SAILING INSTRUCTION

1. The regatta will be governed by the rules as defined in The Racing Rules of Sailing (RSS) and the Shields Class Sailing Association Class Rules (Class Rules).

2. The Organizing Authority (OA) is the Shields Class Fleet #10, Shields Class Sailing Association, and the Beverly Yacht Club (BYC), Marion, Massachusetts.

3. Each boat shall carry a VHF radio capable of receiving and transmitting on all standard marine channels.

4. Appendix V1 (Penalty at the Time of an Incident) of RSS will apply.

5. [DP] In accordance with RRS 40.2, 40.1 applies. (Personal Flotation Device)

1. Notices to competitors will be posted on the Official Notice Board at Beverly Yacht Club (board behind glass on North wall in enclosed porch).

2. The Jury Desk will be located on the porch of BYC Junior Club House which is located just northeast of the BYC porch.

Changes to the Sailing Instructions will be posted before 0800 hrs on the day they will take effect. Any change to the schedule of races will be posted before 2000 hrs on the day before it will take effect.

1. Signals made ashore will be flown from the yardarm of the flagpole at Beverly Yacht Club.

2. When flag “AP” is displayed ashore, the warning signal will be made not less than one (1) hour after flag “AP” is lowered. This changes Race Signals.

3. The Race Committee will make announcements concerning postponements, courses, premature starters, etc., on VHF Channel 74. Failure of competitors to receive or hear such announcements will not be grounds for redress.

1. Wednesday, Sept. 27	0830 - 1400	Registration at BYC, 99 Water St, Marion, MA
   	1300	First warning signal for practice starts and practice race
   	1730 - 1800	Skippers’ Meeting BYC
   	1800	Welcome & Grill Night BYC; Beer Selections provided by Buzzards Bay Brewing
   	1830 - 1930	Shields Class Annual Meeting BYC
   	1930 - 2130	Music by DaddyO! BYC
   Thursday, Sept. 28	1030	First warning signal of the day
   	After Racing	Cash Bar BYC
   	1800 - 2100	Ella’s Pizza Truck & ‘Yard’ Games at Burr Brothers Boats - 309 Front St. Marion, MA - BYOB
   Friday, Sept. 29	1030	First warning signal of the day
   	After Racing	Cash Bar BYC
   		Dinner on your own
   Saturday, Sept. 30	1030	First warning signal of the day
   	1430	No warning signal after this time
   	1830	Dinner & Awards BYC
   		Musical stylings by Matthew Collins Rum & Tequila Samples by Distillery 43 Shields Class Foundation Raffle & Auction
   Sunday, Oct. 1	0800 - 1300	Boat Haul / Pick-up at Burr Brothers Boats

2. Eight races are scheduled. No more than three races per day may be run.

1. A minimum of two races must be completed to constitute a series.

2. The Low Point System, RRS Appendix A4, will apply.

3. If five or more races are completed, a boat’s series score will be the total of her race scores excluding her worst score.

The racing area will be in the waters of Buzzards Bay in the vicinity of Centerboard Shoal and Sippican Harbor.

1. The course designation and descriptive diagram are presented in Addendum A.

2. The Race Committee intends to initially set an offset mark (1A) and gate (2P and 2S) for all courses.

3. Prior to the warning signal the Race Committee will post the course number and the approximate distance in nautical miles to and heading to the first mark from the signal boat on a board on the starboard side of the Race Committee Signal Boat and announce the course on VHF Channel 74. Failure of competitors to receive or hear such announcements will not be grounds for redress.

1. The original turning marks (including the gate marks) will be orange tetrahedrons.

2. The offset mark (1A) will be an orange sphere

3. Change mark, as provided in RRS 33, will be an yellow tetrahedron (without an offset mark). For a subsequent change, the “next” change mark will be an orange tetrahedron mark (without an offset mark).

4. The start mark will be a yellow cylinder or an anchored Race Committee RIB with a staff flying an orange flag.

5. The finish mark will be an orange cylinder.

1. [DP] Before the warning signal of the first race of the day that a boat sails, each boat shall sail past the stern of the signal boat on starboard tack and verbally check-in. When the race committee verbally acknowledges a boat’s sail number the check-in has been officially completed. Boats failing to properly check-in will be assessed a twenty (20) percent scoring penalty to their best score of the day applied as in RRS 44.3(c). This penalty will be applied without a hearing. This modifies RRS A5.

2. Races will be started in accordance with RRS 26.

3. The starting line will be between a staff displaying an orange flag on the Race Committee Signal Boat at the starboard end of the line; and, either the course side of an inflatable yellow cylinder, or a staff displaying an orange flag on an anchored Race Committee RIB at the port end of the line.

4. The Race Committee will attempt to hail each boat the race committee has identified as a premature starter over channel 74. Failure to hear or receive such announcement, the number of times an announcement is made, or the order in which a particular boat is hailed shall not be grounds for redress.

5. Competitors are reminded that it is the responsibility of each boat to start correctly; and if they are aware they have not done so, they should return and start correctly even though they were not identified by the race committee and they were not hailed by the race committee as a premature starter.

6. A boat which has not started 5 minutes after her starting signal will be scored Did Not Start (DNS) without a hearing. This changes RRS A4 and A5.

1. In addition to the requirements set forth in RRS 33, the Race Committee will announce its intent to change a leg of the course on VHF Channel 74. Failure of competitors to receive or hear such announcements will not be grounds for redress.

2. In the event that the Race Committee changes the weather mark after the initial weather leg, there will not be an offset mark set.

3. If there is only one leeward mark, it shall be left to port.

1. For course 4 and 6: The finish mark will be the committee boat blue flag and the course side of a orange cylinder to the committee boat’s starboard side.

2. For course 5: The finish mark will be a race committee boat blue flag and a course side of windward mark tetrahedron to the committee boat’s port side.

1. RRS Appendix V1 (Penalty at Time of Incident) and T (Arbitration) will apply.

2. RRS 44.2 One-Turn and Two-Turn Penalties is changed as follows to prohibit a boat taking a penalty turn within the Zone: “After getting well clear of other boats and the Zone as soon after the incident as possible ...”

3. RRS T1(b) is changed to read “A Post-Race Penalty is a 20% Scoring Penalty calculated as stated in rule 44.3(c) if the penalty is taken before arbitration. If the penalty is taken after arbitration it is 30%. However, rule 44.1(a) applies.”

1. The time limit for the first boat to pass the first windward mark shall be 45 minutes.

2. The time limit for the first finisher of each race shall be 120 minutes.

3. The finishing window for subsequent finishers is 20 minutes after the first boat finishes. Boats not finishing within this finishing window shall be scored TLE (Time Limit Expired). TLE shall be scored points equal to the number of boats finishing prior to the expiration of the 20 minute window plus two. The changes RRS 35 and Appendix A10.

1. Competitors may request a hearing for protest, redress, and reopening in one of two ways:

   1. Online with a smart phone by going to the regatta’s Hearing Index page at https://shieldsclass.com/regattas/2023/protest/index.php (or by scanning the QR code) and then logging-in (using your email and password used for registration), completing the online form, and submitting the form. No paperwork is required. Your request will appear on the Hearing Index page.

   2. Obtaining a standard US Sailing PDF form available from the Jury Desk at the Beverly Yacht Club and completing and delivering the form to the Jury Desk.

   

2. Protests and requests for redress shall be submitted online or delivered as a paper form to the Jury Desk within the appropriate time limit. The protest time limit is one (1) hour after the Race Committee Signal Boat docks after the last race of the day. The protest time limit will be posted on the Hearing Index page and Official Notice Board.

3. Notices will be posted no later than 30 minutes after the protest time limit to inform competitors of hearings in which they are parties or named as witnesses. Hearings will be held in a designated area of Beverly Yacht Club. Representatives of boats who are parties to a hearing shall remain on call in the vicinity of the protest room. Failure of a boat to appear when called for a hearing will be considered by the Jury as grounds for proceeding under rule 63.3(b).

4. A boat shall report and receive acknowledgement of its intention to protest and the yacht being protested immediately after the finish of the race in which the incident occurred to the Race Committee by radio on VHF 74.

5. Rule 63.5 is changed by adding - “A protest involving contact may be heard by the Jury even though the requirements of rule 61.1(a) and 61.3 have not been fulfilled.”

6. Penalties, if any, for breaches of rules other than rules of Part 2 may be less than disqualification, if the Protest Committee so decides.

7. Breaches of SI Support Boats will not be grounds for a protest by a yacht. This changes RRS 60.1(a).

8. On the last day of racing, a request for redress:

   1. Based on a jury decision - shall be delivered no later than 30 minutes after the decision was posted.

   2. Other requests for redress - shall be delivered no later than the end of the protest time limit or 30 minutes after learning of reasons for making the request, whichever is later.

1. Each boat shall be required to carry throughout all races, the same number of persons on board as at the start of the first race of the regatta.

2. [DP] Crew substitutions do not require approval of the Race Committee; however, in the event a boat plans on replacing a crew member, they shall notify the Race Committee and confirm that the replacement and the resulting crew comply with Class Rules, specifically the Rules governing the National Championship Regatta and the requirements specified in the Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions.

3. [DP] Replacement of damaged or lost equipment that has specifications in the Class Rules shall require approval of the Race Committee. This does not include an extra spinnaker pole that may be carried on-board. On any day when the backup spinnaker is first used, the Entrant must have damage to the primary spinnaker verified by the Race Committee on completion of the day’s racing.

Equipment may be inspected at any time for compliance with Class Rules and any event relevant equipment rules.

1. [DP] Support boats must be registered with the Organizing Authority.

2. [DP] All support boats shall carry on board a VHF radio and monitor the designated Race Committee Channel. Support boats agree to assist the Race Committee if requested to do so.

3. [DP] Support boats shall stay outside areas where boats are racing from the time of the first warning signal of the day until racing has been concluded for the day, unless specifically authorized by the PRO to enter the area.

4. [DP] Except for Outside Help as defined in RRS 41, no assistance shall be given nor gear transferred between a support boat and a competing boat during time period noted in 18.3 above without specific authorization from the PRO.

1. [DP] Boats shall not be hauled out between the first and final races of the regatta without the written permission of the Race Committee.

2. [DP] Underwater breathing apparatus and plastic pools or their equivalent shall not be used around boats between the first warning signal for the first race and the end of the regatta, except for inspection purposes for suspected damage by permission of the Race Committee.

3. [DP] Washing or cleaning bottoms of hulls is prohibited from the first warning signal of the first race to the finish of the last race of the regatta.

1. Except in an emergency, from a race’s first warning to a boat’s finish shall neither make VHF radio transmissions nor receive VHF radio communications not freely available to all boats. This restriction also applies to mobile telephones and any other wireless devices.

2. Except as allowed by 20.1, from a race’s first warning to a boat’s finish of that race she shall not receive weather, current, or navigational information from any source. At other times, information may be received from a publicized source (including the Internet). This modifies RRS 41(c).

3. The race committee will utilize VHF Channel 74 for communications with competing boats for course information, recalls, change of course, and hazardous weather notifications. Failure of competitors to receive or hear such announcements will not be grounds for redress.

Keeper trophies will be awarded:

1. In conjunction with each of the perpetual awards listed in the Class Rules, Section VI, 5.2 (Awards),

2. To the winners of each individual race,

3. Finishing in second through fifth place overall.

Competitors and crew members on the competing yachts grant, at no cost, to the Shields Class Sailing Association, Shields Fleet 10, Beverly Yacht Club, sponsors and affiliated companies the absolute right and permission to use their name, voice, image, likeness, biographical material and representations of the boats in any media World-wide (including but not limited to television, video, print and electronic media), for the purposes of advertising, promoting, reporting and disseminating information.

Competitors participate in the regatta entirely at their own risk. See RRS 3, Decision to Race. The Organizing Authority, The Shields One Design Class, Shields Fleet 10 and any sponsors 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. Attention is also drawn to ISAF Offshore Special Regulation 1.02, Responsibility of the Person in Charge, as well as the “Waiver and Release of Liability”.

Each participating boat shall be insured with valid third-party liability insurance with a minimum coverage of $300,000 per incident or the equivalent.

For further information please contact: