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NOTICE OF RACE AND SAILING INSTRUCTIONS

2017 SEASON

Organizing Authority

MARBLEHEAD RACING ASSOCIATION

Marblehead, MA, USA - www.mheadrace.org

1.        Rules.  Racing will be governed by the rules as defined in The Racing Rules of Sailing, but the US Sailing prescription to RRS 63.2 (relating to hearings on redress) will not apply.

2.        Entries.  MRA events are open to any eligible one-design boat upon completion of registration with the Marblehead Racing Association and payment of the applicable fee.  The skipper of each boat must be a member of US Sailing.  Boats that fail to register or pay properly will be scored DNC for the day without a hearing (see NRSI 18.1); this changes RRS 63.1 and A5.

3.        Notices to Competitors.  Notices to competitors will be posted on the official notice boards located at the Yardarm of the Boston Yacht Club, in the hallway near the trophy room of the Corinthian Yacht Club, and in the Sailing Center (on the ground floor) of the Eastern Yacht Club. Notices may also be posted at http://www.mheadrace.org.

4.        Changes to this NRSI.  Any change to this NRSI will be posted before 0800 on the day it will take effect, except that any change in the schedule of races will be posted by 1800 on the Sunday before it will take effect.

5.        Signals Made Ashore.  Signals made ashore* will be displayed on the yardarms at BYC, CYC and EYC.

*Competitors are encouraged to monitor VHF Channel 78 for courtesy announcements regarding postponed or abandoned races and any change in starting area.  Announcements may be made after flag/sound signals and on approximately the hour and half-hour.

6.        Schedule of Races.  The club race committee staffing sequence is South/North Line.

6.1      The scheduled time for the first warning signal for the first race each day is 1230. 

6.2      The intention is to sail a minimum of two races.  Flag A displayed, with no sound signal, while boats are finishing means "No more racing today."

6.3      Etchells New England Championship.  The MRA racing for Etchells in Series 4 (Labor Day Regatta) will constitute their New England Championship.  CYC will be the Organizing Authority for the event.  Protests and redress if any will be heard at CYC.  Visiting boats will be omitted for MRA series and season scoring under this NRSI 18.

7.        Class Flags.  Class flags for each class will be the class insignia or numeral pennants as follows:

8.        Racing Area.  The racing areas are shown on the “MRA Racing Chart”.

9.        Check-In and Identification.

9.1      A boat shall check in before her first start of each day and shall advise the race committee of the number of souls on board.

9.2      Checking in by radio is not allowed unless the race committee announces an exception on the VHF channel listed in NRSI 21.

9.3      A boat that decides not to start after coming to the racing area, or that withdraws from a race, or that does not start a second or subsequent race shall advise the race committee as soon as reasonably possible.

9.4      A boat that borrows sails shall strike through the numbers with a thin strip of tape and shall notify the race committee when checking in; this changes RRS 77 and Appendix G.

9.5      The race committee shall penalize a boat without a hearing for a breach of NRSI 9.1, 9.2 or 9.4 by applying a 20 percent scoring penalty as calculated in RRS 44.3(c) for each race in which a breach occurs.  This changes RRS 63.1 and A5.

10.      The Course.

10.1    Courses are shown in "Illustration A - Courses" as found on the "MRA Racing Chart."

10.2    The approximate compass bearing from the signal boat to Mark 1 and the course pattern will be displayed in the forward rack of the signal boat.  The approximate distance from the signal boat to Mark 1 will be displayed in the aft rack of the signal boat.

10.3    Gates.  The course may include a leeward gate, consisting of a pair of marks. 

10.4    If an offset or gate mark is not in place the remaining mark shall be rounded to port.

10.5    A green placard in the course posting rack or a green flag flown no later than four (4) minutes before the start means “Mark 1 for the class about to start will be a green tetrahedron.  This applies to each rounding of Mark 1 by this class” (changes RRS 27.1 and Race Signals).

11.      Marks. 

11.1    Except as provided in this NRSI 10.5 or 11.3, the turning marks shall be orange tetrahedrons for South Line and yellow tetrahedrons for North Line.

11.2    Offset marks when present will be the same color as Mark 1.

11.3    When Mark 1 is orange or yellow, a change mark will be a pink tetrahedron, and a subsequent change will revert to orange or yellow (as the case may be).  When Mark 1 is green, a change mark will be identified by a black band, and a subsequent change will be unbanded.

11.4    The normal starting and finishing marks will be green tetrahedrons.

11.5    In the event of racing under this NRSI 5, H over class flag(s), rounding marks may be other than orange or yellow tetrahedrons.

12.      The Start.

The starting line will be between a staff on the race committee signal boat from which an orange flag is displayed and the nearby mark at the port end of the line.

13.      Recalls.  The race committee will attempt to hail boats that are identified as on the course side (OCS) on the VHF channel listed in NRSI 21.  The failure to hail, the hail of some but not all boats, or untimely hail of a boat or boats shall not be grounds for granting redress.  This changes RRS 62.1(a).

14.      The Finish.

14.1    The finishing line will be between a staff on a race committee boat from which a blue flag is displayed and the nearby mark.

14.2    In the interest of starting another race in a timely fashion, the race committee may assign a finish position to the last finisher(s) in a fleet provided that the position(s) can be determined in a reasonable manner.

15.      Time Limit and Finish Window.  The time limit for the first boat in each class is 2 ½ hours.  Boats that are still racing more than 30 minutes after the first boat in their class has finished will be scored DNF without a hearing (see NRSI 18.1); this changes RRS 35, 63.1 and A5.

16.      Penalty System.  RRS T1 (in Appendix T) and RRS V1 and V2 (in Appendix V) will apply.

17.      Protests and Requests for Redress. 

17.1    RRS 61.1(a)(2) is deleted. All boats shall conspicuously display a red flag at the first reasonable opportunity regardless of hull length.

17.2    For each racing line, the protest time limit is sixty (60) minutes after that racing line's signal boat has docked.

17.3    Protests forms are available at the BYC, CYC and EYC. 

17.4    Protest hearings will be conducted at the Yacht Club hearing protests as specified in NRSI 6.

18. Scoring.

18.1    Boats scored DNC, DNS, OCS, DNF, RET and DSQ will be awarded points equal to 1 more than the number of registered boats that crossed the starting line (changes RRS A9).

18.2    A boat's series score shall be her total score for all races in that series, excluding her worst score if five (5) or more races have been completed.  Her next worst scores will be excluded for each additional five (5) races completed. This changes RRS A2.  Her score for the MRA Season shall be the sum of her scores for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Series. 

18.3    Unless otherwise agreed between a fleet and MRA, (1) a boat may take a bye for one day of racing in either the 1st or the 2nd Series, (2) this optional bye day cannot be used in the same series with any other bye day that might be agreed upon, (3) notice of a bye must be given to the MRA scorer on line or via E-mail or phone (live or voice mail) by noon of the previous day, (4) a boat taking a bye for a race will be awarded points equal to her average points for all races in the series of which that race is a part except throw-outs and byes, but not more than the points for DNC in the race in question (changes RRS A2).

18.4    A race will only be scored for a class in which two (2) or more boats start (changes RRS A4.1).

19.      VHF Radio Requirement. 

Each competing boat is required to carry a working VHF Radio.  The race committee shall penalize a boat without a hearing for a breach by applying a 20 percent scoring penalty as calculated in RRS 44.3(c) for each race in which a breach occurs.  This changes RRS 63.1 and A5.

20.      Mark Boats.  A yellow race committee flag will signify a mark or patrol boat.

21.      Radio Communication & Emergency Conditions.

21.1    Emergency conditions should be reported directly to the race committee on VHF Channel 78 for the South Line, and VHF Channel 71 for the North Line.  Each race committee will monitor the appropriate frequency from the time they leave the dock until they return to the dock at the end of the day.  Boats in need of assistance can call the Marblehead Harbor Master on VHF Channel 16.  For transportation of any persons from the water to shore, they shall be directed to the Marblehead Town Landing per the Marblehead Emergency Response procedure.

21.2    Race committee broadcasts concerning its intentions (postponement or abandonment, the course to be sailed, starting times, course changes, etc.), are a courtesy only.  Failure of the race committee to make a broadcast, the timing of the broadcast or the failure of a boat to hear a broadcast shall not be grounds for granting redress under RRS 62.1(a).

22.      Sound Signals.  A gun or other sound signal for a boat crossing the finish line is a courtesy only; the presence or absence of such a signal does not change a boat's finishing status.

23.      Prizes.

23.1    Day prizes will be awarded to boats finishing first in each race for each class in which two (2) or more boats start. Day prizes will be available at the clubs staffing the lines for the respective classes on the day of the race. 

23.2    Series and Season prizes will be awarded to the winner of each class. Additional series and season prizes will be awarded depending on the average number of starters for all races completed.

24.      Disclaimer of Liability.  Competitors participate in the regatta entirely at their own risk (see RRS 4, Decision to Race).  The Organizing Authority and the host clubs 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.

MARBLEHEAD RACING ASSOCIATION

FLEET REPRESENTATIVES