The Fourth Annual
National Hospice Regatta Championship
Annapolis, Maryland - April 11 - 13, 2003

The National Hospice Regatta Alliance Sailing Instructions

1 RULES
The Regatta will be governed by the Racing Rules of Sailing, the Rules of the J/105 Class as modified by the local fleet (Fleet 3), the Notice of Regatta (except as any of these are altered by these Sailing Instructions), and by these Sailing Instructions with possible amendments.

2 ENTRIES
Entries will be accepted from racing skippers who have excelled in their local Hospice Regatta in 2002 and who have been invited by the National Hospice Regatta Alliance to compete in the Fourth Annual National Hospice Regatta Championship.

3 CREW LIMITATIONS
3.1 The regatta is open to qualified crews that contain no more than one group 3, Professional Competitor, as defined in appendix P of the RRS. A group 3 competitor may not steer during a race.

3.2 The crew number limit is 6, including the boat owner or owner's representative. There will be no weight limit. This alters the J/105 class rules.

3.3 The boat owner or owner's representative may not steer or trim a sheet during a race. This alters the J/105 class rules.

3.3 The boat may be steered by a non-member of the J/105 class. This alters the J/105 class rules.

4 BOATS AND EQUIPMENT
4.1 The J/105 boats used for this regatta will have shallow draft keels.
4.2 The spinnakers used for this regatta will be those class legal up to and including 2002 (smaller). The new 2003 (larger) spinnakers will not be used. This alters the J/105 class rules.

5 NOTICES TO COMPETITORS
Notices to competitors will be posted on the official notice board, located at Regatta Headquarters, Mears Marina, 519 Chester Avenue, Annapolis (Eastport).

6 CHANGES IN SAILING INSTRUCTIONS
Any change to the Sailing Instructions will be posted before 0800 on the day it will take effect, except that any change to the schedule of races will be posted by 1800 on the day before it will take effect.

7 SIGNALS MADE ASHORE
7.1 Signals made ashore will be displayed from the pole at race headquarters at Mears Marina.

7.2 Code flag "AP" with two sound signals means: "The race is postponed." The time of the new warning signal will be posted before the lowering of "AP". Lowering of "AP" will be accompanied by one sound signal.

8 BOAT TUNING RESTRICTIONS
The standing rigging of the J/105 boats may be adjusted by the owner or owner's representative before the first warning signal of the day on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

9 BOAT ASSIGNMENTS
Boat assignments for each day will be determined by a drawing at the Friday, April 11, competitors' meeting. The boat drawn on Friday will be the practice boat for Friday. The boat listed next in sequence will be the Saturday boat and the next boat in sequence will be the Sunday boat.

10 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
10.1
Friday, April 11
0930 Competitors' Meeting
1200 - 1500 Practice Races (optional)
1800 - 2000 Informal party at Mears Marina

Saturday, April 12
1000 Rendezvous near Severn River R "2"
1045 Warning signal for Race 1 followed by Races 2 and 3
1800 - 2000 Championship Reception

Sunday, April 13 1000
Rendezvous near Severn River R "2"
1045 Warning signal for Race 4 followed by Race 5
1530 Championship Awards Presentations at Mears Marina

10.2 Races not completed on Saturday may be sailed on Sunday. Races not completed on
Sunday will be abandoned and will not be sailed.

11 RACING AREA
The racing area will be within two miles of Severn River R "2". Severn River R "2"
is located about 30 to 40 minutes (via sailboat) from Mears Marina and most other areas in Annapolis.

12 COURSES
12.1 The courses will be windward - leeward courses of two to five legs.

12.2 The Race Committee signal boat will display the course to be sailed prior to the warning
signal of any race. The number displayed indicates the number of legs (2, 3, 4, or 5).

12.3 Competing boats will leave all rounding marks to port.

12.4 The Race Committee may set a leeward mark approximately 100 to 300 yards to windward of the starting line. The leeward mark is not a mark of the course for the first leg of a race, or for the last leg of a race with a downwind finish. If no leeward mark has been set the starting pin will be the leeward mark for courses 3, 4, and 5.

12.5 The finish line may be shorter than the starting line.

12.6 For downwind finishes: competing boats shall leave the start/finish drop mark to starboard and the Race Committee boat to port.

12.7 For upwind finishes: the finish line will extend between the windward mark and a nearby Race Committee boat. Competing boats finishing shall leave the windward/finish drop mark to port and the race committee boat to starboard.

12.8 The approximate compass bearing and distance from the Race Committee signal boat to the windward mark will be displayed from the Race Committee signal boat.

13 MARKS
13.1 Drop marks will be orange inflatable cylinders.

13.2 A change drop mark will be a tetrahedron.

14 THE START
14.1 Races will be started using RRS rule 26.

14.2 The starting line will be between a yellow or orange flag displayed on the Race Committee signal boat and an inflatable mark.

14.3 A boat shall not start later than 10 minutes after her starting signal.

14.4 Individual recalls will be signaled in accordance with RRS 29.2 with the following addition: the Race Committee may attempt to announce sail numbers of boats on the course side of the starting line on a VHF radio channel announced at the competitors' meeting. Failure to receive or hear the transmission will not be grounds for redress.

15 CHANGE OF COURSE AFTER THE START
A change of course after the start will be signaled before the leading boat has begun the changed leg, although the new mark may not then be in position. Any mark to be rounded after rounding the new mark may be relocated to maintain the original course configuration. When in a subsequent change of course a new mark is replaced, it will be replaced with an original mark. This alters RRS 33.

16 THE FINISH
16.1 The finish line will be between a yellow or orange flag displayed on a Race Committee boat and the nearby mark.

16.2 RRS "Race Signals" is changed to allow that code flag "R" flying from the Race Committee finish boat indicates another race will be sailed. Competing boats should remain near the starting area.

17 TIME LIMITS
17.1 If the first boat does not reach the first mark of the course within 45 minutes of the start, the race shall be abandoned.

17.2 If the first boat does not finish within 2 hours the race shall be abandoned.

17.3 Boats not finished 30 minutes after the first boat finishes will be scored points equal to the number of boats finished plus 3 points, but no worse than the number of starters. This changes RRS 35. If another race may be sailed, those boats not finished within 30 minutes shall immediately proceed to the starting area. The end of this 30 minute period will be signaled by the lowering of the blue flag or shape on the Race Committee finish line boat accompanied by a long sound signal.

18 PROTESTS
18.1 Protests shall be written on forms available at race headquarters, Mears Marina, and delivered there within 11/2 hours after the last boat finishes the last race of the day, or the last abandonment. RRS 61.1(a) is modified to require that notice of intent to protest and the identity of the protested boat be given to the Race Committee immediately after finishing by hail or VHF transmission acknowledged by the Committee.

18.2 The close of protest time will be posted on the official notice board.

18.3 Any damage caused by contact with another boat or another boat's equipment shall be considered serious damage. This changes RRS 44.1.

18.4 Protests will be heard in approximately the order of receipt as soon as possible at Mears Marina.

19 SCORING
19.1 The series will be scored as provided in Appendix A of the RRS using the Low Point System.

19.2 Five races are scheduled, of which two races shall be completed to constitute a series.

19.3 No races will be discarded. This modifies RRS Appendix A2.

20 RADIO COMMUNICATION
20.1 A boat shall neither make radio transmissions while racing nor receive radio communications not available to all boats.

20.2 The Race Committee may attempt to provide information to competitors prior to the preparatory signal on a VHF channel announced at the competitors' meeting.

21 BORROWED BOAT INSPECTION FORM
A completed Borrowed Boat Inspection Form shall be submitted by a representative of each competing boat on each day (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday). The form shall be submitted within two hours of the last boat's finish time for the last race of the day or abandonment of the race.

22 PRIZES
Prizes will be awarded to the skippers placing first, second, and third in the series.

Download Sailing Instructions in Portable Document Format (PDF).