Racing

Rule Book  | SCSC Sailing Instructions (PDF) |  Course Board Examples | Dave O'Donnell Memorial Regatta NOR (PDF)  |  Starting Sequences | Labor Day Regatta NOR  |  Labor Day Regatta | UK Rules Quiz | Time-on-Time Scoring | Race Notes | Beercan Series

2011 Sailing Instructions

This year's Sailing Instructions have been updated to reflect the changes for the Commodore's Cup and are available for download by clicking the SCSC Sailing Instructions link above.

Race Committee Meeting

Date: 2011-02-16 Time: 1900 hours Location: Barker Bar & Grill, Hudson, WI

Race Committee Members Present: Dave Brower, John Larson, Jane Ebeling, Patrick O’Donell, Felix Bierbaum

Others Present: Tim Burns, Amanda Bierbaum

Discussion - It was pointed out that the results of last years Frostbite race have not been posted to the club website. Race Chair to ensure results are posted.

Discussed and confirmed that boats that did not pay race fees are not eligible to receive trophies for club sponsored races that are not open to the general public.

Discussed potential addition of low wind/inclement weather rules into sailing instructions. Motion was made and approved unanimously to instead of adding a fixed set of rules to add the following language to sailing instructions:

“Before abandoning or postponing any race due to weather conditions the race judge is to confer with a division representative or the race chair according to the following schedule: - Division 1 Representative for Spring Series Races - Division 2 Representative for Summer Series Races - Division 3 Representative for Fall Series Races - Race Chair for all other Races”

Discussed race mark replacement. The board approved a budget proposal which allocates funds on an annual basis to allow for replacement of race marks. Several different options for race mark replacement where discussed. Based on overall cost as well as ease of use and robustness it was decided, by unanimous vote, to replace the existing race marks on an ongoing basis with new marks of the same type.

Discussed potential change to race starting order such that each division would start first for one series. Motion was made and approved by majority to not change starting order.

Discussed proposal to impose penalties for returning race members that fail to register by the May 1st deadline. The following proposal was approved by unanimous vote:

“If the race fee and registration paper work, including completed rating information, have not been received by the club by May 1st the respective boat shall be scored DNC for the first two Spring Series races and any subsequent regular season race (defined as any race that counts towards yacht of the year) until the race fee, including a late payment penalty of $15 and registration paper work have been received and reviewed by the club. This rule shall only apply to returning members that registered as race members during the prior year.”

Discussed scoring system used in 2010. Based on an analysis of last years race results it was shown that the current rating system allows boats that do not race in every race to place ahead of boats that did race in every race. This is primarily because of the scoring change described in Rule 16.3 whereby a boat that did not compete is scored points for the finishing place two more than the number of boats that came to the staring area. A motion was made and approved unanimously to change the scoring system to be in accordance with the scoring rules described in rule A.9 of the racing rules of sailing.

The current sailing instructions define 3 short sounds be used as the attention signal. This is in conflict with the racing rules of sailing as the sound signal to be used for postponements is also 3 short sounds. It was decided to not change the sailing instructions and to retain the 3 short sounds for the attention signal.

The race chair is to revise the sailing instructions to reflect the changes approved above and submit the revised document to the race committee for review and approval.

Meeting adjourned at 2105 hours.

Beercan Series

The Friday night Beercan Series is open to all members, not just racers.  There is no race fee required, just your full membership.  If you haven't tried this before, this is your opportunity to try your hand at racing in a less stressful, laid-back type of racing.  Not comfortable "mixing it up" with the rest of the boats at the start?  Let them start first; it will give you a chance to watch what other skippers do, what works, and what might not.  This is a great time to learn about racing in general, and maybe something about your boat.  The races start at 6:30 south of the bridge; look for the orange buoys marking the course and the pontoon committee boat.  The first leg of the race is usually upwind and the courses are indicated on a board on the back of the committee boat.  You can find descriptions of the courses and the rest of the Sailing Instructions at the link above, print them out and have them on the boat.  We also encourage everyone to attend the Skippers Meeting in the spring for information about starting sequences, divisional splits, handicaps, etc. 

After the race everyone gets together on the point at the south end of the Hudson Marina for socializing, talking about the race and food & beverages.  This is a great place to pick up some pointers about racing, what happened on the course and what you could have done better; there are plenty of skippers & crew there to give you a hand.  There is no charge for this so please join us.

We're looking for hosts for the post-Beercan parties on the point at the marina, you don't have to race to host the party.  The club will kick in $150 per Beercan to help cover the cost of beverages and/or food.  If we don't have a host, there may still be a party, but it will be "BYOBAAEYW" (Bring-Your-Own-Beverage-And-Anything-Else-You-Want).  Beercan Races are open to all full members, you don't have to pay a race fee or anything, just come out and join in the fun; everyone is invited to the post race party.   We have a form for you to complete to let us know which Beercan you would like to host, just click here.

UK Rules Quiz

Click here to go to the UK Sails Rules Quiz.  It's an interesting way to learn the rules and test your knowledge.

The new Rule Book is out

The Racing Rules of Sailing for 2009 - 2012 has been published; you should have one on board.  Get yours by joining US Sailing (you can join online on our Links Page) or get it from your local bookstore

The SCSC Sailing Instructions are now available by clicking  the link at the top of this page.  These are in PDF format; you may download and print out a copy for your boat.

Time on Time Scoring Notes

The largest handicap fleets in the United States, including St. Croix Sailing Club, now sail under the Performance Handicap Racing Fleet (PHRF) system.  The PHRF supplies a single correction factor that is applied regardless of the conditions of the race.  Both time-on-distance and time-on-time handicapping can be used under PHRF.

The Time-on-Distance (TOD) method calculates a fixed time allowance, based on the length of the course to compute the corrected time.  An advantage of TOD is that is simple and you can tell exactly where you stand at any point in the race.

Time-on-Time (TOT) scoring is somewhat different in concept.  A time correction factor (TCF) is generated for each boat, which is the ratio of the potential average speed of the yacht to an arbitrary standard yacht, and is generally expressed as a multiplier.  As an example, if the reference boat has a handicap of 1.00, a boat with a TCF of 0.90 will have a corrected time equal to 0.90 times its elapsed time.  A boat with a TCF of 1.10 would have a corrected time equal to 1.10 times its elapsed time.  Under the Time On Time (TOT) scoring method the time allowance for a given race depends on the elapsed time of the race. 

To get the corrected time for your boat for a specific race, you simply multiply the elapsed time by the TCF for your boat.  Remember all the time units must be the same.  For example an elapsed time of  1 hr 5 minutes and 30 seconds equals 65.5 minutes or 3930 seconds.  I have added the Time-On-Time correction factors to the rating summary on the Club website.

Exactly how is the TOT conversion calculated in the scoring software, Quick Score, used by the club?   The Club has used PHRF-Lake Ontario Time-on-Time scoring for several years.  The Time-on-Time scoring multiplier is derived from a formula based on interpretation of the published results of the original H. Irving Pratt Ocean Race Handicapping project at M.I.T. as modified by Lake Ontario in 1985.  For those of you who are a math wiz, all the formulas are referenced on the Lake Ontario web-site.  http://www.phrf-lo.org

How does Time-on-Time scoring help?  It's no secret that larger boats have an advantage upwind, especially in heavy seas (going a mile to weather usually takes longer than sailing a mile off the wind). Time-on-Time scoring gives more time to the slower boats in such conditions. Off-wind races however, usually provide an advantage to small boats. These races are generally faster and Time-on-Time scoring correctly allows the slower rated boats less handicap.

In light wind conditions, tall masted boats seem to catch more of the "higher air" due to vertical wind gradient and are less affected by leftover sea conditions. Again, because the average boat velocities are slower, the races take longer to complete and the smaller boats get proportionally more handicap time.

In summary, Time-on-Time does NOT factor distance into the results at all.  It generates a time correction factor for each boat as compared to a scratch boat, from mid fleet for comparison.  In the case of the SCSC fleet a PHRF of 171 (Hakuna Matata and Gallivant).  If you look at the results for these two boats you will note their correction factor is 1.00, i.e. whatever their elapsed time for the race equals their corrected time.  For other boats the time correction factor is multiplied by their elapsed time to give a corrected time.  The correction factor is fixed for each boat for every race.  To find out your boats time correction factor visit the Handicaps/Divisions Page. 

Race Notes

The divisions will start in "reverse" order, Division 3 first, then Division 2, then Division 1.  The starting sequence will be 3-minute sequence.  This will keep the time between starts shorter and only add a couple minutes to the overall starting time compared to last year's two starts.

To compensate for the faster boats starting first, the time limit has also been changed.  The 45 minute time limit from the first boat finishing will not consider the J-80's, that is, the 45 minute timer will start when the first boat from Divisions 1 or 2 finishes.

We'll be using the same courses as last year, but make sure you have a current copy of the sailing instructions on your boat.

Scoring will again be Time-0n-Time.

Yachts racing in SCSC scheduled events will be assigned a PHRF handicap rating formulated from US Sailing Association rating information.  Ratings assigned will be based on a nationwide average of PHRF member fleet ratings for that yacht.   All member fleet ratings are based upon Standard Boat Assumptions.*

Yachts which are Non-Standard or don not have a PHRF rating will be rated according to the guidelines provided by U.S.Sailing for rating a Custom or Unrated Yacht.

Yachts Racing under incorrect handicaps are subject to disqualification.

*Standard Boat Assumptions:

1. The Spinnaker pole length is equal to "J".

2. The Spinnaker maximum width is 180% of "J".

3. The Spinnaker Maximum length is equal to 95% of the Jibstay length, i.e. .95 x "I" x "J".

4. The Genoa "LP" is between 150% and 155% of "J".

5. IOR Batten length restrictions are followed except in cases where the standard boat has full length battens

6. The Boat is in racing condition

7. The Boat has a folding or feathering propeller, a two bladed solid propeller in an aperture, or a retractable outboard.

8. The Hull or appendages are unmodified.

A Yacht is non-standard if it does not conform to all items listed above, with the exception of item 6.  Please supply the appropriate information from the diagram below to the SCSC Ratings Committee.

Dimensions:

LLJ (Luff Length)___________________

LP (Distance from Clew to Luff, measured perpendicular to Luff):__________________

Main Sail Dimensions:  E (Foot Length)______________  P (Luff Length)____________

Spinnaker Dimensions:  LLS (Length form Head to either Clew):____________ G (Maximum Girth):__________

Spinnaker pole length:______________  Whisker pole length:__________________

SCSC Rating Committee reserves the right to declare any Yacht "exceptional" and either not provide a ratting or rate it outside the normal class rules.