Welcome to our tenth annual sailing regatta. We aim to provide a fun, enjoyable and safe event but, as with all sporting activities, there is a risk to anyone taking part. A full risk assessment has been carried out and will be displayed in the registration area. We take your safety very seriously.
Competitors agree to compete in compliance with the rules defined in the Racing Rules of Sailing. Any boat that infringes these rules may be disqualified. Notices to competitors will be posted on the noticeboard in the clubhouse. Any change to the sailing instructions will be posted there no later than 08:30 each day. Course details will be advised during the skippers’ briefing on opening day of the regatta.
Schedule
Registration and boat inspection will take place on Thursday 4 August at the clubhouse and marina, from 09:00 to 13:00 hours. All skippers must register to confirm arrival and to receive the up to date regatta documents. Late registrations will not receive free promotional materials. The racing schedule is as follows:
Racing Schedule	4 August	09:00	Registration and boat inspection	
		14:00	Practice races, warning signal 	
		17:00	Opening ceremony	
		19:30	Skippers’ briefing	
	5 August	10:00	Race 1	
	6 August	10:00	Race 2	
	7 August	10:00	Race 3	
	8 August	11:00	Race 4	
Other social events include: welcome party, dock party, owners’ party, music night, parade of classics, prize giving, cream teas and more.
Racing
All boats must clearly display their sail numbers and class flags. The sail numbers must be in a suitable contrast to the sail so they can be easily read. Courses will be windward-leeward with a race target time of 90 minutes. The Low Points Scoring System will apply. Boats will score points equal to their finishing position in the race and those not finishing will be scored 1 greater than the number of boats in the race. All boats will race with a handicap; those without a handicap will be given one by the race committee.
At the start of each race a warning signal will be given 5 minutes before the start time. The orange flag ‘attention signal’ will be displayed on the starting line and competitors should get ready to race. The starting line will be between the orange flag displayed on the committee boat and a green outer buoy. An inner distance marker will be placed off the committee boat. Any boat passing between this mark and the committee boat will be disqualified. If any part of the boat’s hull, crew or equipment is on the course side of the starting line the race committee will promptly display flag X with one sound. The flag will be displayed until the offending boats have returned to the pre-start side of the starting line.
Boats must use only the wind and water to increase, maintain or decrease their speed. They must not receive help from any outside source except in an emergency. The crew may adjust the trim of sails and hull, but must not move their bodies to propel the boat. Under normal circumstances pumping, rocking, ooching, sculling and repeated tacks or gybes unrelated to changes in the wind are prohibited actions. This may change during the race if the wind speed changes. Boats must avoid contact with another boat if reasonably possible. The course marking buoys must be passed on the correct side and not be touched at any time. Any boat retiring from a race must inform the race committee as soon as possible.
The finishing line will be the same as the starting line for all races. After finishing, all boats must clear the line and not interfere with others that are still racing. All races have a time limit of 2 hours unless otherwise notified. Boats awaiting the start of the next race must stay clear of the start/finish area.
Safety
All boats must carry sufficient personal flotation devices for each crew member. These must be worn at all times whilst racing. Wet or dry suits are not acceptable as substitutes. Competitors must not wear or carry clothing or equipment for the purpose of increasing their weight. The maximum weight for clothing and equipment is 8 kilograms. The race committee can inspect any boat or personal equipment at any time for compliance with the sailing instructions and class rules.
First aid facilities are located at the clubhouse. In the event of an incident that involves personal injury or severe illness, or where the boat is in danger and needs assistance, crews should contact the race committee on VHF Channel 16. They will initiate the appropriate action.
Prizes
Prizes will be awarded to the top three placings in each race. Class trophies will be awarded to:
overall team with the lowest score
top female team
top junior team (must all be born in 2003 or later).
All prizes will be awarded at the closing ceremony at 16:00 on the final day.
On-The-Water Penalties
Sailing is a self-policing sport and relies on the good faith of competitors to do the right thing by completing penalty turns if they interfere with another boat. Those that deliberately take unfair advantage of this, or behave in an inappropriate manner either on or off the water, can expect official action to be taken against them.
Whilst the benefit of doubt remains with the competitor, once the umpires are sure of an infringement they will act promptly to protect the fairness of the competition. A boat that acknowledges and enforces their own penalty for breaking a rule must get well clear of other boats as soon after the incident as possible, make one turn, including one tack and one gybe. A boat that is penalised by an umpire must promptly get clear of other boats and then make two turns in the same direction, including two tacks and two gybes. A boat that is penalised by an umpire, but fails to take a penalty when instructed, may be required to make one or more additional penalty turns, or may be black flagged from the race.
Protests
Boats that break a rule must take a penalty on the water. If they do not, the boats that were fouled can protest. To make a valid protest against another boat you must promptly hail ‘Protest!’ and fly a red protest flag at the other boat involved. The other boat must be in no doubt about your protest and have the chance to acknowledge and exonerate the error by taking a penalty. If your protest is disputed or ignored, then you can formally protest at the end of the race.
Requests for redress must be given in writing and delivered to the race officer within the 60 minutes protest time at the end of a race. Protests will be heard by the protest committee as soon as possible in the order they were received. Protest notifications will be posted 30 minutes after the protest time limit to inform the parties involved, and those named as witnesses, when and where the hearing will be heard. A boat that is found to have broken a rule will receive a penalty of 40% of their race score with a minimum of 3 points. However, if the boat caused injury or serious damage, or gained a significant advantage by her breach, the penalty will be retirement. Decisions of the protest committee are final.
Competitors participate in the regatta entirely at their own risk. Tawara Sailing Club will not accept any liability for material damage, personal injury or death sustained in conjunction with or prior to, during, or after the regatta. Each participating boat must be insured with valid third party liability insurance with a value of not less than £3,000,000. Failure to comply with this instruction will lead to disqualification from all races.