March 2025

A copy of this document is included with the RC gear onboard.

Courses
You may set course 1, 2 or 3 for regular racing. Course #4 is to only be used for crew races and should be the last race of the day. The fleet would like the RC to run a crew race at the end of the day’s racing whenever possible so try to leave enough time for this race.

Setting Windward Leg
Observe the average wind direction, the first leg should be to windward of the starting line. You do not need to be exact with the position of the windward mark because you can adjust the direction when you set the starting line. The windward leg should be between 0.5 and 0.75 nm. To give you a reference, it is about 1 nm from Channel Marker 5 to the shoal marker. We will have a GPS on the Committee boat if you know how to use it to help with the distances, or you can estimate when the committee boat is just up on step. It takes about 2 minutes to go 0.5 nm and 3 minutes to go 0.75 nm.

Setting the Line
After the windward Mark is set, continue to observe the average wind direction, the first leg should be to windward, they should spend almost as much time on both tacks and the starting line should be at a right angle, square, to the wind or slightly favored toward the pin. You may well have to watch for half an hour or more to figure out exactly where the wind is coming from. Fill out the wind log form and use the committee anemometer to record the speed. We want to start getting a database of wind direction and speed for our racing.

The line should be from 100 to150 ft for every 5 boats participating. At 5 knots, this is the speed the RC boat is going when the wake begins to get larger but before going up on step, you will run the line 15 to 20 seconds for every 5 boats participating.

Individual Recalls: 
1. After the starting signal make one sound signal, that’s 2 audible signals total including the start signal, and display code flag X. If you can recall by bow number, but it is not required. A sample hail is, “Over early 01, 17, 20.”
2. Clearing: As each boat crosses completely behind the Starting Line, you can hail by Bow number, eg; “22 clear”. Note that clearing yachts as they return is not required. It is a courtesy. Lower the X flag after all the boats that were over clear the line, or 4 minutes after the start whichever is sooner. Any boat failing to return and restart should be noted on the finish form as On Course Side, OCS.

Signal a General Recall as follows:
1. Make one audible signal immediately after the Starting Signal: that’s three audible signals in total, including the starting signal. 
2. Fly the First Substitute, the general recall flag, and you can hail general recall to the fleet.
3. Make new Attention Signal: begin new sequence approximately 1 min after the attention signal is given.

To Abandon: 
Hail the competitors that the race is abandoned it is not necessary to fly any flags.

Shortening the Course
Set a Finish Line by the Mark of your choice and make two sound signals and raise the S flag. You may shorten the Course at any rounding Mark you can get to before the racers. Sometimes it can save the race, particularly when the wind is light. If you want to shorten the course to 1 lap before the start display the S flag.

Setting the Finish Line
If you haven’t moved, the starting line becomes the Finish Line. The Courses are set up so that you do not have to move if you don’t want to, but you can if you wish to shorten the finish line. Just remember that moving takes time. 
If you have moved for any reason you will need to set the Finish Line. The Line should be at right angles to the wind if finishing a windward or a leeward leg, and must be oriented so that it is clear which direction you must cross from the last mark.

Finishing
Before the first finisher returns, set the blue flag. This means “We are ready to accept finishers.”
A yacht 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 yacht to pass completely through the Finish Line. However, they do need to get clear of the line without hitting a Mark or fouling another boat: if they foul without clearing, they have to do their penalty turns and then re-cross the line and Finish otherwise they must be protested and disqualified. But, the committee should record them as Finished when they first cross the line.

If you have photos you’d like to share with the club, please email the Fleet with either a link to where the photos are stored (such as OneDrive, Flickr, etc.), or, if you have only a few photos, you can attach them to your email, either one by one, or as a .zip archive. Please be sure to tell us what event or race was photographed, the date, and who should be given credit for the photos.

2025

Monday, May 12th

2024

Monday, May 28th

Monday, May 20th

Monday, May 13th

2017-2018

Black Star Regatta 2018  by Thera Black

2016-2017

Black Star Regatta 2017 by Thera Black
Black Star Regatta 2017 by Jonathan Halling

Black Star Regatta 2016 by Thera Black
Star Races July 5 2016 by Carlow Alden

Evening Star Racing: first start at 1815
There will be several races each day.

Star Series 
May
Practice Night                  Monday, May 5
Race Night #1			Monday, May 12
Race Night #2			Monday, May 19
Race Night #3			Monday, May 27 (Due to Memorial Day)
June
Race Night #4			Monday, June 2
Race Night #6			Monday, June 9
Race Night #7			Monday, June 16
Race Night #8                   Monday, June 23
Race Night #9                   Monday, June 30
July
Race Night #10			Monday, July 7
Race Night #11			Monday, July 14
Race Night #12			Monday, July 21
Race Night #13			Monday, July 28
August 
Race Night #14			Monday, August 4
Race Night #15			Monday, August 11
Race Night #16			Monday, August 18
Race Night #17                  Monday, August 25

Fall Regatta, TBA

International Star Class Yacht Racing Association

Budd Inlet Star Fleet
SAILING INSTRUCTIONS

May 2014

1. RULES
The races will be governed by the current version of the Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS), the prescriptions of USSA; the class rules in the Fleet By -laws, except as any of these are altered by the Sailing Instructions; and by these Sailing Instructions.

2. NOTICES TO COMPETITORS & CHANGES IN SAILING INSTRUCTIONS
2.1 Notices to competitors will be posted on the SSSS web site. Race results will be posted here too.
2.2 Additions or amendments to these instructions will be posted on the SSSS web. Any change in the sailing instructions will be posted two days prior to race day.

3. ENTRIES
3.1 Boats must register with the BISF and get a bow number. To do so, boats must meet the definition of a Budd Inlet Class Star and the Requirements, found in the Fleet Charter. This replaces the ISCYRA rules as our class rules.
3.2 Skippers must register with the BISF and get an identifying number; for owners it will be the bow number of their boat.
3.3 A skipper racing a borrowed boat needs to so inform the day’s RC, telling them the skipper’s ID number and the bow number of the borrowed boat.

4. SAFETY
4.1 All boats shall meet the equipment requirements found in the Fleet Charter.
4.2 This MINIMUM list is NOT everything all boats may want or need in all conditions. Every skipper shall determine that the boat is adequately prepared before racing. The safety of a boat is the responsibility of the skipper.
4.3 Any yacht not reporting their withdrawal from a race to the Race Committee may be score DNS.

5. DIVISIONS
5.1 A competitor will be scored in the Wood Division if they are sailing in a wood Star. If attendance warrants, the Wood Division may be started separately using a Green Class Flag. When sailing as a combined fleet the overall finishing place will be used in the scoring for both Divisions.
5.2 A race on any night may be designated as a Crew Race where the crew will race as skipper. The Crew Race will be signaled with a yellow flag flown before and during the starting sequence. The crew race will not be included in the night or season scoring for a boat and will be scored under the name of the crew. The crew races for the season will be scored as the Season Championship Series is scored. If the crew of a boat is not participating in the designated Crew Race they will notify the RC, keep clear of those participating and will not be scored in the race.

6. SCHEDULE OF RACES
6.1 Races will be held on the dates shown on the Star Race Schedule (see tab above).
6.2 The first race will start: 1830 hrs. week nights, and on noon on Saturdays, or shortly thereafter. Other races will follow as soon as possible after each previous race.

7. STARTING SEQUENCE
The following Sound-Signal Starting System, shall be used. This amends RRS 26, Starting Races:

If divisions are started separately the Division color flags will replace the Star flag in the starting sequence. Lower the first Division flag when sounding the Attention signal for the second start. The second start Preparatory signal will be approximately 1 minute after the second Attention Signal.

8. COURSES
8.1 See Appendix A for the BISF standard race courses. The course will be indicated by a number displayed from the RC boat. The RC may set a windward offset mark at their option; and it shall be left to port. For Course #2 all boats shall pass between S and P on Leg 3 or be scored DNF without a hearing
8.2 The race may be shortened at any turning mark of the course. RC Boat will raise the S flag with two sound signals. Finish between the S flag on the RC boat and that mark, or between the gate marks for Course #4. For Courses #1, #2 and #3, the S flag may be displayed by the committee before the start to shorten the Course to 1 lap. This modifies RRS 32, Shortening or Abandoning after the Start.
8.3 No numbered course will be displayed for a Crew race. The race will start, round the windward mark and the offset mark if present, and finish between the RC boat and the Westbay Marina docks north of the marina entrance.

9. RECALLS
9.1 Individual Recall – The Committee Boat will TRY to hail premature starters. The Committee Boat will display Code Flag X, in accordance with RRS Rule 29.1, Individual Recall. The onus of starting correctly shall be the responsibility of the competitors.
9.2 General Recall – In the event of a general recall, the RC boat will make additional two sound signals. The Committee Boat will display the first substitute in accordance with rule 29.2, General Recall. The preparatory signal will be made one minute after the attention signal is sounded. That class shall re-commence a 3 minute start sequence until started.

10. PENALTIES
10.1. A boat that may have broken a rule may take a Post-Race Penalty provided in rule T2.
10.1.1 Rule T2.2(a) is replaced with, 40%, if the incident was in the zone of a mark except a starting mark, and 20% if the incident was not in a zone, if the penalty is taken before the protest time limit, or
10.1.2 Rule T2.2(b) is replace with, 50%, if the incident was in the zone of a mark except a starting mark, and 30% if the incident was not in a zone, if the penalty is taken after the protest time limit, or after the beginning of an arbitration hearing involving the incident.
10.1.3 The Post-Race Penalties of rule T2 are not available if the boat does not accept the findings of the arbitration and requests a formal hearing.
10.2. The first two sentences of rule 44.1 are changed to: .“A boat may take a One-Turn Penalty when she may have broken a rule of Part 2 or rule 31while racing. However, when she may have broken a rule of Part 2 while in the zone at a mark other than a starting mark, the penalty shall be a Two-Turns Penalty..”
10.3. Rule 44.2 is changed by replacing the words, .“as soon after the incident as possible.” with .“and before completing the leg in which the incident occurred, or, if the incident occurred inside the zone of a mark, before the end of the next leg.”

11. PROTESTS
11.1 Protest flags need not be displayed when protesting. This amends rule 61.1, Informing the Protestee.
11.2 All protests shall be in writing and include the information asked for in RRS Rule 61.2, Protest Contents. Skippers intending to lodge a protest must inform the Race Committee Boat upon finishing that race. The protest shall be submitted in writing to the SSSS Protest Chair either in person or by e-mail within 24 hours after the start of the first race of that day.
11.3 Requests for arbitration may be made to the Race Committee 30 minutes after the time that the Race Committee Boat docks after the last race of that day. The request for arbitration may be made either in writing or verbally to the Race Committee on shore.
11.4 Protest arbitration shall be conducted in accordance with rule T5. However, acceptance of a post race penalty may be given verbally or in writing.
11.5 When the protest is referred to a jury, the arbitration panel shall not be members of the jury hearing the protest.

12. TIME LIMIT
12.1. The first yacht in each class must finish in two hours.
12.2. The time limit will expire 2 hours and 30 minutes after the start. The race is then over. Boats starting and not finished by then will be scored DNF. This amends RRS 35, Time Limit.
12.3. The Race Committee may ask the last boat in a class to sail directly to the start/finish line prior to finishing in which case they will be scored as a finisher. Amends the definition of “finishing”.

13. SCORING SYSTEM
13.1 Places will be awarded by finishing order.
13.2 A set number of races are not scheduled. All the races on a given day constitute a regatta and will be scored as such. Each boat’s total score will be the sum of ALL races.
13.3 The Low Point Scoring System, Appendix A of the RRS, will apply. Ties will be broken in accordance with rule A8, Series Ties. The number of boats entered for a regatta shall be the total number of boats from all divisions that come to the starting area to race for that regatta.

14 SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
14.1 The Season Championship shall consist of the scores from the Black Star Regatta and the other BISF regattas per the schedule.
14.1 To qualify for inclusion in the Season Championship an individual shall compete in (i.e., come to the starting line for at least one race during a regatta) at least 50% of the regattas sailed during the season in a given Division.
14.2 Each individual finishing a race and not thereafter retiring or being disqualified will be scored by their overall finishing place as follows for the race: First Place 1 point, Second Place 2, Third Place 3, Fourth Place 4 and so on.
14.3 All others that compete in that race, including any that finish and thereafter retire or are disqualified, will receive the score for the finishing place one more than the number finishing that race. Those that do not compete in a race, DNC, will not be scored.
14.4 The individual’s score will be the sum of their race scores divided by the number of races for which they are scored. The qualified individual with the lowest series score is the winner. Awards go to the best three scores in the fleet. Series ties will be broken using rule A8.
14.5 If a regatta is canceled, those that check in with the RC and are ready to race will have the canceled regatta included for qualifying for the series, but will not be scored.
14.6 Regattas for which skippers serve on RC will be included for qualifying for the series, but will not be scored.

15 STAR WORLDS REPRESENTATIVE
Our representative(s) to the Star Worlds will chosen based on their placing in the Season Championship Series. If the Worlds occur prior to the completion of the Season Championship in a given year, the representative(s) will be chosen based on their placing from the previous year.

Appendix A Courses

W=Windward Mark; L=Leeward Mark; P=Pin; S=Signal Boat; B=Limit Mark attached to S; G=Gybe Mark

START between S and P; the Line is between the orange flag on S and mark P.  FINISH between the S and P, or between S and a mark if shorted, unless it is a gate where you must finish between the gate marks.

All marks to be left to port unless stated otherwise in the course description. The RC may set a windward offset mark at their discretion; it shall be left to port if present. L may be gate marks at the RC’s discretion.

Course 1: The course is: START – W- S- W – FINISH. The Course may be shortened at W or P.

Course 2: The course is: START- W – L – W – L – FINISH. Competitors must pass through the start-finish line after rounding L, or will be scored DNF without a hearing. The Start-Finish line is open on the downwind legs. The course may be shortened at W, L or at the start-finish line after the first lap.

Course 3: The course is: START – W – S to port or P to starboard – W – FINISH. The course may be shortened at W or P.

Course 4: The course is: START – W – G – L – W – Finish. Competitors must pass through the start-finish line after rounding L, or will be scored DNF without a hearing.. The course may be shortened at W, L or G, or at the start-finish line after the first lap

Chart of Sample Courses

The Budd Inlet “Star” Fleet Announces the Summer Racing Season!

Join us as a crewmember, a skipper of your own “Star,” or as a race committee volunteer from April to September

The Budd Inlet “Star” Sailboat Fleet (BISF) is kicking off its Summer Racing Season at the beginning of May. For more than 2 decades, “Star” sailboat skippers and crew have enjoyed spirited racing in the two-person, 22-foot open vessels. The supportive fleet atmosphere cultivates improved sailing and racing skills on the beautiful waters of Budd Inlet. Experience the thrill of these former Olympic-class boats and the camaraderie of the Star sailors on Mondays from 5:30 to 8:00 pm.

Join our newsletter to stay up to date on what’s happening in this exciting one-design fleet.

Want to go racing? Fill out our 2025 Interest Form to join the fun!

A bit more about Stars

A Star is 22 feet 3 inches long, with a beam across the cockpit of six feet six inches, and a draft of 3 feet.

The entire boat, including mast and rigging, weighs a class-allowed minimum of 1460 lbs. Most boats weigh in close to that minimum. 900 lbs. of which is in the cast iron keel. The keel has a bulb on the bottom which weighs over 500 lbs. Yes, the keel accounts for well over half the displacement. A third of the total weight of the boat is in the keel bulb.

The mast stands 31 feet tall yet weighs only 28 lbs. including the standing rigging. There are 285 sq. ft. of sail area, only 25 sq. ft. of which are in the jib – the rest is in the mainsail. It’s no wonder these are quick boats!

There are no reef points on the main. What you leave the dock with is what you have. There are no instruments to tell you how to sail, other than a compass. This is all seat-of-the-pants sailing. Come experience the thrill!