Club Handicap Racing Fleet
Spring Series 2007
11 February (Sweetheart’s Race), 18 March, 1 April & 29 April

SAILING INSTRUCTIONS

1          RULES
1.1       These SBYC Club Handicap Racing Fleet (CHRF) races will be governed by the 2005-2008 Racing Rules of Sailing, the prescriptions of US Sailing, SBYC's Club Handicap Racing Fleet rules, and the CHRF Race Committee Guidelines, except as these are altered by these Sailing Instructions.
1.2       All competitors shall carry safety equipment equivalent to the requirements for a PHRF Category 4 race.

2          ENTRY AND ELIGIBILITY
2.1       Eligible boats will be considered entered by completing the SBYC Race Entry Form (a one time requirement) and by sending a crew representative to sign the boat in with the Race Committee (RC) deck before the Skippers Meeting on the day of the race.
2.2       To become eligible for race trophies, a boat must first have completed three CHRF races to establish a handicap rating.
2.3       Pertaining to the Sweetheart Race only: The CHRF Sweetheart Race is meant to recognize female sailors in observance of the Valentine's Day season.  Female participation is encouraged, and each participating female will be honored at the award ceremonies following the race. A special prize will be awarded to the first female participant to finish. 

3          NOTICES TO COMPETITORS
            Notices to competitors will be posted in Fleet e-mail or on the official notice chalkboard located on the SBYC lower deck.

4          SKIPPERS’ MEETING
A skippers’ meeting will be held at 1130 hours on race day.

5          CHANGES IN SAILING INSTRUCTIONS
Changes to these sailing instructions will be posted on the official notice chalk board located on the SBYC lower deck and posted one hour prior to the start of the race.

6          SIGNALS MADE ASHORE
Signals made ashore will be displayed from the SBYC yardarm.

7          SCHEDULE OF RACES
7.1       One race each will be held on each of the following dates:
Race    Date
# 1       11 February (Sweethearts’ Race)         Staggered Start
# 2       18 March                                                Staggered Start
# 3       1 April                                                     Staggered Start
# 4       29 April (Platform C)                              Mass Start
7.2       Starting times will be available for participants from the Race Committee.  Starting times             are recalculated after each event.  First time competitors will be assigned a start time by the CHRF handicap committee. The Platform C race will be a mass start.

8          RACING AREA
8.1       The racing area will be the Santa Barbara Channel near SBYC.
8.2       The area defined by a line commencing at the nearest shore connecting each contiguous City swim buoy is classified as an obstruction.  Boats that cross this line shall exit and retire immediately.  This applies to all swim buoys, including the harbor mouth and beaches.

9          THE COURSE
9.1       Course to be sailed will be taken from the current CHRF Start Time Course Chart. Courses are also plotted on the current SBYC 2007 Course Chart.
9.2       The course will be displayed from the upper deck of the SBYC clubhouse on red placards.
9.3       Courses may not be shortened.

10        MARKS
10.1     Location of marks will be as designated on the current SBYC 2007 Course Chart.
10.2     In the event of missing marks, boats shall notify the RC and return to the starting line as soon as possible for a restart.
10.3     When orange inflatable marks are used, these shall take precedence over any other appearing marks.

11        THE START
11.1     The start will be in accordance with RRS Rule 26:

11.2     Signals will be made from the SBYC flagpole. 
11.3     The Starting Line will be between marks F and G on the Santa Barbara Yacht Club 2007 Course Chart.
11.4     The SBYC time clock will be used by the RC as the official timing device and will be made available for skippers to set their timers.
11.5     Individual start times alluded to in 7.2 above that occur after the 1300 audible and visual shall not be occasioned by either audible or visual signal from the Race Committee.
11.6     A boat is considered racing from that point four minutes before her individual start time and when she clears the finishing area. Yachts not yet racing shall stay clear of the starting area.

12        RECALLS
The RC will signal any premature start by displaying Code Flag ‘X’ with one sound.  The RC may attempt to identify the over-early boat(s) on Channel 71.  Failure to receive or hear the hail shall not be grounds for redress.

13        THE FINISH
The finish line will be between marks G and F as shown on the current SBYC 2007 Course Chart.  The RC will sound a horn identifying qualified finishers.

14        TIME LIMIT
            Qualified boats failing to finish by sundown will be scored “DNF”.  This modifies rules 35 and A4.1.

15        PROTESTS
15.1     Protest shall be lodged on US Sailing standard forms available in the SBYC hallway and delivered to the RC within one hour of the protestor’s finish.
15.2     Protests involving an infringement of a rule of Part 2 of the Racing Rules will be subject to nonbinding arbitration in accordance with SBYC Protest Arbitration Guidelines. 

16        SCORING
16.1     With a staggered start sequence, the order of finish will determine the scoring sequence. [When a mass start is used, scoring will be by corrected time (elapsed time - spot time)].
16.2     A boat shall finish at least three races to qualify for inclusion in the final Spring Series Results. If a boat finishes all four races, her worst score will be discarded. In the event that only two races in a series are completed by the fleet, two finishes are required for inclusion in Series, with no throw-outs. If only one race in the series is held, that race score shall serve as the Series score.
16.3     The Series will be scored as provided in Appendix A of the RRS using the Low Point System except that a boat providing RC duty will be awarded 1½ points.
16.4     A boat receiving credit for providing RC duty for a race, but which nevertheless sails the course, shall not have her finish scored or her time recorded.
16.5     RRS Appendix A9, “Race Scores in a Series Longer than a Regatta”, shall not apply to this Series.

17        RADIO COMMUNICAITON
            Race competitors shall monitor VHF Channel 71.

18        PRIZES
18.1     Race day trophies will be awarded at SBYC.
18.2     The overall Spring Series Trophy will be awarded at the annual trophy dinner.  Each race in the Spring Series also qualifies toward the Annual High Point Trophy.

19        DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY
Participants in this event compete entirely at their own risk. See RRS Rule 4, Decision to Race.  The organizing authority will not accept any liability for material damage or personal injury sustained in conjunction with or prior to, during, or after the regatta.