELETE 3). CHANGE 4), 5) and 6) to 3), 4) and 5). Passed unanimously.

4. LIFELINES: This has been a continuing problem to the PHRF committee in defining requirements either to include or exclude (with or without penalty). The PHRF requirement for taut lifelines is rarely protested by competitors. The failure to protest the violations of the taut lifeline requirement has encouraged many sailors to violate this requirement. The PHRF committee is frequently put in the position of changing our requirements to suit new models of boats entering the market (Melges 24, , , VX-1, etc….boats rated as ODR where class rules do not require lifelines and no penalty is given.

Currently some boats are required to have lifelines and if they don’t they are penalized -3 seconds . ODR rated boats are allowed to sail with or without lifelines depending on their class rules (no penalty if class rules do not require lifelines), in all cases where lifelines are required they must be taut. The taut rule is rarely protested and therefore frequently violated.

This used to be a safety and speed potential issue. This has not been a safety issue for sometime since boats are rated with or without lifelines, with or without penalty.

By removing specific reference to “Lifelines” from the By-Laws and stating that the Base Rating for production boats non ODR are based on the manufacturer’s productions set up, and boats rated as ODR are based on the Class Associations setup for One Design Racing, places emphasis on The Racing Rules of Sailing, Rule 49. Crew Position; Lifelines.

DECISION: Unanimous agreement to change By-laws, as follows:

ARTICLE VII. STANDARD PHRF BOAT BASE HANDICAPS:

DELETE Paragraph B1, B2, and E.

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CHANGE Paragraph B3 to F, C to G, D to H, F to I, G to J, and H to K.

ADD: Paragraph C: The term “class rules” as used in THE RACING RULES OF SAILING RULE 49 CREW POSITION; LIFELINES, under RULE 49.2, shall include the GYA PHRF By-laws as the “class rules” for all boats sailing under the GYA PHRF by-laws.

ADD: Paragraph D: “For production boats that are not rated as ODR to Class Association Class Rules: the boat is rated based on the manufacturer’s production setup except that the BASE rating is with a standard and symmetrical spinnaker, the SPL is equal to the J dimension, the spinnaker maximum width is 180% of SPL, the luff limit of the spinnaker is 0.95*(ISP^2 + J^2)^0.5, the LP dimension is 155% of the J dimension, the sail dimensions conform to the IMS sail rules without regard to sailcloth material, the mainsail has no more than five battens that can be full length. Standing rigging and spars are to Designer/Manufacturer’s specifications. Hiking devises, including hiking and anti hiking lines, straps, trapezes and/or harnesses, movable athwart ship ballast or other hiking devices, are not permitted.

ADD: Paragraph E: For production boats that are rated as ODR to Class Association Class Rules the BASE rating includes the Class Association’s boat setup for One Design Racing (including sail dimensions for the largest sails) except that ODR sail requirements are without regard to sailcloth material. Where Class rules require less than 5 battens, 5 battens are allowed approximately equally spaced on the leech of the mainsail and may be full length. Roller furling headsail systems may be replaced with slotted headstays or use of hanked on . The boat may be sailed the way the boat was intended to be sailed by the manufacturer with factory installed and Class approved hiking devices per the Class Association rules, except that trapezes and/or harnesses are never allowed.

APPENDIX – C, ADJUSTMENT GUIDELINES

DELETE Paragraph 8, CHANGE Paragraphs 9 to 8, 10 to 9, 11 to 10, and 12 to 11.

Passed unanimously.

BASE RATING CHANGES ON REMOVING THE -3 SECOND ADJUSTMENT FOR BOATS CURRENTLY PENALIZED FOR NOT HAVING LIFELINES (Boats are now rated on the way they come from the Manufacturer and subject to the Racing Rules of Sailing) (All changes were voted on unanimously by the committee) BASE RATING WAS IS COMMENT ATKIN’S 39 CUSTOM YAWL 204 204 NET +3 270 270 NET +3 DOWN EAST SCHNR 279 279 NET +3 192 192 NET +3 J-22 183 180 NET NO CHANGE J-30 144 144 1 BOAT HAS NO BOW PULPIT (NET +3 ON THIS BOAT ONLY) LUDERS 16 258 258 NET +3 270 270 X-PHRF CERTIFICATE NET +3 RHODES MERIDAN 25 285 285 NET +3

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BASE NET COMMENTS PROVISIONAL RATINGS GIVEN AT SEPTEMBER 18, MEETING:

ATKIN’S 39 CUST YWL 204 213 Increased rating +12 sec. based on review with Russels 47 Cust. Kth (below).

RUSSELLS 47 CUST KTH 162 195 Cut mast (& P) -13’ (re-cut main - 65 sq’) +12 sec, changed fm feathering prop. to 20” (tug boat) 3 BL fix prop +12 sec, total +24 seconds. on review with atkin’s 39 cust ywl (above), increased base same +12 seconds.

BENETEAU 35s5 WK 135 138 Included RF +6 credit. However, RF has drum flush mounted with deck (not above deck as required). Net rating was based on this config. Changed base rating to 135 and deleted RF credit. Net rating remains 138. J dimension corrected to RF tack point of 10.7’ as standard. (NOTE CURRENT RATING APPEAL BELOW)

NEW BOATS RATED AT SEPTEMBER 18, MEETING:

BENETEAU OCEANIS 48 84 96

BENETEAU OCEANIS 48 SD 87 105 BENETEAU OCEANIS 48 SD ICW 87 123 Both boats have in-mast RF mains, roller furling genoas and bow thrusters. The ICW rig I & P is -7.7’ (+12 seconds) and has 110 %j genoa vs 155 (+6 seconds).

PROVISIONAL RATINGS FOR NEW BOATS SINCE SEPTEMBER 18, MEETING:

HARBOR 20 222 222 X-PHRF RATING H2O 231 237

DECISION: All provisional ratings above were confirmed by the committee, unanimously.

NEW BOATS RATED: BASE NET HYLAS 49 SD 102 111 KADEY KROGEN 38 180 207

APPEALS: (See ATTACHMENT 4) BASE NET REQUEST

BENETEAU 35s5 WK RF FLDK 135 138 Request based on performance DECISION: unanimous 141 144 +6 seconds, based on performance.

ANNUAL REVIEW: BASE WAS IS

OLSON 30 OB 108 111 +3 COLGATE 26 165 168 +3 S-2 8.0 B 222 231 +9 237 243 +6 OB 240 246 +6

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