Miracle Nationals 2011

Plymouth Mayflower Sailing Club

Social Events Diary

Sat 13th August

Informal evening at the Mayflower SC

Sun 14th August

Mayflower SC Welcome

Punch and Nibbles starting at 7.00pm

Mon 15th August

A free Evening

Tues 16th August

BBQ and Fireworks Competition

Mayflower SC starting at 7.30pm

Wed 17th August

Mayflower Quiz Night

Fireworks Competition

Mayflower SC starting at 7.30pm

Thurs 18th August

The Miracle Association AGM

Mayflower SC starting at 7.30pm

Fri 19th August

Prizegiving and Buffet Supper

Marina Bar, Sutton Harbour, The Barbican

Starting 7.30 pm

Sailing Instructions

Miracle Nationals 2011

Mayflower Sailing Club

1 RULES

Racing will be governed by the Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS) 2009-2012. Where the Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions conflict, the Sailing Instructions shall prevail.

2 ENTRIES

Eligible boats may be entered by completing the registration with the organizing authority and payment of the appropriate fee. Each participating boat shall be insured with valid third-party liability insurance with a minimum cover of £2,000,000.

A valid measurement certificate and evidence of membership of the class association shall be produced on arrival, if requested.

Distinguishing number: Sails must carry clear distinguishing numbers as required in the class rules. No boat will normally be permitted to use the sail number of another boat.

3 DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY

Competitors participate in the Miracle Nationals entirely at their own risk. See RRS Fundamental Rule 4, Decision to Race. 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 championship.

4 RACE OFFICE

The Race Office will be at the race administration point for information and help and will be located at the Mayflower Sailing Club.

5 REGISTRATION

Registration will take place at the race administration point from 12:00hrs on Saturday 13th August 2011.

6 MEASUREMENT

Measurement of boats and equipment may take place at any point during the event at the discretion of the Class association.

7 NOTICES TO COMPETITORS

Notices to competitors will be posted on the Official Notice Board located in the sailing club.

8 CHANGES TO SAILING INSTRUCTIONS

Any change to the sailing instructions will be posted on the official notice board at least two hours before the advertised start time of the race or races concerned if possible.

9 SIGNALS MADE ASHORE

Signals made ashore will be displayed from the flagpole at the sailing club. When flag AP is displayed ashore, competitors shall not launch but may launch after the AP is lowered.

10 SCHEDULE OF RACES

Date Event Time / Warning Signal

Saturday 13th August Registration 12:00 hrs - 18:00 hrs

Sunday 14th August Registration
Briefing
Practice Race

1st Points Race

09:00 hrs - 16:00 hrs
09:00 hrs
10:55 hrs

13:55 hrs

Monday 15th August 2nd Points Race
3rd  Points Race

1st Youth Race 10:55 hrs
ASAP after 2nd Points Race

ASAP after 3rd  Points Race

Tuesday 16th August 4th Points Race

5th Points Race

2nd Youth Race 10:55 hrs

ASAP after 4th Points Race

ASAP after 5th Points Race

Wednesday 17th August 6th Points Race

7th Points Race

Single handed/non spinn 10:55 hrs

ASAP after 6th Points Race

ASAP after 7th Points Race  

Thursday 18th August 8th Points Race

9th Points Race

Crews Race 10:55 hrs

ASAP after 8th Points Race

ASAP after 9th Points Race

Friday 19th August 10th Points Race

3rd Youth Race  10:55 hrs

ASAP after 10th Points Race  

11 CLASS FLAG

The class flag will be a Miracle Class flag.

12 RACING AREA

Racing will normally take place in Plymouth Sound to the north of Plymouth Breakwater, should circumstances require, racing may take place to the south of the breakwater.

13 THE COURSES

The course configuration and the order of rounding marks will be as shown in Appendix

A of these sailing instructions. Competitors will sail 6 laps, or as shortened. The course configuration (A or B) will be displayed on a board on the Committee Boat. The magnetic bearing of the first mark may be displayed on the Committee Boat.

14 MARKS

Rounding marks will normally be orange inflatable cylinders.

New marks, as provided in instruction 16.1, will normally be yellow cylinder marks or if not available, a vessel flying International Code Flag "M".

15 THE START

Races will be started in accordance with RRS Rule 26, with the warning signal given 5 minuets before the starting signal.

The starting line will be between the mast displaying an orange flag on the Committee Boat and a dan buoy displaying an orange flag.

A boat starting later than 10 minutes after her starting signal will be scored "Did Not Start" this changes RRS rule A4.

16 CHANGES OF THE POSITION OF THE NEXT MARK

To change a position of the mark, the race committee will lay a new mark (or move the finishing line) and remove the original mark as soon a practical. The change will be signalled before the leading boat has begun the leg, although the new mark may not yet be in position. Any mark to be rounded after rounding the new mark may be relocated without further signalling to maintain the course configuration. When in a subsequent change a new mark is replaced, it will be replaced by an original mark.

17 THE FINISH LINE

The finishing line will be the opposite side of the committee boat to the start line, between the mast displaying the blue flag on the Committee Boat and the dan buoy displaying a blue flag.

18 PENALTY SYSTEM

18.1 A boat that has taken a penalty or retired under rule 31.2 or 44.1 shall complete an acknowledgement form at the race office within the protest time limit.

18.2 The Exoneration Penalty and the Advisory Hearing and RYA Arbitration procedures of the RYA Rules Disputes Procedures will be available. See official notice board for details.

19 TIME LIMITS

19.1 The time limit for all races shall be 1.5 hours except on a day when one race is scheduled when it shall be two hours.

19.2 Boats failing to finish within 30 minutes after the first boat sails the course and finishes will be scored DNF. This Alters rule 35.and A4.1. and A5

19.3 If no boat has passed mark 1 within 45 minutes of the start, the race shall be abandoned.

20 PROTESTS AND REQUSTS

Protest forms are available at the race administration point. Protests shall be delivered there within the protest time limit.

The protest time limit is 90 minutes after the last boat has finished the last race of the day. The same protest time limit applies to all protests by the race committee and protest committee. This changes RRS Rules 61.3 and 62.2.

Notices will be posted to inform competitors of hearings in which they are parties or named as witnesses. The notice will include the location and the intended start time of the hearings.

Notices of protests by the race committee or protest committee will be posted to inform boats under RRS Rule 61.1 (b).

On the second day of the championship a request for reopening a hearing shall be delivered:

(a) Within the protest time limit if the party requesting reopening was informed of the decision on the previous day;

(b) No later than 30 minutes after the party requesting reopening was informed of the decision on that day.

This changes RRS Rule 66.0

21 SCORING

Scoring will be as per the Notice of Race, the scoring system to be used is the Low Points system as defined in Appendix A of the RRS.

22 SAFETY REGULATIONS

Competitors shall wear life jackets (closed cell foam) or other adequate personal buoyancy whilst afloat. Wet-suits and dry-suits are not adequate personal buoyancy. This change RRS rule 40.0 and the preamble to part 4.

A boat that retires from a race will notify the race committee as soon as possible.

23 EQUIPMENT AND MEASUREMENT CHECKS

A boat or equipment may be inspected at any time for compliance with the class rules and sailing instructions. On the water, a boat can be instructed by a race committee member to proceed immediately to a designated area for inspection.

24 PRIZES

Prizes awarded by the Miracle Class Association will be presented after completion of the series.

25 NAVIGATIONAL WARNING

Plymouth is a working port and commercial and naval shipping have right of way at all times. Competitors MUST NOT impede the passage of large vessels. They will normally have a local pilot onboard and may be escorted. All vessels over 20 meters have right of way within the Port (which extends up to two nautical miles south of the Breakwater).

Competitors must promptly obey safety instructions given by the race committee which may be conveyed by any safety craft.

The Dockyard Port of Plymouth Order 1999 (DPPO) contains the full requirements of all craft navigating in the Port of Plymouth and must be complied with fully. A summary of the DPPO is available at the Club and the full DPPO is available on www.qhmplymouth.org.uk

Failure to comply with SI 25 may result in disqualification without a hearing from the race concerned and in the case of a serious or non compliance, disqualification from the event. This changes RRS rule 63.

In serious cases the Port Authority may also take legal action.

26 MANAGEMENT OF RACING

In order to facilitate the management of the racing the Race Officer may award positions, in these circumstances the competitor will be told that they have been awarded a place and should proceed directly to the starting area for their next start, flag ‘W’ will be flown from the Committee Boat and may also be displayed by the safety boat advising the competitor.