1. Each skipper must file a completed entry form, if required, with fee prior to racing. A completed entry form implies that skipper & crew agree to be governed by any &all rules &regulations contained herein or announced at the Skippers Meeting.

2. All participants skipper & crew must sign the release form, if applicable.

3. All boats entered MUST have a legible sail number, prominently displayed on the main sail, which can be read from both sides, which corresponds to the entry form.
4. Sail numbers cannot be changed during the regatta without the Race Committee approval.

5. Crew changes MUST have Race Committee approval

6. EACH REGISTERED BOAT must display a AFleet & Class@ ribbon if required. This identification ribbon will be handed out at the time of registration & check in. This identification ribbon must be flown off of the main sail. The exact location on the main sail will be announced at the Skippers= Meeting.
7. Skippers= Meeting is MANDATORY for all entrants.
8. Novice Meeting is MANDATORY for all novice sailors.

1. Personal flotation devices (PFD) must be worn by skipper & crew at all times while racing.
2. All boats must comply with Coast Guard regulations.
3. Brightly colored clothing is recommended.
4. Clothing appropriate for weather/temperature is REQUIRED.
5. A brightly colored or brightly marked PFD is REQUIRED for both ocean & lake sailing.
6. A throwable device is recommended for ALL boats for lake sailing (see Coast Guard regulations).
7. It is REQUIRED that BOTH skipper & crew carry a whistle while ocean sailing & recommended for lake sailing.
8. Sailing ability: It is each skipper=s & crew=s responsibility to sail safely within their capabilities. If wind, wave, or water conditions make you doubtful of your ability to handle them, retire from the race. This is NOT a disgrace! It is good sailing practice & is respected by all sailors.
9. A good quality knife is recommended for both skipper & crew for ocean & lake sailing. Smoke flare, mirror, or other signaling device on each person is recommended for ocean sailing.

C. RULES:

1. The regatta will be governed by the current International Yacht Racing Rules, the prescriptions of the United States yacht Racing Union (except as any of these are altered by these sailing instructions) & by these sailing instructions which shall govern in cases of conflict.
2. All boats, crew & equipment shall conform to individual class rules, unless notice given otherwise.
3. All boats must meet minimum crew weight for their class or adjust accordingly.
4. All boats must sail by starboard & hail the committee boat with their sail # prior to starting. BOATS FAILING TO DO THIS WILL NOT BE SCORED.
5. Fleet Classification: All entries shall sail in the fleet classification A, B or C, or as OTHERWISE designated at the skippers= meeting presently sailed in their local fleet. Any change in classification must have approval of the Regatta committee.

Special instructions, changes, starting order, ratings will be announced at the Skippers= Meeting.

1. The Race committee or Commodore or Race Captain will announce at the Skippers= Meeting the planned schedule & number of races & the warning time for the first race of the day.
2. It is the individual boat=s responsibility to leave the beach in AMPLE TIME to reach the starting area BEFORE the announced warning time.
3. Race sequence: Races each day will be held back-to-back from the fist race of the day unless modified at the Skippers= Meeting or by signals made on the water by the Race Committee.
4. Skippers= Meeting: A Skippers= Meeting will be scheduled before the first race of a regatta & may be scheduled for each racing day.
5. Should wind, weather or other conditions make it impossible to complete the normal number of races, the series shall be terminated & results based on the number of races completed. However, such terminations & decisions regarding results shall be determined by the Principal Race Officer.

The racing area will be announced & described at the Skippers= Meeting.

G. THE COURSE:

1. The course for the regatta will be announced & described at the Skippers= Meeting.
2. The proper course card will be announced at the Skippers= Meeting. NOTE: It is the responsibility of each individual boat to obtain the correct course card. The course to be sailed will be displayed on the Race Committee boat at the display at the time sequence of each class/fleet start.
3. AReverse Course@ will be designated by the letter AR@ to be held up with the course number. The start will then reverse & the course is to be read backwards.
4. A ATwice Around@ course will be designated by the Roman number AII@ to be held up with the course number
5. The use of AGates@ will be announced at the Skippers= Meeting.
6. Round all marks to port (in the event of AReverse Course@ round all marks to starboard) unless otherwise instructed at the Skippers= Meeting.
7. Obstruction: Upon completion of the first leg of the course, the Start/Finish line shall rank as an obstruction. DO NOT SAIL THROUGH THE START/FINISH LINE UNLESS STARTING OR FINISHING. An entrant who inadvertently passes through the line may clear the obstruction by unwinding around either end marker correctly. Failure to clear shall result in an automatic DNF (did not finish).
8. Finishing: When finishing, always cross the finish line in the direction FROM the last mark. CLEAR the finish line & finishing area as soon as possible after finishing.
9. Touching a mark: When a boat touches a start mark while starting, a course mark or a finishing mark while finishing. The boat must exonerate itself by sailing well clear of all other boats as soon as possible after the incident & remaining clear with while making one complete 360-degree turn in the same direction, one tack & one gybe.

Marks A, B, & C will be yellow or orange inflatable buoys. The starting & finishing marks will be the red flag on the Committee boat or a red buoy & a small Ahippity-hop@ at the opposite end of the line. Any changes will be announced at the Skippers= Meeting.

1. Races will be started in accordance with racing rules, with class/fleet starting sequences to be announced at the Skippers= Meeting . ALL TIMING IS TAKEN FROM THE FLAG SEQUENCES.
2. All races will use flat sequence to be announced at the skippers= meeting.
3. NOTE: The new U.S. Sailing 5 Min. start sequence class flag/timing sequence will be used and not the previous sequence of white, blue, and red flags:
   1. Sailing 5 Min. start sequence class flag/timing sequence will be used and not the previous sequence of white, blue, and red flags:

       

      Go to www.arizonayachtclub.org for a video of this sequence

       

       

       

   2. INDIVIDUAL RECALLS: The Race committee will endeavor to notify entrants who are recalled as over early by raising the Individual Recall flag & an attempt made to announce sail # (2) by megaphone. It remains, however, the responsibility of each skipper to make a proper start.
   3. GENERAL RECALLS: (generally 4 or more boats in that fleet over early)

      a) FIRST GENERAL RECALL: When a general recall has been signaled, flag & signals will be described at the Skippers= Meeting, the starting signal remains displayed & becomes the preparatory signal for the fleet being recalled. The clock continues to run in the starting sequence. The general recall signal will be lowered with the preparatory signal without a sound signal one minute prior to the starting signal being displayed at the next 3-minute interval.

      b) SECOND GENERAL RECALL: Following two consecutive general recalls, the offending fleet shall start at the first available starting sequence following the start of the last fleet in the scheduled starting sequence. When more than one class is recalled, the classes shall restart in the same sequence oxygen saturation the original starting order. Courses may change for recall starts.

   4. ERRORS IN THE STARTING CLOCK: In the event that a timing error is made with the starting clock, the Race Committee will signal a NEW STARTING SEQUENCE by raising all flags & multiple horn signals. The new starting sequence for the fleet currently being started will begin again.
   5. ABANDONMENT: of remaining races for any day will be signaled by horn signals, appropriate flag, & the committee boat returning to harbor.
   6. FLEETING STARTING SEQUENCES: will be described at the Skippers= Meeting.
   7. SMALL FLEETS: A fleet of five (5) or less boats may be started with another fleet. This will be determined at the Skippers= Meeting.

   K. THE FINISH: The finishing line is the same as the starting line. Approximately 1-2 minutes after the last finishing boat is through the start/finish line or as soon as the Race committee is ready, the warning horn will sound & the starting sequence for the next race will begin.

   M. RETIREMENT: A boat that retires from (DNF) or elects not to start a race (DNS) MUST notify the Race Committee before leaving the race course. If this is impossible, another boat may be designated to carry that message to the Committee Boat or immediately after arriving ashore, the competitor shall notify a regatta representative.

   N. PROTESTS:

   1. The boat/competitor MUST notify the finish line committee of the intent to protest & the number of the protested boat.
   2. The protesting HAIL must be IMMEDIATELY following the incident.
   3. The red protest flag is no longer needed on our size boats.
   4. Protests shall be written on forms available at the beach headquarters & lodged with the jury=s representative there. Protest time will end 30 minutes after the Race Committee comes ashore after the last race of the day.
   5. Protest notices will be posted within 30 minutes of the protest time limit to inform competitors where & when there is a hearing in which they are parties to a protest or named as witnesses.
   6. The jury will hear protests approximately in the order received.
   7. Any changes in the above procedures will be announced at the Skippers= Meeting.
   8. Options when protested: Skippers being protested have the following options:

      a) Clear themselves by performing a 360 degree turn, 720 with boat contact. This turn must not interfere with any boats on the race course.

      1. retire prior to finishing. Notify the Race committee.
      2. attend the protest hearing & present your case.
      3. options a & b do not absolve violations determined to be DSQ violations by the Protest Committee.

   O. ALTERNATIVE PENALTIES: The 360 turn penalty will apply, 720-degrees with boat contact, unless otherwise noted at the Skippers= meeting.

   EVERY EFFORT IS TO BE MADE TO RESOLVE PROTEST SITUATIONS BY UTILIZING THIS RULE

   P. SCORING:

   1. The NAMSA Multihull Ratings & Adjustment system/U.S. Sailing Association Portsmouth will be used for scoring the open class.
   2. The low-point scoring system will apply, except that each boat=s total score will be the sum of her scores for all races, excluding it=s worst score if 4 or more races are completed (1 point for 1^st place, 2 for 2^nd, 3 for 3^rd, etc).
   3. DNS (did not start) points + number of entrants plus 1.
   4. DNF (did not finish) points = number of starters plus 1.
   5. DSQ (disqualified) points = number of registered plus 1. THIS PENALTY CANNOT BE THROWN OUT.
   6. DSQn (disqualified) points = number of registered plus 1. THIS PENALTY CANNOT BE THROWN OUT when a throw-out race is allowed. This penalty is for unsportsmanlike conduct, fouls causing material prejudice or serious damage .
   7. If 4 or more races are completed there will one Athrow out@ unless designated otherwise by the Race Committee at the Skippers= Meting.
   8. TIES shall be broken by standard method, using all races. (In the case of a point tie, the throw-out, if one was allowed, will be reinstated before proceeding to the tie breaking methods as follows:
      1. The boat that finished ahead of the other, or each of the others, more often then it finished behind is the winner. If this fails to break the tie, proceed to:
      2. The boat with the greatest number of 1sts, 2nds, 3rds, etc., shall be declared the winner. If this fails to break the tie, proceed to:
      3. The boat that placed higher in the last race will be declared the winner. If the last race is the same for each (DNFs, etc.) Compare to the next to the last race & so on until the tie is broken.
   9. ADJUSTMENTS TO PORTSMOUTH RATINGS:
      1. Solo sailing adjustment, sailing a 2-man boat under full sail & without ballast required to meet applicable one-design rules.
      2. Trapeze adjustment (to be determined by the Race Committee at the time of the regatta).
      3. Weight adjustments for crew weight over or under minimum requirements

   10. PREMATURE STARTERS: Boats over early that do not restart will be awarded a DNS.

   11. IMPROPER COURSE: Boats that sail an improper course will be awarded a DNF.

   Q. SPECIAL NOTES:

   1. Questions: No questions will be answered by the Race Committee while on the water. Absolutely no unnecessary conversations with the Race Committee before, during & after races while on the water. Failure to follow this rule may result in a DSQ.
   2. Race results: race results will be announced & trophies presented 1-2 hours after the Race Committee is ashore & protests decided on the last day of the regatta. NOTE: The scorers are to be left alone while scoring. Any unnecessary interruptions may result in a DSQ for that boat.
   3. It is the responsibility of each individual boat=s skipper & crew to be aware of & familiar with the current International Yacht Racing Rules not contained herein, the prescriptions of the U.S. Yacht Racing Union not contained herein, the ASailing Instructions@ & rules of Fleet 42.
   4. It is the responsibility of each individual boat=s skipper & crew to attend the announced MANDATORY Skippers= Meeting for any & all changes.
   5. Right to protest: The Race Committee & the Protest Committee have the right to protest for unsportsmanlike conduct or other rule infringements.
   6. Obstructions: Mark boats, rescue /chase boats.
   7. Assistance: Any boat receiving Ahands on@ assistance from Rescue/Chase boat may be scored DNF. The Race Committee may decide when a boat or crew needs assistance.

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