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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

ILYA News/ PRO Updates/ Racing Rules NORs and SIs/ WBYC News

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:

  1. Information was divided into a NoR (Notice of Race) and revised SIs (Sailing Instructions), using templates from US Sailing (World Sailing) per Dave Perry.
  2. Changes were made consistent with the new 2021-2024 RRS (Racing Rules of Sailing).
  3. Removed the section referencing the RMOC (Race Management Oversight Committee).
  4. (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.
  5. (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).
  6. (3.3) All boats except Lasers should carry a VHF radio.
  7. (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.
  8. (Addendums B and C) Moved postponement procedures and special scoring to addendums.
  9. (Addendum D) Revised the addendum with the COVID policy.
  10. (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. (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.
  12. (10, 11.5, 14.1) Added descriptions of marks, start line, and finish line.
  13. (10.3, 14.1) The finish line is now defined by the staff flying a blue flag on the RC boat.
  14. (11.8) The general recall flag (first substitute) will be lowered 1 minute before the next start with no sound.
  15. (11.9) A boat that does not start before 5 minutes after her starting signal will be scored DNS.
  16. (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.
  17. (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.
  18. (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.
  19. (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).
  20. (18.5) Stated that 1 or more races are required to be completed to constitute a series.

ILYA News/ PRO Updates/ Racing Rules NORs and SIs

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!

PRO Updates/ Racing Rules NORs and SIs/ WBYC News

2018 WBYC Sailing Instructions – Updated and Online

Screenshot 2018-05-16 07.51.37
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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 year’s 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.

ILYA News/ PRO Updates/ Racing Rules NORs and SIs/ Social Announcements/ WBYC News

Racing Rules Seminar at WBYC – May 12

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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

PRO Updates/ Racing Rules NORs and SIs/ WBYC News

US Sailing Judges Course March 12 at WYC

Bruce Martinson, Senior US Sailing Judge
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:

  1. Become a new judge for their local club and able to serve on a protest committee;
  2. For existing members of a protest (or race) committee, sharpen their judging and procedural skills; and
  3. Lay the groundwork to (potentially) pursue their US Sailing judging certification.

Learn more at: https://www.ussailing.org/race-officials/judges/judges-program/

Enroll Now  There are 24 available slots left.

Wayzata Yacht Club
PO Box 585
Wayzata, MN 55391-0585
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.
 

PRO Updates/ Regatta News

Inter-Lake Regatta 2015

August 3, 2015:  Congratulations to all WBYC sailors that participated in the Inter-Lake Regatta at Minnetonka.  I noticed good results from all and victories by Steve Johnson and Mark Dunsworth in the C and MC fleets, respectively.  Based on WBL conditions on Saturday and Sunday – I’m bettin’ the winds were very challenging on Minnetonka.

The full results are online.

Regards,

Bob Zak

PRO Updates

From the PRO

I hope you all will enjoy brief messages from me, Bob Zak, from time to time. My number one hope is that our races on White Bear Lake are both enjoyable and competitive. These messages are intended to help me complete these objectives. This one is addressed to registered skippers, but feel free to share it with your crew or others who might be interested.

First, we have seen some confusion with the starting sequence for the 2nd race of back-to-backs. Hopefully this explanation will help. When the second race of a back-to-back starts later than scheduled, the postponement flag will be raised silently at the completion of the 1st race. The first sound (usually a gun but sometimes a horn) will be the lowering of the postponement flag. One minute later will be sound initiating the normal starting sequence of 6 minutes for the 1st fleet listed on the course board.

Second, and perhaps most important, we have noticed some collisions between boats and between boats and buoys without any completion of penalty turns. The RO’s are allowed to initiate protests. Please, everyone read the rules (and follow them!). The RRS 2013-2016 is available on-line at no cost. A link is listed below. You will learn that 1 turn (1 tack and 1 jibe) is all that is required as penalty for hitting a buoy. This penalty is extremely small considering the size of our fleets and shiftiness of our winds. There have also been collisions between boats rounding buoys. It seems to me calculating and adjusting your situation well in advance of arriving in a tight buoy rounding situation could have better results in the long run. Consider this message a final warning.

ISAF Racing Rules of Sailing 2013-2016 – International Sailing …
Another helpful resource found on the web: Riverside RRS Rules Seminar
A great rules refresher and online quiz: Play the Rules (requires Flash Player)

And finally, we could use help from spectators during Saturday races. We would like to be able to contact spectating sailors for help with course adjustments and other racing situations. We had a sign-up sheet last year for this situation that did not get installed this year. We have gotten some help this year (thanks Jamie) but would appreciate more if possible. Several times I have called for help on VHF radio (Channel 72) that did not get answered by anyone – so if you are out watching and can help, please bring your radio along and turn it on.

A side note about milfoil – the milfoil is an increasing challenge as it matures over the summer. Do you know that the  RC boat anchor will not hold, even in the lightest winds, when dropped on top of a milfoil covered bottom? We RO’s are very aware that the milfoil is also difficult for you to sail through, and we do attempt to locate courses that will minimize its impact on all of us.

Thank you all for making our sport so enjoyable!

Regards,

Bob Zak