2009 Preliminary Sailing Instructions

Grosse Ile Yacht Club, MORC Station 53, MORC Station 31, Erie Yacht Club

2009 Trans-Erie Yacht Race
August 21, 2009
Sailing Instructions

1. RULES
1.1 The race will be governed by The Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS), the prescriptions of the United States Sailing Association (US Sailing), the NOR and, the rules of the respective PHRF or MORC classes, except as any of these are changed by these sailing instructions or amendments. The regatta is designated Category A in accordance with the RRS and ISAF Advertising Codes..

2. ELIGIBILITY
This race is open to yachts with a current valid PHRF or MORC rating certificate. Yachts shall carry required equipment as specified by Coast Guard regulations and in addition the MORC Handbook for MORC Class yachts. Yachts shall be equipped with a VHF radio capable of transmitting and receiving on Channel 16 and Channel 71. Crew limitations required by PHRF or per the MORC handbook (for MORC classes) will be in effect. All yachts racing MORC must have a current member of MORC International on board during the race.

3. RATINGS
3.1 PHRF classes are open to any yacht with a PHRF rating of 225 or lower. Any discrepancies in PHRF rating due to area differences (i.e. Lake Erie, Essex County or DRYA) will be resolved by the race committee, whose decision will be final.
3.2 Any yacht which claims a roller furling headsail credit must have the headsail to be used during the entire race attached to the furler at the start of the race, and may not change headsails once the race starts. Violation of this rule may make the yacht subject to disqualification.

4. NOTICE TO COMPETITORS
4.1 There will be a skipper’s meeting for all competitors at 1400 on Friday August 21, 2009 at Grosse Ile Yacht Club.
4.2 Notices to competitors will be posted on the official notice board located at Grosse Ile Yacht Club. Scratch sheets will be posted here when completed.

5. CHANGES IN SAILING INSTRUCTIONS
Any change to the sailing instructions will be posted before 1100 on Friday, August 21, 2009, on the official notice board located at Grosse Ile Yacht Club. Changes in the sailing instructions may be broadcast on VHF Channel 71 as a courtesy to competing yachts.

6. CLASS FLAGS
Yachts are not required to carry class flags.

7. STARTING AREA
The starting area will be east of the Livingston channel 2 NM northeast of the Detroit River Lighthouse at approximately (N 42 02.40) (W 083 07.20).

8. COURSE
The course will be from the starting line located east of the Livingston Channel at approximately (N 42 02.40) (W 083 07.20), to entrance buoy R2 at Presque Isle Bay, Erie PA. Course distance for handicapping purposes is 140 nautical miles.

9. POSTPONEMENT
Flag AP with two horn blasts (one horn blast when lowered) means the race is postponed. The warning signal will be made one minute after AP is lowered.

10.THE START
10.1 The starting line will be between the orange flag on the race committee boat and a white Trans-Erie buoy located east of the Livingston Channel at

(N 42 02.40) (W 083 07.20).
10.2 A yacht shall not enter the starting area except for the ten minute period immediately preceding its starting signal.
10.3 One or more protection buoys may be tethered near the race committee boat. If a yacht touches a protection buoy, race committee boat, or passes between any of them, she shall have touched the starting mark in violation of Rule 31. She shall be considered to have touched a mark. This changes RRS 31. A boat may exonerate herself in accordance with RRS 44.1.

10.4 Races will be started using the following starting signals (this changes RRS 26). Times will be taken from the visual signals; the absence of a sound signal shall be disregarded.

Minutes Before

Signal Flag and Sound Starting Signal

Warning Class flag; 1 sound 10

Preparatory Flag P; 1sound 5

One-minute Flag P removed; 1 long sound 1

Starting Class flag removed; 1sound 0

The scheduled time for the warning signal for the first class is 1550 on August 21, 2009. The warning signal for each succeeding class shall be made with or after the starting signal for the preceding class.
See Addendum A:
Courtesy broadcasts for the timing sequence may be transmitted on VHF Channel 71.

11. RECALL
Individual recalls shall be signaled in accordance with Rules 29.1. In addition, an effort may be made to hail the sail number of each premature starter on VHF Channel 71.

12. FINISH LINE AND PROCEDURE
12.1 The finish line shall be between entrance buoy R2 to Presque Isle Bay (N 42 09.87) (W 80 03.20) and the race committee boat. The race committee boat will be anchored West of the R2 Entrance Buoy. At night, the race committee boat may display a yellow flashing light. All finishing yachts shall illuminate their sail numbers at night while finishing and well beyond the finish line.
12.2 After finishing all yachts shall contact the race committee on VHF Channel 71 giving the following information:
*Yacht's name and sail number
*Yacht ahead and yacht astern, if known
12.3 In addition, yachts shall record their own finishing time and record the yacht ahead and yacht astern on the card provided in the skipper's packet. The yacht's representative shall check-in at race committee headquarters within sixty minutes after landfall and turn in the completed and signed card in the envelope located at the Erie Yacht Club bulletin board.

12.4 If you suspect you might be one of the first boats to finish, please contact the finish boat two hours before your expected finish.

Finish Boat, Dick Robertson 814-504-8469

13. YACHTS RETIRING FROM THE RACE
Yachts retiring from the race for ANY REASON SHALL notify the race committee by telephone at (734) 347-4590 as soon as possible. Also, you should attempt to contact the race committee on VHF Channel 71 or Channel 16. Failure to comply with this sailing instruction may subject the offending yacht to protest and to be denied an invitation to participate in the Trans-Erie Yacht Race in the future.

14. PROTESTS
Protests shall be written on USSA forms. Protests should be filed at the race committee table within four hours of finish. Protests will be heard approximately in the order of receipt as soon as possible.

15. SCORING
15.1 Each yacht shall be ranked by her corrected time in her division and class. The yacht with the lowest corrected time wins. Corrected times will be calculated on a time on distance basis using a course distance of 140 NM.
15.2 The Race Committee reserves the right to correct at any time , errors in ratings, time allowances and scoring.

16. Communications While Racing
16.1 RRS 41(d)- Outside Help: help in the form of information available to all boats is permitted. Use of the internet for weather broadcasts or weather information from sources available to all competitors on a publicly offered free or subscription basis is permitted.
16.2 From her prep signal on, a boat shall not use her radio or any electronic communication device , or any other system, to transmit or to receive any information that is transmitted for the direct benefit of an individual boat as distinct from generally being available to all other boats participating in the race.
16.3 Accordingly, a boat may receive regularly scheduled weather fax transmissions, may receive weather information from a publicly available web page on the internet or a publicly available subscription like XM Weather. However, a boat shall not receive e-mail or other non publicly available communication containing weather or routing information.

17. AWARDS
Skippers, crew, and guests are invited to attend the Trans-Erie Awards Party beginning at 1300, August 23, 2009, at Erie Yacht Club.