Lipton Cup Racing Instructions

2010 Lipton Cup Sailing Instructions

The Lipton Cup Regatta will be held under the authority of the Smyrna Yacht Club Lipton Cup Race Committee. It will be governed by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Racing Rules of Sailing 2009-2012 and the prescriptions of US Sailing and the 2010 Lipton Cup Regatta Sailing Instructions.

Racing Divisions

The race will be split into three separate divisions.

Division I Boats with unlimited sails, including spinnakers, and Mylar or Kevlar sails.

Division II Boats with all sails (as in Division I) but without spinnakers. Boats in this Division may fly a double headsail (PHRF penalty).

Division III Cruising boats. Only standard Dacron sails are allowed (no racing sails such as Mylar, Kevlar, etc.). Spinnaker sails are not allowed. Boats may fly only one head sail unless a stay sail is part of the normal cruising configuration.

Whisker poles are permitted on all Divisions.

All participants will complete the entry form section RATING INFORMATION, or have a current PHRF valid certificate. The Lipton Cup Race Committee will assign PHRF ratings for the regatta.

Skippers Meeting

There will be a general skipper's meeting at the SYC Tiki Hut at 5:00 pm on Friday. The sailing instructions will be explained and questions will be answered. Attendance is optional. Skippers are responsible for understanding the sailing instructions prior to race time.

Skipper's meetings will be held at 8:00 am on Saturday and at 9:00 am on Sunday at the SYC Tiki Hut. Attendance is recommended but is optional. Monitor channel 68 for one half hour before the race. Important information, schedule changes, and course changes will be broadcast.

Boats that have not checked in at the skippers' meeting must check in with the Committee Boat prior to the start of the racing sequence.

Scoring

Scoring will be done according to Appendix A of the Racing Rules of Sailing for 2009-2012. The Low Point System will be used. Three races are scheduled. Only one race must be completed to complete the regatta. All races completed will be scored. No scores will be excluded. Ties will be broken according to A8.

The Course

The race will be held on the ocean just outside Ponce Inlet. One of three courses may be used. On Saturday, the windward leg will be approximately 1.5 nm. On Sunday it will be approximately 2.0 nm. This may vary at the discretion of the Race Committee.

Course One is a counter clockwise rounding of the marks and is described below.

Triangle - Windward - Leeward

Course Two is a mirror image of course one with the JIBE MARK set to the right side of the course. All marks are rounded leaving the marks to starboard.

Course Three is a windward, leeward course. All marks are rounded leaving the marks to port.

Windward Mark

Leeward Mark

Start / Finish Line

Please note that the leeward mark, mark 3, is only used as a turning mark. It is ignored at start and finish.

Division III, Cruising Boats, will sail shorter courses. The last windward and leeward legs will be eliminated. For Course 1 and 2, Division III boats will sail from the START LINE to the WINDWARD MARK to the JIBE MARK and directly to the FINISH LINE ignoring the LEEWARD MARK. For Course 3, Division III boats will sail from the START LINE to the WINDWARD MARK and directly to the FINISH LINE ignoring the LEEWARD MARK.

The course will be announced by the Committee Boat on channel 68. The course may be changed, shortened, postponed, or cancelled at the discretion of the Race Committee. It is the responsibility of each skipper to decide whether to retire due to inclement conditions, not the Race Committee.

All boats should use proper etiquette and avoid, if possible, interfering with boats of another Division. A slower boat should hold course and allow a faster boat in another Division to pass to windward.

Starting Sequence

Division III will start first. Divisions I & II will start as soon as Division III boats are clear. Watch for the raising of the Class flag. (Please note that the new starting sequence in the Racing Rules of Sailing 2009-2012 are being used.)

Saturday – Race 1:      T = 1000 (or as announced on channel 68 by RC)
Saturday – Race 2:      T = As soon as Race 1 is complete, announced on channel 68 by RC.
                                    Stay close to the starting area.
Sunday :                      T = 1100 (or as announced on channel 68 by RC)

TIME	CONDITION OR SIGNAL
T	Class Flag raised for Division III (white) and one sound signal.
T + 1 min.	Preparatory Flag raised, one sound (‘P’ flag).
T + 4 min.	Preparatory Flag removed, one long sound.
T + 5 min.	Start - Class Flag (white) removed, one sound.
T = As soon as Division III boats are clear.	Class Flag raised for Division I & II (red) and one sound signal.
T + 1 min.	Preparatory Flag raised, one sound (‘P’ flag).
T + 4 min.	Preparatory Flag removed, one long sound.
T + 5 min.	Start - Class Flag (red) removed, one sound.

The Preparatory ‘I’ flag (a yellow flag with a black circle) will be displayed. If any part of a boat’s hull, crew or equipment is on the course side of the starting line or one of its extensions during the last minute before her starting signal, she shall thereafter sail from the course side across an extension (around the end) to the prestart side before starting. A Sierra flag (a white flag with a blue rectangle) and the sounding of two horns on the Committee Boat will signal SHORTEN COURSE. The Committee Boat will announce details via channel 68. See the Racing Rules of Sailing 2009-2012 for other signal flags.

The following Monday will be used as a make up race date, in case all Saturday and Sunday races are canceled.

Safety

All boats shall carry the safety equipment required by their class, and by the United States Coast Guard. Skippers are responsible for the safety of their boats and crews. Weather permitting, SYC patrol boats will cover the racing area to control non-participating water craft and to render assistance to any participating boat in need. All skippers are urged to employ common sense and safe boating procedures. Those not following direction by the Race Committee, or SYC patrol boats, may be subject to disqualification. Please remember that VHF channel 16 is for EMERGENCY USE ONLY, and is constantly monitored by the U.S.C.G. SYC patrol boats operations will be coordinated on VHF channel 68.

Division I	Boats with unlimited sails, including spinnakers, and Mylar or Kevlar sails.
Division II	Boats with all sails (as in Division I) but without spinnakers. Boats in this Division may fly a double headsail (PHRF penalty).
Division III	Cruising boats. Only standard Dacron sails are allowed (no racing sails such as Mylar, Kevlar, etc.). Spinnaker sails are not allowed. Boats may fly only one head sail unless a stay sail is part of the normal cruising configuration.