Portsmouth Boat Club
2008 Barnacle Regatta Race Instructions

RULES: The Barnacle Regatta is held to promote friendly and honorable racing. The event will be governed by current International Sailing Federation Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS) 2005­/2008 as adopted by the United States Sailing Association, except as modified by these instructions. Modification of these instructions during the racing season will be made via official “NOTICE TO RACERS” (NTR) posted on the PBC website not less than 24 hours prior to the effective event. To review issued NTRs go to www.portsmouthboatclub.org.

ENTRIES: A completed standard CBYRA entry form is required. Entry fee must accompany the entry form. Refer to the 2008 Barnacle Regatta Notice of Race concerning fees and ratings.

RACE DATES:   Spring Series – Apr 18, 25, May 2, 9, 16, 22       (Skippers Meeting Apr 16, 1830 hrs.)

  Summer Series – Jun 27, Jul 11, 18, 25, Aug 1, 8   (Skippers Meeting Jun 25, 1830 hrs.)

  Fall Series – Sep 5, 12, 19, 26, Oct 3, 10          (Skippers Meeting Sep 3, 1830 hrs.)

START/FINISH LINE: Between orange flag on Portsmouth Seawall and the white flagpole sculpture on the Waterside Sheraton waterfront. The start/finish line is designated mark “0”.

COURSES: Courses are located in the Elizabeth River around designated marks, beginning and ending at the Start/Finish Line. The course number will be posted at the Starting Line. The RC may elect to run different courses for different classes. If there are multiple classes, the class course board identifiers will be announced at the Skippers Meeting and posted in a NTR before the first race of the series. (Example, spinnaker class = “A”, NS-2 class = “B”, NS-1 class = “C”, etc.) All roundings are to port. EXCEPTION: Course #5, final rounding of mark 3 (Nun Buoy 2 @ Hague) will be to starboard

Course #          Length (nm)                 From starting line to marks:

                          0                   .95                               2, 0

                          1                   1.45                             3, 0

                          2                   1.88                             3, 4, 0

                          3                   2.12                             3, 5, 0

                          4                   2.55                             2,4,2,4,0

                          5                   2.7                               3, 5, 2, 3, 0 (final rounding of mark 3 kept to starboard)

                          6                   3.13                             3,5,2,3,4,0

                          7                   5.06                             9, 2, 3, 0

                          8                   5.5                               6,2,6,0

                          9                   8.95                             13, 0
         

RACE MARKS: All marks are Government Navigation Aids with the exception of the Start/Finish.

MARK                                                  COORDINATES

0 ­­­­----Start/ Finish Line .              36°50.40’N        76°17.75’W

2---- ­­­­Buoy “R36”                         36°50.84’N        76°19.97’W

3---- ­­­­Nun Buoy “R2” Hague         36°51.10’N        76°17.99’W

4---- ­­­­Buoy “R34”                         36°51.10’N        76°18.36’W

5---- ­­­­Scots Creek “G1”                36°51.05’N        76°18.57’W

6---- ­­­­Buoy “R32”                         36°51.61’N        76°19.06’W

9---- ­­­­Buoy “R30”                         36°52.03’N        76°19.69’W

13---­­­Buoy “R18”                         36°54.34’N        76°20.37’W

 

RENDEZVOUS: Racing boats must rendezvous at the Portsmouth Seawall end of the starting line to check in with the Race Committee (RC) prior to the warning signal.

RACE START TIMES:    Approximate “ATTENTION” signal times: All Friday Races – 1800. There will be one start for all classes racing. 

STARTING SIGNALS: RRS 26 will be used. There will be one start for all fleets and classes. The class flag will be the “5” pennant (NS). The normal start sequence will be as follows:

Approximately 10 minutes to the race start – ATTENTION – short, repeated horn blasts.
5 Minutes before Start – WARNING ­Class Flag(s) up with 1 horn.
4 Minutes before Start – PREP ­"P" Flag (Preparatory) up with 1 horn.
1 Minute before Start – "P" Flag down with1 long horn.
START ­Class Flag down with 1 horn.

CLASSES: The Barnacle Racing Series is open to spinnaker and non-spinnaker sailboats. Four (4) boats or more are required to establish a class. The classes open for entry will be spinnaker, non-spinnaker double headsail (NS-2), and non-spinnaker single headsail (NS-1). In the event of insufficient numbers of boats to establish different classes, the default class will be non-spinnaker single headsail. If a large number of boats register in a single class, multiple fleets for that class may be established by the RC. The determination of classes will be final as of the Skippers Meeting for that series and will not be changed during that series, regardless of the number of late entries.

CLASS MARKINGS: Boats competing in spinnaker and NS-2 classes will prominently display on their backstay the corresponding PHRF flag appropriate for their rating per 2008 CCV guidelines, i.e., boats racing spinnaker and have a rating below and to 109 will display the #9 pennant, boats racing spinnaker which are rated 110 to 163 shall display the #6 pennant, and boats racing spinnaker which are rated 164 and up shall display the #7 pennant. Boats racing NS-2 (all ratings) shall display the #5 pennant. Non-spinnaker single headsail boats are not required to display a backstay pennant. Failure to display the proper pennant may be protested by other competing boats or the RC.

RACE POSTPONEMENT OR ABANDONMENT: If there is impending severe weather circumstances, the race committee may attempt to announce race cancellation 40 minutes (1730 hrs.) prior to the scheduled start via VHF Ch 72. Races abandoned at the starting line will be announced via displaying the “N” pennant (blue/white checkered) and 3 horn blasts. River traffic may cause the RC to temporarily postpone a race. Postponement will be announced by displaying the “AP” pennant (red/white striped) and 2 horn blasts. When the postponement is dropped, there will be a single horn blast with AP pennant removal followed by the warning pennant and horn one minute later.

TIME LIMIT: The Race Committee will close the Finish Line at 2030 for Friday evening races. All boats resigning from the race should contact the race committee by hailing on VHF Ch 72 prior to 2030 hrs.

AWARDS: Trophies will be presented to the top three finishers for each class/fleet in each series. 

PROTESTS: Despite the informality of this regatta, the current US Sailing Rules shall be adhered to. Formal protests will be entertained at a hearing to be scheduled as soon as possible after the RC returning to PBC.

SCORING: Corrected time calculations will be made by the Race Committee Scorer. There will be one “throw-­out” race per series if all races in the series are started. The number of throw-outs in a series may be modified by a NTR, and will normally not exceed two (2) races. Results will be posted at PBC Clubhouse and on the PBC website.

SAFETY: All boats are required to yield the right of way to commercial vessels (freighters, tugs, ferries, etc.) transiting the race area during a race. Any contestant that fails yield to commercial traffic is subject to disqualification by the RC or protest by another competitor. In addition, failure to comply with USCG vessel lighting requirements at or after sunset will be grounds for disqualification by the RC or protest by another racer.

   

RACE COMMITTEE VOLUNTEERS: Skippers are encouraged to volunteer or send a member of their crew to assist with the RC for at least one race. Skippers who volunteer and their boat does not participate in that race can receive a provisional score for that race based on the average of their total series race results. This provisional score is available only once per series, or the race they serve as a RC volunteer can be used as their boat’s series “throw-out”. There will be RC volunteer sign-up sheets at the Skippers Meetings and at the clubhouse for those who wish to assist.

SOCIALS: The PBC welcomes registered race participants to the clubhouse immediately following races. Hamburgers, hot dogs, and side dishes are available for a modest donation. Beverages will also be available or you can BYO. Please bring the post-race celebration to the clubhouse ASAP for the grill and serving line will close at 2130 hrs.

Dependable volunteers are essential to a successful race series and post-race socials. Food preparation, cleanup, and maintenance of the kitchen and meeting hall facilities are performed totally by volunteers. Please be considerate of their hard work and express your appreciation whenever possible. There will be volunteer sign-up sheets available at the Skippers Meetings and at the clubhouse. If you sail a fast boat and finish early, come help out to get the social started for the boats finishing behind you. Socials will be cancelled without prior notice if there are insufficient volunteers to manage the event.

Visitors are expected to behave in a manner appropriate to their status as guests, including adherence to the club’s posted House Rules. Skippers/crew/guests behaving in an inappropriate manner or not following basic house cleanliness standards may subject the sponsoring vessel to disqualification from the series without refund. If there is difficulty maintaining clubhouse cleanliness, fees/donations will be forced to rise accordingly to accommodate professional assistance or we could lose this privilege altogether.

Limited parking is available in the clubhouse parking lot. Street parking is in accordance with city ordinances. Please be considerate of local residents. Parking next door at the Portsmouth Yacht Club (not affiliated with PBC) is private and restricted to the members and guests of the Portsmouth Yacht Club.