Tuesday 4 November 2008

LTW Readers Q&A | 12

Due to another Appeals Committee meeting yesterday, which started at seven so I had to leave straight after work, I wasn't able to post. Therefore today the Q&A which was suppose to go on-line yesterday. This one is from Sen from Japan, who has a question about race management and what to write in the SI:

Oct 28th, 2008
My sister yacht club is planning to conduct a big boat regatta. The regatta consists of three inshore races and one offshore race during three days.

There is a problem about the offshore race. The estimated course of the offshore race is as follows;
Race area ----- Pacific Ocean, the Kii Channel to the bay of Osak;
Course configuration ----- Start - Turning point mark – Finish
  1. Starting area ----- Place: near the shore, Starting line: between RC boat and a buoy
  2. Turning point ----- Place: at the middle of the Kii Channel, Mark: RC boat is set up
  3. Finishing area ----- as same as the Start area

Sailing Instructions about the Turning point as follows;
  1. The round mark at the middle of the Kii Channel will be a RC boat displaying flag M and shall be left to port.
  2. Boats shall leave the round mark within 500 meters distance from the mark.
  3. When course is shortened at the mark, the RC boat will display flag S. Boats shall finish the imaginary line which is drawn in zero (0) degrees direction indicated by magnetic compass from the staff displaying flag S on the race committee boat.

Background;
  1. At the point of round mark, the depth is very deep and also the tide is strong.
  2. It is all the RC boat can anchor at the point and the RC wants to evade to set up the other mark as possible as it can.
  3. Case 45

Question; will such SIs follow the RRS?


Sen, I don't think there's anything in the rules which states there must be a 'pin-end' finishing mark. But theoretical it would then be an unending line and - as one of the International Judges I talked to about this, suggested - it could go round the globe and not end until it comes back to the RC boat. Which would make finishing on the other side also correct according to the rules.... Well, that is not something we would want.
I suggest the following amendment to the text in the SI:
  1. When course is shortened at the mark, the RC boat will display flag S. The finish line will be a line in zero (0) degrees direction indicated by magnetic compass from the staff displaying flag S on the race committee boat. Boats shall cross this line within a distance of 500 meters from the RC boat, leaving the RC boat to port. This changes RRS 32.2
I've added the last short sentence because of RRS 86.1(b) which prescribes that you may change a racing rule in the SI, but only by referring specifically to it, as well as stating the change.

Any other opinions? Feel free to comment.

.

3 comments:

  1. With the amendment Jos suggested, this should be a valid way of describing a finish line.

    BUT, why 500m? Consider, two boats finishing neck and neck at the very outside of the 500m radius: are you sure that even with good binoculars, you can confidently say, to the second when one has passed the imaginary finish bearing-line, or which one passed it first?

    Why not make it 50m or 100m? Any normal racing boat can safely pass within 20m of a committee boat anchored in deep water.

    Get the finishers close in to the committee boat where you can see them

    Brass

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you Brass, far away from Osaka, Japan.
    In Oct from Nov, many leaves turn red. News of snow is being heard in Nov from the north.

    ReplyDelete
  3. My club has a similar rule in the SIs to let boats finish at a rounding mark when there is insufficient wind for them to get back to the line.

    How about The race committee may shorten the course by displaying flag S from the rounding mark vessel which will be the RC boat. When the course is shortened at the rounding mark,the finishing line shall be a line zero (0) degrees magnetic extending 500m (or other distance specified) from the staff displaying flag S on the race committee boat. Boats shall finish with the RC boat to port. This changes RRS 32.2

    This might result in a hooked finish, which cannot be specified because you cannot change the definition of 'finish'. Could the shortened course finish line be at 90 degrees magnetic from the RC boat?

    Wag

    ReplyDelete

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