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
practicable after she retires.
1.6 RRS Appendix T (Arbitration) will apply.

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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 NYCFlag pole.
4.2 When flag AP is displayed ashore, ‘1 minute’ is replaced with ‘not less than 30 minutes’ in the race signal
AP.
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 shall not to leave the NYC dock area until this signal is made.

5. SCHEDULE OF RACES
5.1 Dates of Racing:
Saturday, September 30th 2023
10:00 Warning Signal for the first race of the day.
Additional race(s) to follow.
12:30 (approximately) Lunch on the water
13:00 Warning Signal for afternoon’s races.
Additional race(s) to follow.
Sunday, October 1st 2023
10:00Warning signal for the first race of the day.
Additional race(s) to follow.
13:00 (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 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 Flag
Championship Fleet Optimist Class Flag
Green Fleet Green Optimist Class Flag

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7. RACING AREAS
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.
9.3 The 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 is between a staff displaying an orange flag on the signal vessel at the starboard end and
the course side of the port-end starting mark.
10.3 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 is between a staff displaying a blue flag on the finishing boat at the starboard end and the
course side of the port end finishing 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. The jury may
protest a boat or boats under RRS 60.3(a) if no boat takes a 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
RRS60.1.
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 RRS63.1
14.3 Protests shall be written on forms available at the Jury Desk on the upper wooden pool deck 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.
14.5Notice 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 [NP][DP]16.1 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
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 jury to proceed
immediately to a designated area for inspection.

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

20. OFFICIAL BOATS
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).

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22. TRASH DISPOSAL
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
Trophies shall be awarded to:
a) Top three finishers in Championship Fleet without gender distinctions regardless of nationality or place of
residence
b) Top finisher who is a citizen of or resident in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas will be awarded the
“Geoffrey Hollowesko Floating Champion Trophy”
c) Top three finishers in each of the Red, Blue and White Divisions of the Championship Fleet without gender
distinctions regardless of nationality or place of residence
d) Top finisher in Championship Fleet who is of the gender other than that of the top finisher awarded under
16(a) regardless of nationality or place of residence
e) Top three finishers in Green Fleet without gender distinctions, regardless of nationality or place of residence
f) Top finisher in Green fleet who is of the gender other than that of the top finisher awarded under 16(e)
regardless of nationality or place of residence.

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24. VIDEO AND PHOTO DISCLAIMER AND RIGHT TO USE NAME
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
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.