Wednesday Night Race Series
SAILING INSTRUCTIONS 2011
May 18-August 31
Mystic River Mudhead Sailing Assocation is the Organizing Authority
1. Rules
1.1. The Wednesday Night Racing Series will be governed by The Racing Rules of Sailing 2009-2012.
1.2. Rules 33, 62.1a and Race Signals are changed and noted below.
2. Notice to Competitors
2.1. Any changes to the Sailing Instructions will be posted on the Official Notice Board at www.mudhead.org by 1200 on the Tuesday before a Wednesday race.
2.2. Changes may be announced by the RC on VHF Ch. 01A prior to the start.
3. Signals Made Ashore
3.1. Signals made ashore will be transmitted on VHF channel 01A.
3.2. In the event of a Postponement or Abandonment in harbor, the RC will broadcast such at 1700 and every 5 minutes thereafter until 1730.
3.3. The RC will attempt to contact boats in distant marinas and request the transmission be repeated from that location.
3.4. Early abandonment due to weather will be posted on the front page of the Mudhead website by 3 pm on the day of the race. An attempt will be made to notify all skippers by email by 3 pm.
4. Schedule of Races
4.1. The Spring Series is scheduled for 8 races on Wednesday nights, beginning May 18th and ending July 6th. There will be no make-ups.
4.2. The Summer Series is scheduled for 8 races on Wednesday nights, beginning July 13th and ending August 31st. There will be no make-ups.
4.3. The RC intends to run 1 race each Wednesday night.
4.4. The first warning for Wednesday Night races is scheduled at 1755.
4.5. If the RC is not on station by 1845, there will be no race that night.
5. Class Flags
5.1. The Class flag is the numeral pennant corresponding to the class number.
5.2. Classes shall be established by the Race Secretary, guided by PHRF-Eastern Connecticut.
5.3. PHRF ratings are considered current when posted at www.ecsa.net and are locked in at 1200 on the Tuesday before a race.
5.4. If PHRF-Eastern Connecticut issues a new rating during a series, it will not affect prior races.
6. Courses
6.1. Round the Buoys courses are sailed around government marks and drop marks as defined in Appendix B of these Sailing Instructions.
6.2. The marks of the course will be posted on the top row of the course board in order of rounding. Boats shall sail to the finish line after rounding the last posted mark.
6.3. The letters P (port) or S (starboard) will indicate which side to round the preceding posted mark(s).
6.4. If a course is to be sailed more than once, the number of times the designated marks are to be rounded will be at the end of the display.
6.5. The magnetic bearing and range from the Committee Boat to D/M will be displayed on the lower row of the course board.
6.5.1. Example: M I P2 (round marks "M" and "I" to port twice.)
6.5.2. Example: M I S N P ( "M" and "I" to starboard, "N" to port, once)
6.5.3. Example: D/M V S I P on top. 195 1.5 (Course & Range below.)
6.6. The Pre-Defined Course is a windward/leeward course indicated by the number “4” on the top row of the course board.
6.7. Course 4 is generally sailed around drop marks and will consist of two upwind legs and two downwind legs. Refer to Appendix A of these Sailing Instructions.
6.8. The magnetic bearing and range from the Committee Boat to the weather mark will be displayed on the lower row of the course board.
6.9. The leeward mark will be upwind of the start line.
6.10. If the weather mark is a government mark, the appropriate letter from Appendix B of these S.I. will be displayed next to “4” on the top row.
7. Marks
7.1. Refer to Appendix B for a complete list of the defined marks.
8. Restrictions
8.1. Boats shall not pass between Flat Hammock and South Dumpling.
8.2. Boats shall pass south of nuns "22", "24", and "26" located south of Groton Long Point.
9. Start
9.1. Races will be started according to Rule 26.
9.2. The RC will alert competitors with repetitive sound signals prior to the first warning.
9.3. The starting line will be between an orange flag on the RC and mark S/F.
9.4. Boats not in the starting sequence shall keep clear of boats starting.
9.5. The RC may attempt to notify boats OCS by sail number or boat name on channel 01A.
10. Changing the Next Leg of the Course
10.1. When a change of course is signaled, the RC may identify the new mark with its letter designation as defined in Appendix B of the Sailing Instructions. This modies Rule 33.
11. Finishing
11.1. The finish line will be in the vacinity of the starting line, between an orange flag on the Committee Boat and mark S/F, unless there is a shortened course.
11.2. Boats shall illuminate their sail numbers when finishing after sunset.
11.3. Boats unable to finish shall immediately notify the RC.
12. Time Limit
12.1. The time limit for all classes is 2030.
12.2. If no boat in a class finishes by the time limit, the race for that class will be abandoned without signals. RRS 32.1 and Race Signals are changed.
12.3. Any boat still racing which has not finished by 2030 will be scored TLE, unless the race is abandoned.
12.4. Abandoned races will not be scored toward the Overall series results.
13. Protests
13.1. A boat wishing to protest shall notifiy the Protest Committee by email at
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within 24 hours of the protested race. The written protest shall be delivered to the Protest Committee in writing within 24 hours after the race. A hearing will be scheduled as soon as feasible.
14. Scoring
14.1. Scoring for the Spring, Summer and Overall Championships is described in the Notice of Race.
14.2. All classes must record a finish for a race to be counted toward the Salle Evelyn Best in Fleet Award.
15. Radio Communication
15.1. The RC will communicate on VHF Ch. 01A.
15.2. All boats shall check in by passing within hailing distrance of the Committee Boat on the side opposite the starting line prior to the starting sequence.
15.3. Radio communications are for safety, convenience and courtesy only. Any misunderstandings, errors, or omissions that may result from such communications are not grounds for protest and only the RC may request redress if such issues arise.
16. Awards
16.1. Awards will be presented at the Awards Party on Wednesday, September 14th at Masons Island Yacht Club.
Appendix A
Pre-defined Course “4”
A windward leeward course generally sailed around drop marks with two upwind legs and two downwind legs. The weather mark (1) may be a government buoy designated by letter on the top row of the course board. The range and bearing to the weather drop mark will be displayed on the lower row. The leeward mark (2) will be located approximately 100 yards upwind of the start/finish line.
Course 4
Start-1-2-1-Finish
Appendix B - Marks Designation
Lat/Lon is approximate
|
Letter
|
Mark Name
|
ID
|
Latitude
|
Longitude
|
|
B
|
South of Black Ledge
|
N “2BL”
|
41’18.02”
|
72’03.92”
|
|
D
|
Dumping Ground
|
Y”NL”
|
41’15.87”
|
72’04.93”
|
|
E
|
West of Silver Eel Cove
|
Moa SE
|
41’15.55”
|
72’02.22”
|
|
I
|
Intrepid Rock
|
C “DIR”
|
41’17.94”
|
72.00.24”
|
|
M
|
Mouth of Mystic River
|
C “1”
|
41’17.92”
|
71’59.42”
|
|
N
|
North Hill Bell
|
R “2”
|
41’16.79”
|
72’01.38”
|
|
R
|
Ram Island Bell
|
R “20”
|
41’18.19”
|
71’58.39”
|
|
V
|
Vixen Ledge
|
N “28VL”
|
41’18.33”
|
72’02.92”
|
|
W
|
West Harbor FI
|
R “6”
|
41’16.30”
|
72’00.33”
|
|
D/M
|
Drop Mark
|
Inflatable Orange
|
|
S/F
|
Start Finish
|
Inflatable Yellow Cylinder
|
