GULF YACHTING ASSOCIATION, INC. ORGANIZED 1901 – REORGANIZED 1920 PHRF ALAN McMILLAN, (PYC) CHAIRMAN THOMAS D. BEERY, JR. (SRYC) CHAIRMAN OFFSHORE COUNCIL PHRF RATING COMMITTEE 54 STAR LAKE DR. GYA-PHRF.COM 1001 SEA 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 Yacht 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 Yacht Club, 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 boats. Craig is a competitive sailor, having raced his Viper 640 and Hobie 33 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. MELGES 24 “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 boat 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-hull 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 mainsail. 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 Ultimate 20 ODR that has a carbon fiber mast. 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. 2 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 Sailing 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, Melges 20, Viper 640, 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 .