WBYC Race Officer Messages
PRO Updates
2022 Sailing Season is Open
Greeting WBYC Sailors,
We are excited to have a full summer of sailing! This year we have expanded our racing schedule and made accommodations for fleet requests. E-boats will be racing Sunday morning for the Championship series. This will allow Cs, MCs and Xs to Race on Saturday mornings and CATs to race separately on Saturday afternoons. A-boats will continue to race on Monday evenings with additional races scheduled through September. Please review the racing calendar posted online (www.wbycsail.org) for specific details. With expanded racing opportunities we will also have a slight increase in fees.
On July 8-10 we have privilege of hosting the ILYA MC Invitational Regatta. We will have MC sailors from across the country here to compete. This will be a great opportunity to show off our beautiful lake and warm hospitality. We have a number of fun ways to get involved, so if you are interested in volunteering at the regatta, please reach out to Terri Dresen (terridresen@gmail.com).
I’m looking forward to seeing you soon on the water. Please reach out if you have any questions.
Thanks!
Ryan Drake
Executive Officer
White Bear Yacht Club Sailing Division
2021 Sailing Season Updates
Greetings WBYC Sailors
As vaccinations roll out and MN continues to ease restrictions, we are excited to announce that we plan on having a full schedule of sailing for 2021.
The WBYC Sailing Committee has come up with a plan for WBYC club racing based on new guidelines from the MN Governor’s office.
Starting Saturday May 22, 2021
1. All Fleets will be “racing” again! Scores will be kept, and they will be posted online, and we will be awarding series perpetual trophies this season.
2. Sailors from different households will be able to sail on the same boat together if the guidelines outlined in our Covid Protocol plan are followed.
3. Practice continued social distancing practices while on WBYC grounds.
4. Reporting – As a mandatory step in opening our sailing restrictions, we are required to have a plan for reporting all positive cases within our membership to the MDH. So, we must require all sailors to report any positive cases on their team to us, so we can follow up with the MDH. Please report to Ryan Drake at 651-261-8101 or send an email to Ryan Drake.
5. A Covid Protocol is listed on the Race Documents page so please familiarize yourself with it. While racing it is strongly recommended that you always wear face coverings. While on the docks or WBYC grounds it’s required that you wear face coverings and maintain social distancing.
6. New Waiver – a new waiver has been added to the Race Documents page and must be signed by every boat owner or skipper and crew. The signed waiver should accompany your registration and sailing fees and can be mailed to the Registrar, Matt Markoe.
7. There are new SI’s so please review them.
If you have any questions regarding any of these updates, please feel free to reach out and ask.
Thanks!
Jonathan Staruck
Past Executive Officer
White Bear Yacht Club Sailing Division
2021 Changes to WBYC SI’s
The WBYC Sailing Committee Board has made numerous changes to the Sailing Instructions as we dealt with the pandemic year and many changes at the national and international level with regard to how information is conveyed to competitors. This would be a good time to review everything before you get on the water. Here is a list of the changes that have been made since the 2019 season concluded:
- Information was divided into a NoR (Notice of Race) and revised SIs (Sailing Instructions), using templates from US Sailing (World Sailing) per Dave Perry.
- Changes were made consistent with the new 2021-2024 RRS (Racing Rules of Sailing).
- Removed the section referencing the RMOC (Race Management Oversight Committee).
- (4.2) Revised and streamlined the Lake and Lake Front Usage paragraph now in the Code of Conduct section. Included other WBYC activities near the waterfront and keep the Lakeside Pavilion area clean.
- (2.1, 2.2) Indicated changes made to the sailing instructions (approved by the board) will be posted one week before they take effect (two weeks for schedule changes).
- (3.3) All boats except Lasers should carry a VHF radio.
- (Addendum A) Added the Course Diagrams to an addendum. The finish for downwind races now has the RC boat on the Port end of the finish line.
- (Addendums B and C) Moved postponement procedures and special scoring to addendums.
- (Addendum D) Revised the addendum with the COVID policy.
- (6.5, Addendum B3) Allowed for the second (or subsequent) races of a back-to-back set of races to start before the scheduled time, at the discretion of the Race Officer.
- (11.7) At the start, a boat is over the line if any part of her hull is over the line. Crew or equipment no longer count. The same applies to the finish line.
- (10, 11.5, 14.1) Added descriptions of marks, start line, and finish line.
- (10.3, 14.1) The finish line is now defined by the staff flying a blue flag on the RC boat.
- (11.8) The general recall flag (first substitute) will be lowered 1 minute before the next start with no sound.
- (11.9) A boat that does not start before 5 minutes after her starting signal will be scored DNS.
- (13.2) Course changes will now follow RRS 33 with a compass bearing to the new mark or red/green signals, but no voice instructions are required. The Charlie flag with repeated horns did not change.
- (16.1) A chart with time limits for races now includes target times (45 minutes for A and E; 40 minutes for Cat, C, and MC; 35 Minutes for X; 15-20 minutes for Laser.
- (17.1 and 17.2) Protest forms are now called Hearing Request forms. They must be delivered by hand or by email before midnight on the day of the incident. Mailed forms are no longer valid.
- (18.1) Class MC will now be scored points for places one more than boats that came to the starting area, same as other scow fleets (it was three more places).
- (18.5) Stated that 1 or more races are required to be completed to constitute a series.
NEW – Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS) for 2021-2024
Every four years the Racing Rules of Sailing are updated. You can purchase a hard copy of the rules through the Inland Lake Yachting Association when you join, or from US Sailing when you renew your membership there. US Sailing makes the rules available whenever and wherever you want. The Racing Rules App is really nice and ensures you have access to the rules at all times. US Sailing has expanded the menu of App features to streamline your overall experience. This NEW App provides you with optimized and searchable access to the rules and media resources to help you reference them in real-time. You can even submit a protest or request redress from your device, draw and submit animated protest diagrams with the Whiteboard feature, and much more using the NEW Racing Rules App. But of course, if you make a mistake on the race course, just do your penalty turns and be done with it!
2018 WBYC Sailing Instructions – Updated and Online
The WBYC Sailing Committee has updated the Sailing Instructions for 2018. Please download them and take a look. There are only minor changes, but you need to be aware of them.
Below is a summary of the changes made to this years Sailing Instructions, as compared to the 2017 Sailing Instructions.
Section – Topic
1 – Update Catamaran class language with SCHRS.
3 – Restated roles of the Board, Fleet Manager and Fleet Reps for establishing the racing calendar.
9 – Simplified RC wind limit decisions focusing on peak gusts.
13 – Protest and penalties, allowing e-mail submission.
14 – Catamaran handicapping definitions. Redefined Average Points. Updated Catamaran language to include SCHRS.
The first races of the 2018 season are coming up this weekend.
Saturday May 19 2:30pm Warning
Sunday May 20 2:30pm Earning
To get the Race Committee announcements 1-hour before each race, call the WBYC Sailing Hotline at 612-564-9292. And as usual, the Race Officer will keep the fleets informed immediately before each race on VHF Chanel 72.
Please read through the Sailing Instructions, as a refresher on our Club policies and rules, as well as the Racing Rules of Sailing (2017-2020) to brush up on the rules of the race course.
Revised 2017 WBYC Sailing Instructions
Please be aware that the WBYC Sailing Committee Board approved revised Sailing Instructions at their meeting on July 11, 2017. The changes affect the wind limits for Classes C and X. The changes can be found in Section 9 of the SI’s.
The SI’s are posted online on the WBYC website. You may need to refresh your browser if the previous version of the file is cached on your device.
New Race Course Designations for 2017 – 2020
Please note that with the recent changes to the Racing Rules of Sailing, our “Letter Designations” posted on the Race Committee course board will change. The new course diagrams and designations have been posted online for your review.
If you are looking for a good summary of the changes in the RRS, North U has posted a nice article by Dave Perry that is worth reading.
Racing Rules Seminar at WBYC – May 12
WBYC will be hosting a rules seminar with Bruce Martinson and Kevin Kenny from Minnetonka and Wayzata Yacht Clubs (both US Sailing certified judges and umpires). All WBYC, BBYRA and Bald Eagle racers welcome. Must RSVP to your respective club rep. Our space is limited to 80 people.
The Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS) govern the sport of sailing on the water. They are revised and published every four years by World Sailing. The current edition is The Racing Rules of Sailing 2017 – 2020.
The seminar will be in the Commodore’s Room (upstairs) at the White Bear Yacht Club. The bar will be open for this event, but not the kitchen.
Schedule – Friday May 12, 2017:
6:30pm – Social
7:00pm – Seminar
Topics covered –
- Rule changes in new Racing Rules of Sailing 2017-2020 (RRS)
- Course descriptions, regatta/race management changes.
- Clinic/explanation of rules at the start, buoy rounding, and the finish.
- Common misconceptions about or in the RRS.
Please RSVP to Patty Newell, at – pattyznewell@comcast.net
US Sailing Judges Course March 12 at WYC
Bruce Martinson, Senior US Sailing Judge
Become a US Sailing Certified Judge! OR just learn what you need to know to help out! Bruce Martinson will be leading a Judges course at Wayzata Yacht Club on March 12, 2016. Judges are responsible for conducting protest and redress hearings when competitors believe there has been a breach of the rules. Judges also conduct arbitration hearings, enforce Rule 42 (Propulsion) on the water at fleet racing events and consult with organizers and race officers ahead of events to review race documents and procedures. Judges improve the quality, consistency, and fairness of racing through proper administration of the Racing Rules of Sailing. What is the Club Judge Seminar? The US Sailing Club Judge Seminar is a one-day educational course intended to provide sailors and racers an opportunity to obtain practical knowledge and skills required to serve on a Protest Committee at their local sailing club or local regatta venue. The Club Judge Seminar is NOT intended to serve as a rules seminar or symposium. Rather, a person would attend the seminar with a goal to:
Learn more at: https://www.ussailing.org/race-officials/judges/judges-program/ Wayzata Yacht Club PO Box 585 Wayzata, MN 55391-0585 Contact: Bruce Martinson Instructors: Bruce Martinson $40 seminar fee includes seminar materials and lunch. Seminar will be held at the Wayzata Yacht Club and run from 0830 – 1700. Registration closes on Monday, March 7th. Please contact the instructor for information regarding walk-in registration. |