Racing

Fall Frostbite Series

DC Sail
Notice of Race
FJ Winter Series for 2008 – 2009
Gangplank Marina, 600 Water Street, SW
Washington, DC 20024

RULES: The rules will be governed by the “rules” as defined in the Racing Rules of Sailing.

ENTRY FEE: All skippers must be members of the National Maritime Heritage Foundation.  If you are not already certified at DC Sail or with another recognized accrediting body you will need to partner with someone who has been.

Because this race reflects an extension of our regular sailing season, there will be an additional charge of $100 per boat, $50 per person to cover the additional expenses of staff time, boat use, maintenance, and fuel.  The membership application is on our website along with instructions on how to pay the entry fee, which can be found here. Any overage will support the National Maritime Heritage Foundation.

SCHEDULE: 11 Saturdays from November 15th to December 20th with a midwinter break followed by February 7th through March 21st, excluding the Saturday after Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day.   Skipper’s meeting at 12:00 noon at Cantina Marina and the first warning signal at 1 pm. The race committee will attempt to run 3 or more races each day, depending on weather. All racing will be done in DC Sail’s FJs.

AWARDS:  We’ll score and give awards for the full 11 Saturday race series.  To qualify for participation in the series, you must sail in 50 percent (rounded up) or more of the races.  DC Sail hopes to have an awards ceremony at the end of the season and certainly appreciates any suggestions for a great location!

SAILING AREA:  We will be racing in the area off of the tent barge in the Washington Channel. This may vary slightly depending on winds and boats moored in the channel.

COURSES:  The course will be at the discretion of the Race Committee.

STARTING SEQUENCE: We use a three minute sounds only collegiate sequence – no flags.

• 3 Minutes to the start – 3 long blasts
• 2 Minutes to the start – 2 long blasts
• 1 and a half minutes to the start – 1 long, 3 short
• 1 minute to the start – 1 long
• 30 Seconds – 3 short
• 20 Seconds – 2 short
• 10 Seconds – 1 short
• 5-4-3-2-1 – one blast each.

PENALTY: The 720 penalty is shortened to a 360 because our races are short. (If you take a chance to get ahead but end up fouling someone, please admit it to yourself and do the penalty. If you are unclear about the racing rules, contact the race committee at the skipper meeting)

RECORDING FINISHES: Because we are sailing in club boats, it is important that we score races by name, not sail number.

SERIES SCORING:  We will be using the low point scoring system. This means that scores will be based only on the races in which boats compete and therefore boats which must miss some races are not placed at a disadvantage in the overall series.

DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY: Competitors participate in the regatta entirely at their own risk. 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.

INFO: Sarah Meharg, Director, DC Sail, Smeharg@NMHF.org  or check the wall of DC Sail’s Facebook page for updates on weather, etc, @ http://www.facebook.com/pages/DC-Sail/16393818861?ref=s

‘