SAILING INSTRUCTIONS
1. GENERAL Except as provided below, races will be sailed under the I.S.A.F. Rules with the R.Y.A prescriptions and Class Rules.
2. SAFETY A safety boat is provided for assistance only. All safety, including but not limited to, crew and craft, remains the sole responsibility of the individual helms. Personal flotation devices shall be worn by all dinghy competitors and junior helms, other competitors are recommended to wear personal flotation devices at all times. Parents and guardians have the sole responsibility for their competing children and wards and must appreciate that the Club cannot be expected to exercise supervision and control at any time.
3. LIABILITY AND INSURANCE The race organisers shall not be liable for any loss, damage, death or personal injury, howsoever caused to the owner/ competitor, his skipper or crew or any spectators as a result of their taking part in the race or races unless caused by or resulting from the race organisers negligence or deliberate act or that of those for whom they are responsible. Moreover, every owner/competitor warrants the suitability of his yacht and crew for the race or races. All entrants must be covered by adequate Third Party Insurance in the sum of at least £2,000,000 per incident.
4. SIGNING IN It is a condition of entry that the helm (or parent/guardian in the case of competitors under 16) fully accepts the terms set out in the Sailing Instructions, confirming his/her agreement by signing the Master Entry Sheet, and, in the case of open events, paying the appropriate entry fee before the warning signal or as otherwise stipulated in the notice of the race.
5. REGISTRATION Certificates need not be shown but all craft must be in accord with the spirit of their Class and conform with class rules.
6. CHANGES TO THE SAILING INSTRUCTIONS will be posted at least one hour before the start of a race or as indicated at an official briefing.
7. HANDICAPS Whilst all yachts are welcome to compete in any race applicable to their class, only yachts with a ratified River Cruiser Class, Portsmouth Yardstick, RYA National Handicap Scheme for Cruisers (NHC) or EACC confirmed handicap will be entitled to an official placing or points in any race or series or entitled to be awarded trophies. The Race Officers decision on handicaps is final.
8. COURSE The start and finish lines are imaginary lines between a mast at the Committee enclosure or boat (where the club flag will normally be flown) and another mark. The direction of start, buoys to be rounded and number of rounds to be sailed will be as displayed on the course board at the preparatory signal, or in the absence of a course board as advised at the briefing. The buoys, 1 and A downstream, 2 and B upstream and C River Thurne will be placed at the discretion of the Race Officer.
9. SPLIT STARTS The Race Officer may, at his discretion, group entrants to start at intervals. Each groups’s warning signal will be the normal class flag over the appropriate letter flag for that group
(A, B, C etc.) Details will be displayed at the start line before the first warning signal for that class.
10. RECALLS No recall numbers will be used. Yachts over the line at the start will be recalled if practicable. The responsibility for returning rests with the yachts concerned.
11. GENERAL RECALLS When a class is recalled for a new start by 2 sound signals and the first substitute is flown, all subsequent starts in that series will be delayed and competitors should watch out for a new warning signal.
12. STARTING AREA Yachts whose preparatory signal has not been made shall keep clear of the starting area and of all yachts whose preparatory signal has been made.
13. SHORTENING COURSE When the course is shortened, the leading yacht will follow the set course to the finish line followed by all the competing yachts in succession having completed the same course.
14. DECLARATION AND PROTESTS No declaration need be submitted unless requested. Protests shall be lodged in writing within 30 minutes of the protesting yacht returning to her moorings, or finishing the race, whichever is sooner. At open events the protest form must be accompanied by a fee of £1.00.
15. ALTERNATIVE PENALTIES Rule 44.1 is changed. The Two-Turns and One- Turn penalties are replaced by Time Penalties of two minutes and one minute respectively, added to the yacht’s elapsed time. A yacht taking a Time Penalty shall:-
(i) Display a green rectangular flag at the first reasonable opportunity, which is normally immediately after the incident.
(ii) Call the Race Committees attention to her green flag at the finishing line at the first reasonable opportunity.
(iii) Identify to the Race Committee the yacht infringed against and the penalty accepted (1 or 2 minutes) at the first reasonable opportunity within the time limit for lodging protests.
16. RACING FLAGS Yachts whilst racing shall fly a rectangular racing flag at or near the masthead or highest point of her sail plan.
17. TIME LIMIT At the discretion of the Race Officer a time limit may be imposed.
18. START PROCEDURE 10 minute sound signal and raise class flag, 5 minute sound signal and raise code flag P, Start sound signal and both flags down.
19. NON COMPETING BOATS ON THE COURSE
a) A boat that is racing shall not request, instruct or otherwise cause a non-competing craft that is keeping close to the right-hand bank (from the perspective of the non-competing craft), such that there is insufficient room between the craft and the bank for the racing boat to pass safely between them, to move away from that bank.
b) All non-competing craft are to be treated as obstructions.
c) Competitors shall show courtesy and consideration to all other river users. Any breach of this rule is liable to be dealt with in accordance with Rule 69 Misconduct.
20. SUPPLEMENTARY INSTRUCTIONS FOR TMOR
a) NUMBER OF STARTERS Two yachts or no first prize, three yachts or no second prize. There shall be no sail over.
b) NOTICES TO COMPETITORS Notices to competitors will be posted on the notice board at race control.
c) CLASS RACES Classes without a class race entering four or more boats in allcomers events may, at the discretion of the Race Officer be timed as a separate race for which prizes may be awarded.
d) X-ZONES Yachts may not sail in the hatched starting area (x-zone) as defined by the Race Officer and displayed at race control until after their preparatory signal. However, a yacht may sail through the x-zone once prior to their preparatory signal in order to gain access to the waiting zones beyond the x-zone.
e) CLASSES The Race Officer shall determine which classes of boat may complete in each Allcomers series and shall brief competitors accordingly.
f) i. MIXED ONE DESIGNS shall be Yare & Bure One Designs, Yarmouth One Designs, Rebels, Yeomans, Broads One Designs. NO BOOMING OUT, NO SPINNAKERS and NO NON-CLASS SAILS allowed.
ii. COMBINED ALLCOMERS Split starts shall include Allcomers A - Keel boats; Allcomers B - Dinghies; Allcomers C - Dinghies Portsmouth Yardstick (PY) 1200 and above.
To be eligible for Allcomers C Junior trophies, helms must be under 15 years on the first day of racing at TMOR.
Grapes Cup – Allcomers A Keel boats (3 races, 2 to count)
East Anglia Charity Cup – Allcomers B Dinghies with P.Y. under 1200 (3 races 2 to count)
Pat Atkins Trophy – Allcomers C Junior, Dinghies with P.Y. 1200 and above (3 races 2 to count)
TMOR C – (for those not qualifying for Pat Atkins Trophy) - Allcomers C dinghies with PY 1200 and above (3 races 2 to count)
Whitbread Lacon Trophy – Allcomers A & B – (5 races all to count) – highest placed. Points awarded
on places, 1 point for first etc – presented to the boat with the least number of points over all 5 races.
Pritchard Trophy – Allcomers A Keel Boats (2 races both to count)
Siren Trophy – Allcomers B Dinghies with PY under 1200 (2 races both to count)
Jeckells Junior Helm Trophy – Allcomers C Junior dinghies PY 1200 & above (2 races both to count)
Thurne Cup Allcomers C - (for those not qualifying for Jeckells Junior Helmsman Trophy) – dinghies with PY 1200 and above. (2 races both to count)
g) CREW RACES Entries will be accepted, at the discretion of the Race Officer, from those who do not normally helm a race.
h) LOCAL BOATS A local boat shall be a boat normally moored between Acle Bridge and South Walsham Broad on the River Bure, or between Thurne Mouth and Potter Heigham up-river bridge on the River Thurne, including Womack Water. A boat normally wintered in Thurne, Oby, Repps, Potter Heigham, Womack Water and Upton shall also be eligible.
i) BRIEFINGS Races requiring supplementary instruction (such as the Cock of the Broads) will be preceded by a briefing given by the Race Officer which will be advertised in the programme and at race control, or placed on the EACC website.
j) SPLIT STARTS The division of the starts will be displayed on notice boards at the start line before the first warning signal for that class. The Warning Signal for each start will be the normal class flag plus a start number board. The start number board will be removed at the starting signal. The Class flag will be dipped for the start and will remain dipped at the discretion of the Race Officer for up to one minute or until all starters have cleared the line.
k) SAFETY When the ‘Y’ Flag (yellow with diagonal red stripes) is flying, all competitors shall wear personal flotation devices.
21. SUPPLEMENTARY INSTRUCTIONS FOR CLUB EVENTS
a) ELIGIBILITY In club events boats shall be helmed by club members. Prospective members may take part in races at the discretion of the Race Officer but will not be eligible to win club trophies.
b) ENTITLEMENT TO WIN CLUB TROPHIES Any yacht not on the club's register will normally be required to have completed at least three qualifying races before being entitled win a club trophy. These can be with any member club of the NSBA. However if these were not with EACC the Mate must be contacted at least 14 days before the event with evidence of the handicap. Copies of race result sheets may be required. Owners of yachts with a P.Y. only must similarly contact the Mate. Yachts with no recent racing history will be given a provisional handicap by the Mate.
c) Owners have the right of appeal against handicaps. This must be in writing to the Mate. The appeal will be discussed at the next committee meeting and the decision will be confirmed in writing. Any change of handicap will take effect from the day of the committee decision.
JOHN BRADNOCK TROPHY - Presented to encourage support of Club Events.
Any individual boat helmed by a club member is eligible, having competed in any of the Club's 7 races in one season. (2 at the Spring Regatta, 3 at the Summer Regatta and 2 at the Autumn Regatta).
A boat's best 5 races to count regardless of helm, except that in the case of the Thurne Roundabout race, the result eligible when calculating the Bradnock series should be the one sailed by the normal helm. In the case of, say, co-owners both competing, they should nominate on entry the helm whose result would count. The onus is on them to do so, otherwise the least favourable result would count.
Points will be awarded 0.75pts for a 1st place, 2pts for 2nd, 3pts for third, etc. A retirement will score the number of starters +1. A disqualification will score the number of starters +2. Non competitors will score the total number of starters at club events in the season in their class (RCC /Allcomers) +2.
Any boat unable to compete in any race because its normal helm is officiating, may score an average number of points calculated from the qualifying races in which their boat did complete over the year, providing that this is at least 2 races.
For the results to qualify towards the Bradnock trophy, the club races are required to have a minimum of three boats starting the race.
Updated March 2023