VLSC

Race Committee 101 Workshop

Introductions

• Name
• Sailing Experience
• Race Committee Experience
• What do you want to learn?

Objectives

1. Safety
2. What race committees do
3. The roles and duties of the race committee
4. Racing basics
5. Setting a fair course
6. Starting a race
7. Signals
8. Completing a race and recording the results

World Sailing Rules of Racing 2025 - 2028

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Link to the Rules of Racing 2025 - 2028 Handbook

RRS-2025-2028-Final.pdf

World Sailing - Racing Rules of Sailing (Sailing.org Web page)

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Differences between the 2021 - 2024 rules and the 2025 - 2028 rules

Comparison-RRS-2025-2028.pdf - Google Drive

Note: items highlighted in blue are old (2021 - 2024) and items in red are new for 2025 - 2028

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Safety

The race committee is responsible for ensuring that races can be conducted in a safe and fair manner

1. The members of the RC are themselves safe
2. Weather and water conditions allow for a safe race
3. Assistance can be provided for boaters in distress

Examples of unsafe racing conditions

• Lightning!
• Your examples?

Ultimately, the owner/skipper of each boat is responsible for the safety of their crew and boat, and for their own decision on whether to race (RRS Part 1, #3)

What Race Committees Do

• Ensure that the race is conducted in a safe manner
• Responds to boaters in distress
• Set up and take down the race course
• Conduct the race using defined race signals and rules
• Record the scoring for all of the boats that participate
• Ensure that all sailors are able to return to the club
• Load necessary materials into the race committee boat(s) before leaving the dock
• Marks, Flags, Scoresheet Binder, race timer, etc.
• Ensure that the race equipment is properly stored after racing is done

What the Race Committee Doesn’t Do!

• Favor any competitor by giving advice or assistance to allow them to be faster, better, or finish ahead of other competitors
• Protest boats for fouls committed between them

Race Committee Roles

Primary Race Officer

• Organizes the race committee and assigns duties
• Determines the race course
• Notifies racers about any changes to the race instructions
• Ensures the race results are properly documented and turned in
• Ensures that the race equipment is properly stored after the race

Other RC Members

• Set marks and assist in setting up equipment. Adjust as directed by the PRO.
• Raise and lower flags, start and stop the horns
• Watch for OCS boats (boat hull “On Course-side of Start” before start signal)
• Record the finish results

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Racing Basics

1. Most race courses are ‘windward / leeward’
1. The race consists of one or more laps of Start, and then one or more laps of rounding a windward mark and then a leeward mark, and the finishes at the finish line
2. A good windward / leeward course will have the windward mark directly upwind of the start line without bias to either side
3. The leeward mark should be directly downwind of the windward mark
2. Races start based on the signal flags, and not the horn
• The flags are the official signal, not the horn
• The horn is a courtesy, but because sound takes more time to travel they are not the official signal
3. A boat finishes when, after starting, any part of her hull, or crew or equipment in normal position, crosses the finishing line from the course side. However, she has not finished if after crossing the finishing line she
• takes a penalty under rule 44.2 (turning a circle to exonerate a foul)
• corrects an error in sailing the course under rule 28.2 made at the line, or
• continues to sail the course

Example Course

1

1

4

3

5

2

Wind

Setting a Fair Course

• The windward mark should be directly upwind from the starting line
• The leeward mark should be directly downwind of the windward mark
• The start and finish lines should be reasonably square (90 degrees to the wind)
• Perpendicular to the course and the wind
• We can skew the line slightly to favor the ‘pin end’ to protect the committee boat from collision. That is, the pin end is forward of the committee boat end by about 5 degrees.
• If we need to start several fleets we can offset the start to one side of the course
• The start mark should be on the port side of the committee boat
• The starting line should be wide enough for all boats to pass side-by-side

The Start Sequence

Before the race

• Committee boat in position
• Start and Finish marks are in position
• Blue flag flying (designates the committee end of the start and finish lines)
• NOTE: If there are separate start and finish lines, the start line should be designated by the Blue flag, and the finish line with an Orange flag.
• Fleet, Prep and Recall flags are at the ready

Three minute start sequence using the horn system -

1. Attention horns – Short beeps then 5 long blasts. The actual Warning signal is about 10 seconds after the horn system is switched on.
2. Three minute Warning – 1 short blast, Fleet’s Warning flag up
3. Three minute Prep – one short blast, Prep flag up
4. One minute to Start – one long blast, Prep flag down
5. Start – one long blast, Warning flag down (next Fleet’s Warning flag up)

Recording the Results

Forms for recording the race results are included in the racing binder stored in the large chest / seat near the door of the clubhouse

Record the sail numbers of the boats participating, and the skipper names if known

For one-design, simply record the sail numbers in the order of finish

For mixed fleets (not all the boats are of the same design), record the start time for the race, and then the sail number and finish time for each of them.

If a boat does not start, mark the sail number and DNS (Did Not Start).

If a boat starts, but does not finish, mark the sail number and DNF.

If a mistake is made, cross out the mistake and continue to record the sail numbers in the correct order

For complex races that include large numbers of boats, it’s helpful if one of the RC members can record the finish using a cell phone

Start Sequence Warning Signals

The Sailing Instructions will state whether a Class Flag or a Numeric Pennant will be the Warning Signal for each fleet. Hoist the Warning Signal at the beginning of that fleet’s starting sequence.

Lightning Fleet

Laser Fleet

Numeral Pennants

Preparatory (P) Flag

Prepare to Start

• Raised 1 minute after the current fleet flag is raised
• Sound one short horn or whistle when raised

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• Lowered 1 minute before the current fleet start
• Sound 1 long horn or whistle when lowered

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• Note: the automatic start timer will handle the horn blasts for raising and lowering

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Individual Recall (X) Flag

Recall for one or more boat(s) for over early

• Any part of the boat is on the course side of the start line when the start flag is lowered
• Sound one short horn or whistle when raised
• No horn or whistle when lowered
• Lower when all over early boat exonerate themselves, or four minutes has passed, or when the prep flag for the next start is brought down
• Committee does not have to call the sail numbers of the boats that are over early, but may do so as long as they call the numbers for all over early sailboats
• If a boat does not exonerate itself it’s finish is recorded as OCS (on course side)

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General Recall (First Substitute) Flag

Recall entire fleet

• When the committee cannot determine which boats were over early, or the committee made an error in conducting the start sequence
• Raise the First Prep flag and sound the horn or whistle twice
• Usually, the recalled fleet goes to the back of the starting sequences for the remaining fleets
• Two short horn or whistle when raised
• One short horn or whistle when lowered

Postpone

Postpone

• The committee may at anytime postpone unstarted races
• Raise the flag and sound the horn or whistle twice (short)
• Lower the flag and sound the horn or whistle once (short); one minute before the Warning signal of the next race sequence

Come Within Hail (L) Flag

Come within hail

• The committee has an important notice to racers
• Raise the ‘L’ flag and sound one short horn
• Lower the flag when ready and sound three short horn blasts

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• Make sure to lower the flag before starting a race sequence!

Abandon Race (N) Flag

Abandon Race

• When the committee needs to halt all current races
• Raise the flag and sound three short horn blasts
• Lower the flag before starting the next sequence, one short horn blast
• Abandon over H (red and white) – all races abandon, return to shore for further signals
• Abandon or N (white and blue) – all races abandoned for the day

N over H

N over A

Shorten Course (S) Flag

After the starting signal, the race committee may shorten the course (display flag S with two sounds) or abandon the race (display flag N with three sounds)

1. because of foul weather,
2. because of insufficient wind making it unlikely that any boat will finish within the race time limit,
3. because a mark is missing or out of position, or
4. for any other reason directly affecting the safety or fairness of the competition.

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In addition, the race committee may shorten the course so that other scheduled races can be sailed, or abandon the race because of an error in the starting procedure. However, after one boat has started, sailed the course and finished within the race time limit, if any, the race committee shall not abandon the race without considering the consequences for all boats in the race or series.

VLSC Committee Boat Operating Instructions

Preparation

Hitch up to the boat trailer after making sure the motor is tilted up for towing and the drain plugs are in place. Before launching the boat, be sure to have the following on board:

• Fuel tank (check the fuel level)
• Life jackets
• Rescue ladder (should always be onboard)
• Anchors
• Extra line
• Race flags - Race log book - Race course marks - Signal horn
• Personal items
• Race course board & numbers

Connect the fuel line to the motor.

Launching and Operating

To launch the boat, back the trailer into the lake almost to the forward cross member of the trailer. Disconnect the winch line and then push the boat off the trailer and tie it to the dock.

After the boat is afloat, make sure the water is deep enough and then lower the motor into the running position. After the motor is in the vertical running position, pump the bulb on the fuel line until it is just firm in order to prime the motor.

Place the gear shift in neutral. If the engine is cold press in the button on the shift to keep the motor in neutral and advance the lever forward about ¼. Turn the key to start, and if you’ve used the neutral advance return the lever to idle. Please do not over rev the motor when its cold.

Run the motor to warm it up before leaving the dock.

Push the throttle lever forward to shift to forward gear. When shifting gears, engage the shift gear briskly. If you can hear the teeth grinding, you’re shifting too slowly.

Continue moving the lever forward to speed up the engine. Pull the lever backward to shift into reverse.

Recovering

With the motor off and in forward gear, tilt the motor up and let it latch in the raised position. Two of the boats have power tilt (rocker switches on the throttle and also on the motor), the other has to be lifted manually. There is a tilt lock lever on the manual lift motor.

Back the trailer into the water almost to the forward crossmember. Push the boat onto the trailer as far as possible, then connect the winch line and winch it onto the trailer until the bow is about 4 inches forward of the winch stand.

Pull the boat out of the water slowly. While still on the ramp, pull the drain plug and place it on the inside shelf near the transom.

Store the gas tank in the storage shed. Remove the race flags, etc., and park the boat and trailer in the storage space.

Useful Information

If it is necessary to move the trailer by hand, lower the tongue jack before pushing the trailer to prevent bending.

Report any damage to the Race Captain and/or the Vice Commodore. This includes minor maintenance items. Report low battery or put it on the charger yourself if it needs recharging.