SSSS Clubhouse : Handbook : RC Boat Instructions

South Sound Sailing Society Handbook

Race Committee Boat Instructions

Revised August 2007

Serving as Race Committee boat can be almost as much fun as racing. It is a stimulating challenge to run a good race. You’ll have plenty to keep you busy as you set good lines, choose a fair course, keep track of everyone, and start the race in an orderly and predictable way. But you’ll still have time to enjoy watching the race, and you’ve got front row seats! Don’t forget to take your camera. If you keep your eyes open, you can learn a lot about sail trim, tactics and weather. Enjoy your Race Committee duty.

1. General
2. Before the Race
Call the Coast Guard
3. Choosing A Starting Mark Buoy Races Only
4. Setting the Starting Line
5. Choose the Course Buoy Races only
6. Displaying the Course - Buoy Races Only
7. Starting Signals
8. Recalls
9. Postponement
10. Abandoning The Race
11. Communication
12. Shortening The Course
13. Setting The Finish Line
14. Finishing
15. Time Limits
16. Reporting

1. General

Contact the Race Committee Chair at least a week before your race to make arrangements for picking up the gear.

If you are unable to serve as Race Committee boat for whatever reason, you must find a replacement Race Committee boat. If you are unable to find a replacement, notify your Class Captain promptly. Failure to serve when assigned may cause you to be disqualified from the series.

Under no circumstances are you permitted to receive dues or race fees, or accept handicap or class changes. All such changes should be referred to the Race Committee Chair or the Sailing Society Secretary.

The starting sequences involve many different flags. Effective start sequences require you to know the flags, to know what they’re used for, and to be prepared for unlikely events such as a General Recall or Postponement. Give yourself plenty of time before the race starts to familiarize yourself with the flags, to organize them and to instruct your committee as to their uses.

The Race Committee boat communicates via flags and sound signals. Blanks fired from a 12-gauge shotgun is the preferred sound signal for certain aspects of the race, such as the start and the first boat in class to finish. Note: Those uncomfortable with using the shotgun may use a horn instead.

Following are a few key points on shotgun safety for the Committee Boat:

Designate one person to be the Gunner. More than one person handling the gun invites accidents. This person should familiarize him- or herself with the gun before the start sequence gets underway.
When firing, hold the gun in both hands and point it about 45 degrees up into the air. Make sure the muzzle is higher than everyone’s head. The muzzle blast expands sideways.
Do not put things down the barrel! This sounds stupid, but experience dictates this reminder that the shotgun barrel is not a garbage receptacle. An obstructed barrel can explode, severely injuring the shooter.
Use The Safety! The gun is almost always cocked and you cannot tell if it’s loaded by looking at it. There is a thumb-operated safety on top of the receiver that prominently shows a red dot when the safety is off. The safety should ALWAYS BE ON until immediately before you plan to pull the trigger.
Keep your finger OFF THE TRIGGER until you’re ready to pull it.
Look at what the muzzle is pointing at before you pull the trigger. The plastic filler and paper wads that hold the powder in the shell have to go someplace and they go real fast. They don’t have much weight, but lots of velocity for the first few feet. They can be dangerous for 30 feet or more so DO NOT point the shotgun at your crew, your competitors, or even powerboaters. (“Sorry about the new jib, Skip׆)

2. Before the Race

If you’ve never done Race Committee duty before, consider going out with someone else. It’s worth missing a race to learn before you’re on the spot. Or, recruit an "old salt" to go with you (bribery may be necessary).

Consider recruiting at least one of your crew to come along. It is safer and easier, especially if you have to anchor in a hurry, and also more fun. Your crew benefits from the efforts of other racers who serve as Committee boat. It’s appropriate for them to return the favor. Plus, they will understand the starting sequence better after helping execute it from the Committee boat, and can help more with tactics.

(Re) read the Sailing Instructions, just to make sure you’re familiar with them.

Check your fuel. You may have to do some motoring.

For longer races, Island and Inlet Series, look at the course. Determine where your shortening options are. Think about where you need to be and when you need to be there to be to able to shorten the race. For races such as Herron, McAllister and the Mclean, it is advised that the committee boat shadow the fleet to Johnson Point to monitor their progress.

Talk to the Race Chair or assistant Chair at least a couple of days in advance. Bring up any questions or concerns you have.

Lay in adequate food and beverage supplies, and in the winter, make sure your heater and stove are working! Don’t leave your foulies or warm gear at home. You’ve got to be on deck to start and finish the race, and maybe to move the boat. It’s better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them.

Take it seriously ...
Committee Boat duty should be educational and fun. Remember, however, that your first responsibility is to those who are racing. You can relax, have a good time, bring others along as you would on a cruise, but don’t let the party interfere with your management of the race.

Call the Coast Guard

The RC needs to notify the Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Service when on the scene before the race. Call them by phone, (206) 217-6152 or VHF channel 14. They will want to know how many boats will race, give them your best guess, and the course: Olympia Shoal to around Herron Island and back, inside Budd Inlet, etc. They will also want to know our permt number. Find the current one on the clipboard in the RC gear bag.

You need to call back when it is over.

3. Choosing A Starting Mark, Buoy Races Only

Included in the Race Committee gear is an annotated version of the course tables that appear in the Buoy Course section of this Handbook. The annotation provides additional information useful to the Race Committee. The annotated course tables are hereafter called Race Committee Course Tables.

Stop your boat and observe the average wind direction. The first leg should be to windward: racers need to tack to get to the first mark. The starting line should be at a right angle, square, to the wind. You may well have to watch for half an hour or more to figure out exactly where the wind is coming from. If the wind shifts, don’t hesitate to change the course.

Choose a Starting Mark based on wind direction:

NORTH Wind: Mark 5 or 4 : NW Mark R
WEST Wind: Mark R
SOUTH Wind: Mark 4 : SW Mark R
EAST Wind: Mark 4 : NE Mark 4 or 5

There are a few courses starting from and running to temporary marks. While they give the RC more freedom of choice, we expect most RCs will not use them because of the extra work involved. To use one the RC must:
Pick up the marks from the RC Chair before the race.
Set and recover the marks.
Measure and record the distance between them.

4. Setting the Starting Line

The Starting Line must be on the correct side of the Mark. Generally the Race Committee boat will be the starboard end of the Starting Line (exception: when starting from Mark 4 going South to Mark 5, the Race Committee boat is on the port end. Otherwise, you’d be starting over Olympia Shoal!).

Check the Race Committee Course Table to determine on which side the fleet passes the starting Mark. Alternatively, look at the course chart and anchor about where the Race Committee boat is shown, the Race Committee boat is shown as a square.

The Starting Line should be at right angles to the average wind direction for a good fair start. This way both ends are equally far upwind. If the boat end is favored, i.e. further upwind, everyone will want to start there; there is likely to be a jam up, maybe a collision or two, and guess who is anchored in the middle of this?.

Line width: 300 to 450 feet. The standard formula suggests using the sum of the lengths of the boats in the largest start. In Sailing Society races this would average 400 feet.

Fly the Race Committee Flag. The line is between the Race Committee Flag on the Race Committee boat and the Starting Mark. You should be underneath the Race Committee Flag when you watch the line to call premature starters and later when you take finishers.

5. Choose the Course, Buoy Races only

Choose a First Mark that is as directly upwind as possible from the Starting Mark. The first leg should be a beat. The Race Committee Course Table for the Starting Mark you chose lists possibilities for the First Mark.

Choose a course from the Race Committee Course Table that uses the Starting Mark and First Mark you chose. Try to pick a course with a a direct downwind as well as an upwind leg. Base your selection on the course length. Distances are shown on the Race Committee Course Tables. The ideal course is as long as possible with the slowest boat finishing before the Time Limit. The race should be long enough to justify getting the crew together and coming out while short enough to allow all boats to finish.

There are a few courses using a temporary mark. While they give the RC more freedom of choice, we expect most RCs will not use them because of the extra work involved. To use one the RC must:
Pick up the mark from the RC Chair before the race.
Set and recover the marks.
Measure and record the distance between them.

Most courses are multi-lap so that they can be shortened without moving the Race Committee boat. Pick a course that is as long or a little longer then you think the fleet can go with a first lap that seems right for the conditions at hand. You will often shorten the course - see below.

SOME COURSES REQUIRE THAT THE RACE COMMITTEE BOAT MOVE AND SHIFT THE ANCHOR AROUND THE MARK. IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO DO THIS, DO NOT CHOOSE ONE OF THESE COURSES. These courses are marked with an "@" on the Race Committee Course Tables.

You may be anchored at the Starting Mark, only to have the wind die before anyone can start and have it fill from a different direction. If this happens, you may choose to run the race without delay and NOT move the Race Committee boat, particularly if the wind is light. Look at the table "Courses from the Mark #(your Starting Mark)" and find a new First Mark for the new wind direction. If the wind is light and variable, we’re better off racing than driving all over the Bay looking for the perfect course.

6. Displaying the Course - Buoy Races Only

Display the colored flags that correspond to the colors shown next to the course you choose, the same colors, the same order. You may either:

Fly The Flags : read top-down. This is the preferred method when there is enough wind to make them fly. Attach the flags in the correct order to the line with the hooks provided and fly the hoist from your flag halyard, or main halyard.

OR Place Flags Over the Boom : read fore to aft. This is the preferred method for light winds. Attach the flags around the boom in the correct order using the velcro strips provided. If your mainsail cover is close in color to any of the flags, even a flag you do not use, you should remove the cover so the flags show clearly.

7. Starting Signals

All times are taken from the visual, flag, signals. The audible signals are merely to call attention to the visuals. It is essential that the flags be kept down and completely out of sight until they are raised. All flags should be raised and lowered as crisply and quickly as possible.

Signals should be made as follows:

Warning to Clear        first start only
Starting Area   6 min. before  Start:       no flag        horn

Warning		5 min. before  Start: 	Class flags up;    gun

Preparatory	4 min. before  Start: 	“P” flag up;       horn

One-Minute	1 min. before  Start: 	“P” flag down;     horn

Start: 	 	start 			Class flags down 
 Next start warning with previous start	 Class flags up; gun

When there is more than one start, the warning signal for each succeeding class may be made with the starting signal of the preceding class.

8. Recalls

boats starting ahead of their class are over early. Individual boats over the Starting Line early should be recalled by hailing sail number and/or name. A sample hail is, "Over early, 59266, 5970, 181." One person on the Committee Boat should be assigned the job of watching and hailing early starters. This person should not have other responsibilities at the start.

Clearing: As each hailed boat crosses completely behind the Starting Line, hail by sail number, e.g. ;"59266, Clear". No other information should be given. Note that clearing boats as they return is not required by the rules. It is a courtesy of the Race Committee. Each boat is responsible for starting properly.

Any boat failing to return and restart should be noted at the top of the Race Time sheet.

General Recalls:

Avoid General Recalls if at all possible. They are unfair to those boats starting properly. However, if so many boats are over early that no proper identification is possible, signal a General Recall as follows:

1. Make ONE (1) ADDITIONAL SOUND SIGNAL immediately after the Starting Signal, that’s two sound signals in total, and immediately lower the next start flags if they’ve been raised.
2. Raise the FIRST SUBSTITUTE PENNANT, a blue and yellow flag, also called the first repeater.
3. Lower the First Substitute pennant with one sound one minute before the warning signal of the recalled class.
4. Initiate the starting sequence for the recalled class with its warning signal, and maintain the order of remaining classes as originally established.

9. Postponement

To Postpone: raise the ANSWERING PENNANT, long triangular red & white flag, and give TWO (2) SOUND SIGNALS

To Resume: lower the Answering Pennant and give One (1) Sound Signal.
The STARTING SEQUENCE THEN BEGINS IN 1 MINUTE with the Warning Signal, the class flags for the next start.

Postpone When:
You have problems, poor time keeping, dragging anchor, no wind and boats can not cross and clear the line in the five minutes before the next start, especially if there is an adverse current; or you can see the wind filling and/or shifting radically and it needs a little time to settle in.

10. Abandoning The Race

To Abandon: raise CODE FLAG "N" give THREE (3) SOUND SIGNALS

Abandon When:

The Time Limit for the Race has expired OR
you have been unable to start a race (no wind). Wait at least an hour before giving up, unless it’s not the first race of the day and it’s been dead a while.

11. Communication

You are encouraged to VHF-FM Channel 16 throughout a race. This is not required.

Commercial vessels approaching the race area may be called on Ch. 14 or Ch. 16.

Calls or hails from competing boats should be answered only to determine the nature of the call. Those not having to do with emergencies or race management, e.g. a call from the Race Chairman, should be terminated tactfully but quickly. Do not attempt to offer advice or interpretations of the race instructions. You could be wrong and/or you may give one or more racers an unfair advantage.

12. Shortening The Course

Buoy Races:
The Courses are set up so that usually you do not need to move the Race Committee boat to shorten the Course.
However, you are free to shorten the Course at any rounding Mark, particularly when the wind is light. The only restriction: You must anchor at the mark you wish to shorten at before any of the racers arrive

The Course can be shortened one of two ways. When you are ready to accept finishers - before the first boat arrives - fly the blue flag and the appropriate flags to shorten the race.

Code Flag "S" to finish all Classes at the Mark you are anchored near as soon as the boats arrive.

To finish only some of the clases, Code Flags "S" plus the Class flag(s) for the class(es) you wish to shorten. Those clases finish now at the Mark you are anchored near, as above. The other boats sail the original course, and finish the last time they pass your mark.

Point to Point Races:
Hopefully these races will finish where they began. Realistically, they may have to be shortened when the wind is light. In light conditions it would be a good idea to follow the fleet to monitor their progress and keep your options open. As with buoy races, these races can be shortened at any rounding point. There are also a few places other than rounding marks where some of the races can be shortened. These are listed in the sailing instructions for that race. It would usually be best if at least the lead boats can see where the line is before dark.

After you decide to shorten the race, power past the fleet flying Code Flag "S" before anchoring. This is to let the Fleet know the race is being shortened.

Any race can be shortened at any of the designated shortening points that has not already been rounded by any of the Fleet. Anchor near the mark you choose and fly Code Flag "S" and the blue flag. If the mark you are shortening at is an island pick a landmark on it to use at the other, non-boat, end of the line.

13. Setting The Finish Line

If you haven’t moved, the starting line becomes the Finish Line. Most Buoy Courses are set so that you do not have to move.

HOWEVER, SOME COURSES REQUIRE THAT YOU SHIFT ANCHOR AROUND THE STARTING MARK TO FINISH THE RACE. These are marked with a "@" on the Race Committee Course Tables and include advice on how to shift the Race Committee boat. There are two Race Committee symbols on the Course Charts for these races, showing the approximate position of the Finish Line.

Make sure the line is at right angles to the course from the previous mark. "Hook round" finishes do not meet the definition of Finishing in the rules. Do not give anyone attempting to finish this way a finishing signal, i.e. a horn or gun - unless they unwind around the mark and finish correctly. Do record the time they crossed the line "backwards," but note that it was "backwards," if they fail to cross forward.

You may want to square the Line after a wind shift; or if you have moved for any reason you will need to set the Finish Line.

The Finish Line is between the Race Committee Flag on your boat and the last Mark on the Course list, or the Mark at which you are shortening the Course.

The Finish Line should be at right angles to the wind if finishing a windward or a leeward leg; or at right angles to the rhumb line from the last Mark of the Course if the last leg is a reach.

Note: If you are finishing D-Fleet from one direction and everyone else from a slightly different direction you may have to compromise some.

14. Finishing

Before the first finisher reaches the line, set the blue flag. This means "We are ready to accept finishers."

Although you may feel free to devise your own time keeping system, the following has generally worked well in the past:

One or two persons call out sail numbers as boats approach the Finish Line. Binoculars can be helpful for this.

One person signals the actual finish for each boat. This may be done with the loud hailer on siren setting, with the horn, or with a mouth whistle. All boats should be given a finishing signal if they Finish.
Note: It is traditional that the first boat to finish and the first to finish each class is given a gun salute rather than a whistle.

One person writes down the finish times.
When several boats are finishing close together the callers can help the timekeeper by giving the approximate time to finish at short intervals. This allows the timekeeper to note hours and minutes before the boats actually finish.

A boat has finished when any part of her hull, gear, or crew in a normal operating position crosses the Finish Line. It is not necessary for a boat to pass completely through the Finish Line. However, they do need to get clear of the line without hitting a Mark or fouling an other boat. If they foul before clearing, they have to do their penalty turns and then re-cross the line to Finish.

Recording Finishes: Finish time should be recorded in ordinary clock time or, preferably, military time Hours: Minutes:Seconds. Do not use or calculate elapsed times - do not separate by class. Identify boats by both name and sail number.

If you cannot properly identify a finisher, for whatever reason, hail the boat to identify itself. If necessary, hail it to stand alongside until it can be identified.

15. Time Limits

Time limits are shown under Race Instructions for each race. However, if the first boat in Class finishes within the Time Limit, the Time Limit will be extended to 30 minutes after her finish time to accommodate other finishers, unless the Race Instructions specifically state otherwise.

16. Reporting

It is the Committee boat’s job to run a fair race. If you notice any irregularities, such as boats failing to round marks, record on the scoresheet or separate attachment. If possible, note any other boats in the area who may have observed the situation.

There is an RC ’crib sheet’ with the basic information above, for use on the water.

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