2014 Fleet 27 Notice of Regatta

2014 ETCHELLS FLEET 27 SERIES
SPRING, SUMMER, and FALL SERIES
NOTICE OF RACE

 RULES
The regatta will be governed by the rules as defined in The Racing Rules of Sailing for 2013 – 2016.  US Sailing prescription Appendix T, sections A, B, and D will apply.
The rules and regulations of the International Etchells Class association will apply with the exception of II. C. 2.1 and 2.2 concerning crew limits.
Fleet 27 rules require an operational VHF radio be onboard for all races.

ORGANIZING AUTHORITY
The Organizing Authority is Etchells Fleet 27.

 ELIGIBILITY, ENTRY, AND FEES
Any Etchells Class boat having paid Class and Fleet dues will be eligible to participate in any of the series.  Class and Fleet dues must be paid by the beginning of each series in order to be scored for the ENTIRE series.

 SCHEDULE
Mandatory Race Committee Orientation:  May 13 starts at 1730.
Launch day:  May 17, 2014
Dates of racing: Each Tuesday evening:
    Spring Series:  beginning May 20, 2014 and ending June24, 2014.
    Summer Series:  beginning July1, 2014 and ending August 5, 2014.
    Junior Night, July 1, sail with 1 or more Juniors, 50% off your scores!
    Fall Series:  beginning August 12, 2014 and ending September16, 2014.
The Fleet 27 Championship will consist of the combined results of the Spring, Summer, and Fall Series.
The warning signal for the start of each Tuesday evening races is 1800 from May20, 2014 to August 19, 2014, with an earlier 1730 warning signal for races starting August 26th and after.
The Race Committee will attempt to run multiple races each evening but not running multiple races shall not constitute redress.

 MEASUREMENTS
Boats may be inspected for safety equipment at the discretion of the Race Officer.  Boats may be inspected for compliance with Class Rules as needed.

 SAILING INSTRUCTIONS
The sailing instructions will be available on line on or before May 1st.

 VENUE
The usual Tuesday Series start is to the west of Clapboard Island though wind conditions could allow use of sailing areas to the east or south of Clapboard.

 PENALTY SYSTEM
Appendix T, sections A, B, and D will apply for all series races.

 SCORING
The low point scoring system will be used in each series.  A boats series score will be the total of her race scores excluding her scores for the worst 20% of races sailed in each series.
Race Committee Orientation May 13th participants will be scored 1 point for each of two stations while boats without representation will be scored 20 points for each station, counting for two races that night.

 RADIO COMMUNICATIONS
All boats must carry a working VHF radio.  VHF channel 72 will be used for communication.

  PRIZES
Awards will be given for the top three finishers in each Series though the Fleet at its discretion may give awards for finishers beyond third in each Series.  Awards will also be provided for the Overall Fleet Championship.
Awards may be provided for winners of each individual Tuesday evening as well as the yacht that is most improved that night over its current overall standing in the Fleet Championship series.





 RACE COMMITTEE
The owner of each boat is responsible for doing Race Committee duty for at least one evening.  The Race Committee shall consist of no less than four volunteers, ONE OF WHICH MUST BE A PORTLAND YACHT CLUB MEMBER who will be aboard the Race Committee vessel while underway.  Volunteers from the designated boat are to provide assistance to the PRO for their evening.  Volunteers for Race Committee duty are welcomed and empty dates will be assigned by the Race Officer after which owners are free to swap evenings.  The Race Officer must be notified of a swap.  If no races are completed on a given competitor’s evening, they may be re-assigned an evening later in the season.
Boats assigned to do Race Committee will receive their average score for the corresponding Series for all races completed the evening they are assigned Race Committee.  If a boat can sail and perform its Race Committee duties, it will receive average points for the Series but the actual boats performance will be counted for any prizes given for that nights racing only.  It is the race teams’ primary responsibility to fulfill its Race Committee duties first and foremost, before trying to sail their boat that evening.

  DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY
Competitors participate in the regatta entirely at their own risk.  See rule 4, Decision to Race.  The Etchells Fleet 27 and the Portland Yacht Club will not accept any liability for material damage or personal injury or death sustained in conjunction with or prior to, during, or after the regatta.

 INSURANCE
Each participating boat shall be insured with valid third party liability insurance with a minimum cover of $300,000 per incident or equivalent and a copy of this insurance policy must be provided prior to engaging in any racing activity.

 FURTHER INFORMATION
Volunteering for Race Committee is accepted on a first come first served basis.
For further information please contact the Fleet 27 Race Officer, Tim Tolford at Tolford1@maine.rr.com or 207-781-2154