Club Championship Sailing Instructions
Revised May 2024
1 Rules
1.1 Races will be governed by The Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS), the prescriptions of US Sailing, the rules of the classes participating, except as any of these are changed by these sailing instructions 1.2 The responsibility for a boat's decision to participate in a race or to continue racing is hers alone. 1.3 Competitors acknowledge that sailing involves potential risks. As a condition of their participation in this regatta, competitors release all claims they may have against Cowan Lake Sailing Association, the officers, directors, members, committees and employees for damage to property, personal injury or death sustained in conjunction with or prior to, during or after the regatta. 1.3 (a) Competitors shall be responsible for damage or injury caused by their breach of the racing rules of sailing or applicable governmental rules for the avoidance of collision. 1.3 (b) Competitors shall be responsible for damage or injury caused by their actions or actions under their control, with the exception of damage due to equipment failure for reasons other than misuse.
2 Entries
2.1 Club Championship Series participation is limited to CLSA active and young adult member skippers, eighteen years of age or older, who won their fleet’s CLSA Season Championship the previous racing season.
2.2 If any Season Championship trophy winners from the previous season in a given fleet do not compete in the Club Championship Series, another qualifying skipper from that fleet will be eligible to compete, based on their final position in the standings for the season. No more than one skipper from each fleet may participate.
2.3 Each eligible skipper wishing to compete in the Club Championship Series shall notify the Chair of the PRC no later than one week prior to the event.
2.4 Boats shall comply with the Minimum Safety Requirements specified in the CLSA Sailing Instructions.
2.5 Starting in 2022, the championship series will be conducted by racing in a single class of boat. The class of boat will change each year with a rotation through each class in order as follows: Thistle, Highlander, MC, Snipe, Flying Scot. Thistle will be the class to be used in 2022 and change each successive year. If in any year, the rotating class cannot provide enough qualified boats, the next class will be asked to take the formers place. This rotation will be continued until changed by updated sailing instructions.
2.6 Each skipper shall choose and determine amount of crew members that will be sailing on their boat in the event up to maximum allowed crew size per class rules of boats being sailed. Crew members will move and crew with their original skipper for the entire event. Each skipper shall obtain experienced crew for this event.
3 Notices to Competitors
3.1 Notices to competitors will be posted on the CLSA Club House window.
4 Changes in Sailing Instructions
4.1 Changes to these sailing instructions may be made by posting notice of such changes on the CLSA bulletin board or Club House window at least one hour prior to the scheduled warning signal of the first race.
5 Conditions
5.1 Sustained winds shall not be less than 4 mph, nor greater than 18 mph.
5.2 Race length is planned at 30 to 45 minutes long, with 40-45 minutes as the target. Shortening of the course after the start may be used to attain this.
6 Racing Format
6.1 Racing format will be “Round Robin”. Participants will sail in boats provided for the event.
6.2 Boats will be randomly assigned at the skippers meeting. Rotation will be for skipper and crew to move to the boat most recently sailed by the skipper and crew of the class that follows their own class in the CLSA starting sequence.
7 Signals Made Ashore
7.1 Signals made ashore will be displayed on the mast of the RC boat at the dock.
7.2 Flag AP with two sound signals (one sound signal when lowered) means ‘The race is postponed. The warning signal will be made not less than 30 minutes after AP is lowered.’
8 Signals Afloat
8.1 Signals made afloat will be displayed on the RC boat and in accordance with the RRS, unless modified by these sailing instructions.
8.2 Code Flag “Y” (diagonal red and yellow stripes) flown from the mast of the RC boat means “All competitors must wear life jackets or other adequate personal buoyancy while racing.” The Race Committee will draw attention to the hoisting of this flag by hailing and/or sounding one sound signal. Competitors observed while racing and not wearing such gear when this flag is flown shall be disqualified. Wet suits and dry suits are not adequate personal buoyancy.
8.3 It is the sole responsibility of each competitor to decide whether and when to wear a life jacket of other adequate personal buoyancy. The absence of Code Flag “Y” before or during a particular race does not indicate that the RCD or CLSA approves of any competitor’s decision to not wear such gear, regardless of the existing weather conditions. The above instruction shall not be construed so as to hold the RCD, any member of the PRC, or CLSA responsible for consequences that result from a competitor’s decision not to wear a life jacket or adequate personal buoyancy whether or not Code Flag “Y” is flown.
9 Schedule of Races
9.1 The races will be scheduled on a day as designated by the CLSA Board of Governors. See the CLSA schedule of events.
9.2 The series will consist of multiple races determined by the number of participants. One complete rotation, with all competitors sailing every boat in a complete race, must occur to constitute a complete event.
10 Racing Area
10.1 The racing area will be the same as described in the CLSA sailing Instructions. Mark number placards will not be used.
11 The Course
11.1 Courses will be chosen from those that were in effect in the CLSA sailing Instructions of the previous year, including any experimental courses that were a part of the season.
12 Marks
12.1 Marks of the course are normally large orange or yellow floats. The starting and finishing marks are normally smaller yellow floats.
13 The Start
13.1 Races shall be started using the following system:
13.2 The starting line will be between the main mast on the race committee boat at the starboard end and a starting mark or mark of the course at the port end.
14 The Finish
14.1 The finishing line will be between the main mast of the RC boat and the nearby finishing mark or mark of the course at the port end. The RC boat will display a blue flag when it is on station for the finish. If the race committee boat is a skiff, the finish line will be between a staff displaying a blue flag), and the finishing mark or mark of the course at the port end. 14.2 If a D course is used the finish line shall be between the mast of the committee boat and a green tetrahedron on the starboard side of the committee boat.
15 Time Limit
15.1 A race must include at least two legs of a course.
15.2 There is no time limit for races. The RCD may abandon any or all starts if it believes a fair contest cannot be completed.
16 Protests
16.1 Protests shall be written on forms available at the Club House and delivered there within 30 minutes after the RC boat lands.
16.2 Protests will be heard in approximately the order of receipt on the day of the race, if possible.
16.3 Protest flags are not required. This changes Rule 61.1(a).
16.4 Appeals will not be allowed.
17 Scoring
17.1 Scoring will be per RRS scoring system (Appendix A). There will be no throw outs (This changes Appendix A2.1.
18 Prizes
18.1 One trophy will be awarded to the winner.