BAHAMAS OPTIMIST NATIONAL OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2022

Saturday, October 1st – Sunday, October 2nd 2022 Organizing Authorities:

Nassau Yacht Club with the endorsement of the Bahamas Sailing Association, and The Bahamas Optimist Class Association Nassau, N.P., Bahamas.

​

SAILING INSTRUCTIONS

The notation [DP] in a rule of the Sailing Instructions means that the penalty for breaking the rule is in the discretion of the race committee or the jury. The notation [NP] in a rule of the Sailing Instructions means that a boat may not protest another boat for breaking that rule. This changes RRS 60.1(a).

1. RULES

1.1 The regatta will be governed by the rules as defined in The Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS).

1.2 The class rules of the International Optimist Dinghy Association will apply.
1.3 The following prescriptions of Bahamas Sailing Association (BSA) shall apply:

a) Racing Rules of Sailing PART 4 – Add under preamble:
BSA prescribes that Part 4 RRS 40 shall also apply to boats sailing to the race course from the launching area and vice-versa.

b) RRS 40 – Add below:
BSA prescribes that competitors racing in single-handed dinghies shall wear personal floatation devices at all times while afloat except as provided in RRS 40.

1.4 [DP] Competitors and Support Persons shall comply with reasonable requests from Event Officials. Failure to comply may be misconduct.
1.5 The first three sentences of RRS 61.1 (a) is changed to “A boat intending to protest shall inform the other boat at the first reasonable opportunity. When her protest shall concern an incident in the racing area that she was involved in or saw she shall hail “Protest”. She shall inform the Race Committee of the boat(s) being protested including the sail number either at the finishing line immediately after finishing or as soon as praticable after she retires.

2. NOTICES TO COMPETITORS

2.1 Notices to competitors will be posted on the official notice board located at the Nassau Yacht Club (NYC) notice board.
2.2 On the water the Race Committee (RC) intends to monitor and communicate with Support Persons on VHF channel 69.

3. CHANGES TO SAILING INSTRUCTIONS

Any change to the sailing instructions will be posted before 0900 on the day it will take effect, except that any change to the schedule of races will be posted by 2000 on the day before it will take effect.

4. SIGNALS MADE ASHORE

4.1 Signals made ashore will be displayed at NYC Flag pole.

4.2 When flag AP is displayed ashore, ‘1 minute’ is replaced with ‘not less than 30 minutes’ in the race signal AP. (OR) Insert the number of minutes.

4.3 Flag D with one sound means ‘The warning signal will be made not less than 30 minutes after flag D is displayed. Boats are requested not to leave the NYC dock area until this signal is made.

5. SCHEDULE OF RACES

5.1 Dates of Racing:

Saturday, October 1st 2022
10:00 Warning Signal for the first race of the day. Additional race(s) to follow.
12:30 (approximately) Lunch on the water
13:30 Warning Signal for afternoon’s races. Additional race(s) to follow.

​

Sunday, October 2nd 2022
10:00 Warning signal for the first race of the day. Additional race(s) to follow.
13:30 (approximately) Lunch at NYC

​

5.2 The Race Committee (RC) will attempt to complete 7 races.
5.3 To alert boats that a race or sequence of races will begin soon, an orange flag will be displayed with one sound for at least five minutes before a warning signal is displayed.
5.4 On the last day of the regatta no warning signal will be made after 1300.

6. CLASS FLAGS

Class flags will be:

Class

Championship Fleet Green Fleet

7. RACING AREAS

Flag

Optimist Class Flag Green Optimist Class Flag

7.1 The general racing area will be in the vicinity of Montague Bay
7.2 The exact locations of the course will depend on the specific wind and sea conditions and are at the discretion of the Race Committee.

8. THE COURSES

8.1 The diagram in Appendix 1 of the NoR, Race Courses, shows the course for both the Championship Fleet and the Green Fleet including the approximate angles between legs, the order in which marks are to be passed and the side on which each mark is to be left. The course length and exact configuration will be based on the sailing conditions.

8.2 When there is a gate, boats shall sail between the gate marks from the direction of the previous mark and round either gate mark.
8.3 Legs of the course will not be changed after the preparatory signal. This changes RRS 33.

9. MARKS

9.1 The Start Mark for the Championship Fleet will be an orange teardrop buoy.
9.2 Marks 1, 2, 3s and 3p for the Championship Fleet will be yellow tetrahedron buoys. 9.3The Finish Mark for the Championship Fleet will be orange teardrops buoy. 9.4 Green Fleet Marks will be described at the competitors meeting.

10. THE START

10.1 Start will be pursuant to RRS 26.
10.2 The starting line for Championship Fleet will be between a staff displaying an orange flag on the RC signal boat and the course side of the port end starting mark.
10.3 The starting line for Green Fleet will be between a staff displaying an orange flag on the RC signal boat and the course side of the port end starting mark.
10.4 A boat starting later than 5 minutes after her starting signal will be scored Did Not Start (DNS) without a hearing. This changes RRS A5.1 and A5.2. (Championship Fleet Only)

11. THE FINISH

11.1 The finish line for the Championship Fleet and Green Fleet will be between the respective finish boat displaying an orange flag on a staff and the respective finish mark.
11.2 Boats that have finished shall keep clear of all boats racing.

12. PENALTY SYSTEM

12.1 Appendix P will apply
12.2 Any competitor using a one/two turn(s) penalty shall report that use to the Race Committee promptly upon finishing that race.
12.3 The Jury Boat will be identified by displaying the code flag J.
12.4 In addition the application of Appendix P, the jury will observe racing for other rule infringements. When a Jury member sees such an infringement, and no boat hails protest or takes an appropriate penalty, the Jury member may make one sound but no yellow flag will be pointed and no sail number will be hailed. This signal means that one or more members of the Jury believe a boat should take an appropriate penalty.
12.5 RRS P2.3 will not apply and RRS P2.2 is changed so that it will apply to any penalty after the first one.

13. TIME LIMIT

13.1 The time limit shall be 60 minutes for the first boat in a race to finish.
13.2 Boats failing to finish within 30 minutes after the first boat sails the course and finishes will be scored Did Not Finish (DNF) without a hearing. This changes rules 35, A4, and A5.
13.3 There will be a 30 minute time limit for the first boat in a race to finish the first leg of the race.

14. HEARING REQUESTS

14.1 Only competitors sailing in the Championship Fleet are allowed to request a hearing. This changes RRS 60.1.

14.2 [NP][DP] Competitors in the first half of the Green Fleet may be disqualified without a hearing by the Jury and/or the Race Committee for blatant infractions to rules and SI, if they have not cleared themselves after being signaled to do so by whistle or otherwise. This changes RRS 63.1

14.3
14.4 Protests shall be written on forms available at the Jury Desk on the upper wooden pool dech of the NYC. Completed protest forms shall be delivered to the Jury Desk no later than 60 minutes after the race committee finish boat docks. This time limit will be posted on the Official Notice Board.
14.5 Notice of hearings will be posted on the Official Notice Board. Hearings will be held as soon as possible after the end of the protest time limit.
14.6 Reopening a Hearing - On the last day of racing a request for reopening a hearing shall be delivered: (a) within the protest time limit if the party requesting reopening was informed of the decision on the previous day; (b) no later than 30 minutes after the party requesting reopening was informed of the decision on that day. This changes RRS 66.
14.7 A list of boats that have been penalized under instructions 12.4 and 14.2 or have been disqualified by the Jury or race committee will be posted before the protest time limit.

15. SCORING

15.1 Three races shall constitute a regatta.
15.2 When fewer than 6 races have been completed, a boat’s series score will be the total of her race scores. When 6 or more races have been completed, a boat’s series score will be the total of her race scores excluding her worst score.

16. SAFETY

16.1 [NP][DP] Each competitor must have a whistle to alert support/safety boats in case of emergency or to request outside assistance.
16.2 Each boat must be equipped with at least one bailer properly secured to the boat by a rope or bungee cord.

16.3 Before the warning signal of the first race (morning and afternoon) all competitors must check-in with their respective (Championship or Green Fleet) Race Committee boat at the starboard end of the start line by sailing past the stern of the Committee boat on a starboard tack, by hailing her sail number and being acknowledged by the Race Committee with a return hail of her sail number. The penalty for a violation of this instruction will be a 20% penalty applied as in RRS 44.3(c) to the competitor’s best finish on the day of the violation.

16.4 A boat retiring from a race shall notify the RC boat or safety boat before leaving the course area or notify the RC immediately upon returning to shore.
16.5 There is no restriction on the use of waterways by vessels not associated with the regatta. Any attempt by a boat to exercise right of way, to cross in close proximity to, or to interfere with the reasonable transit of the race area by commercial freighters, tugs and tows and other vessels which are unable to respond readily or which are bound by navigation restrictions will be grounds for a protest by the RC or the Protest Committee. If such a protest occurs, the burden of proof is on the boat allegedly interfering. Boats shall take evasive action well in advance of any potentially dangerous situation.

16.6 It is the responsibility solely of the parent(s) or the adult representative of the competitor to decide if the child should sail in the weather and sea conditions that might arise during the event. Parents not personally attending any part of the event must ensure that another adult is prepared to act as the Support Person for their sailor and to make these decisions for their sailor. This changes RRS 4.

16.7 Only the race committee or jury may protest a competitor for a violation of this section (Section 16) of the sailing instructions. This changes RRS 60.1.

​

17. REPLACEMENT OF CREW OR EQUIPMENT

17.1 Substitution of competitors will not be allowed.
17.2 Substitution of damaged or lost equipment is not allowed unless authorized by the Race Committee. Requests for substitution shall be made to the race committee at the first reasonable opportunity which maybe after the race.

18. EQUIPMENT AND MEASUREMENT CHECKS

18.1 A boat or equipment may be inspected at any time for compliance with the class rules and sailing instructions. On the water, a boat can be instructed by a race committee equipment inspector or measurer to proceed immediately to a designated area for inspection.

19. EVENT ADVERTISING

19.1 [NP][DP] Boats shall display event advertising supplied by the organizing authority as follows: Adhered to the bow or stern on boat.

20. OFFICIAL BOATS

20.1 Official boats will display an ‘OFFICIAL’ flag

21. SUPPORT BOATS

21.1 [NP][DP] Team leaders, coaches and other support personnel shall stay outside areas where boats are racing from the time of the preparatory signal for the first class to start until all boats have finished or retired or the race committee signals a postponement, general recall or abandonment unless specifically authorized by the Race Committee as a matter of safety.

21.2 All boats associated with the infringing Support Vessel may be penalized at the discretion of the Jury for the race on which the Support Person failed to comply with this instruction. This changes RRS 64.5(b).

22. TRASH DISPOSAL

22.1 This event is a Clean Event to promote environmental awareness and ocean conservation by the participants in this regatta. All sailors, coaches, families and friends are asked to help protect the environment on and off the water and to keep surroundings clean. Efforts will be made to limit plastics and non-biodegradable materials. Trash may be placed aboard support or official boats.

23. PRIZES

23.1 Prizes will be given as indicated in the Notice of Race.

24. VIDEO AND PHOTO DISCLAIMER AND RIGHT TO USE NAME

24.1 By participating in the event, competitors give absolute right and permission in perpetuity to the organizing authority and the sponsors of the event for any photograph and video footage taken of themselves or the boat they are sailing during the event to be published in any media whatsoever, for either editorial or advertising purpose to be used in press information without compensation and without the competitor’s approval of such images or any use of them.

25. DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY

25.1 Competitors participate in the regatta entirely at their own risk. See RRS 4, Decision to Race. The organizing authority 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.