Sailing Instructions
Sailing instructions are required for every sailing competition. They adapt
the general Racing Rules of Sailing to the specific event. They are
published by the race committee to be made available to every competitor
before racing begins and should contain only two types of information:
- The intentions of the race committee &
- The requirements of the competitors.
Race committees are advised not to put any language in the sailing instructions with which it, itself, does not comply.
Sample Sailing Instructions
Here is a set of sample sailing instructions
These can be copied to your computer and edited as needed.
Notes
and options are provided in blue.
Event Name
Dates & Place
Organizing Authority
1. Rules: The regatta/race/series will be governed by the rules as
defined in The Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS), except as any of these are changed by
these sailing instructions, and by rules of {the authority governing the waters on
which the event is sailed}.
2. Entries: Eligible boats may be entered by completing registration and
paying the fees specified in the Notice of Race and Entry Form. Eligible boats are
_________. Eligibility requirements for competitors are _______.
3. Notices to Competitors: Notices to competitors will be posted on the
official notice board(s) located _____.
4. Changes to Sailing Instructions: Any change to the sailing instructions
will be posted before ____ on the day it will take effect, except that any change to the
schedule of races will be posted by ____ on the day before it will take effect.
5. Signals Made Ashore: Signals made ashore will be displayed at _____.
5.1 Flag AP with two sounds (one sound when lowered) means “The race is postponed. The warning signal will be made not less than ___ after AP is lowered.”
OPTION: Flag AP displayed with a numeral pennant below means “Racing is postponed for that number of hours.”
5.2 Flag B fully hoisted with one sound means “Protest Time has begun.” When lowered halfway, it means “There are less than __ minutes before protest time ends.” When lowered, it means “Protest time has ended.”
5.3 When Flag “Y” is displayed ashore, rule 40 applies at all times while afloat. This changes the Part 4 preamble.
6. Schedule of Races:
Day & Date Race Time of Warning Signal
__________ 1 ________
2, 3 To immediately follow prior race
__________ 4 ________
5, 6 To immediately follow prior race
(etc.)
One extra race per day may be sailed, provided that no class becomes more than one race ahead of schedule. No warning signal will be made after ____ on the last day of racing.
Optional: When more than one race, or sequence of races for two or more classes, will be held on the same day, the warning signal for each succeeding race will be made as soon as practicable. To alert boats that another race or sequence of races will begin soon, the postponement signal will be displayed for at least ___ minutes before it is lowered.
7. Class Flags: Class flags will be as follows:
Class
Flag
_________
_______
_________
_______
________
_______
________
_______
8. Racing Area: The racing area is shown in Illustration A, attached.
{OR, describe.}
9. Courses: The race committee will indicate the course to be sailed by ________.
9.1 The diagrams in Illustration B show the course(s) to be sailed, including the approximate angles between legs, the order in which marks are to be passed, and the side on which each mark is to be left.
Option A:
Mark 1 will be approximately ___ nautical miles from Mark ___. The first and last legs will be approximately ___ longer than the distance from Mark ___ to Mark 1.
Option B:
Distances between marks may vary and may not be as shown in the diagrams.
9.2 The approximate compass bearing from Mark ___ to Mark 1 will be displayed from the signal boat.
If the race committee sets a gate instead of Mark __, boats shall sail between Mark __S and Mark ___P from the direction of the last mark and round either Mark ___S to starboard or Mark ___P to port, as shown below.
9.3 Restricted Line: {Option -- not required -- ONLY for multiple-start multiple-race regattas. Not advised for single-start or single-race events.}
Boats on a leg of the course and which are neither starting, in their starting sequence, nor finishing shall not sail through a start or finish line. The marks denoting the ends of the line bound legs of the course; the required sides are outside the line. Violation of this instruction is not correctable by rule 28.1 (string rule); this changes 28.1.
Exceptions: A boat may cross the start or finish line to comply with rules 29.1 (OCS), 30.1 ("I" flag), 31 (touching a mark) while starting or finishing or the definition of finish in order to start or finish properly under the RRS or to comply with rule 14 (avoiding contact).
Penalty: The race committee may protest violations as in rules 60.2 & 61.1(b). A 20% scoring penalty shall apply for each violation, but a boat so penalized shall not be scored worse than did not finish.
{Comment: This instruction is for occasions where the start/finish line is in the center of the course. Wording such as this is needed to permit restarts after OCS and finishing after hitting a finish mark while keeping the line clear of boats on the course. The second sentence makes the ends of the line marks for rule 18 purposes and entitles a boat to receive room to avoid it.}
10. The Start:
10.1 Races will be started using Rule 26, with the warning signal given ___ minutes before the starting signal. {Note: With a 5 minute sequence it's not necessary to specify; with a 3 minute sequence, it is.}
OR
10.1 Races will be started as follows; _______. This modifies rule 26.10.2 The starting line will be ________. {e.g, between a red ball & an orange flag on the signal boat.}
10.3 Boats whose warning signal has not been made shall avoid the starting area.
10.4 A boat starting later than ___ minutes after her starting signal will be scored Did Not Start. This changes rule A4.1.
Option:
10.5 Each boat is responsible to start properly. The race committee may attempt to hail boats on the course side at the starting signal. Failure to hail, failure to hear a hail, or the order or timing of hail shall not be grounds for redress.
11. Marks: Marks 1, 2, 3, and 4 will be ___
{describe
fully}. New marks, as provided in instruction {12}, "Change of Position of the
Next Mark", will be ___. The starting and finishing marks will be ___.
12. Change of Position of the Next Mark:
12.1 To change the position of the next mark, the race committee will move the original mark (or the finishing line) to a new position. The change will be signaled by displaying flag “C” with multiple sounds before the leading boat has begun the leg, although the mark may not yet be in the new position. Any mark to be rounded after the moved mark may be relocated without further signaling to maintain the course configuration.
OR
12.1 To change the position of the next mark, the race committee will lay a new mark (or move the finishing line) and remove the original mark as soon as practicable. The change will be signaled by displaying flag “C” with multiple sounds before the leading boat has begun the leg, although the new mark may not yet be in position. Any mark to be rounded after the moved mark may be relocated without further signaling to maintain the course configuration. When in a subsequent change, a new mark is replaced, it will be replaced by an original mark.
12.2 The race committee will display (or hail) a compass bearing to the new mark position, a plus sign (+) if the distance is increased or a minus sign (-) if the distance is decreased.
OR
12.2 The race committee will display a red square if the mark is moved to the left or a green triangle if the mark is moved to the right, a plus sign (+) if the distance is increased or a minus sign (-) if the distance is decreased.
OR
12.2 {For when permanent marks are used.} Rule 33 is modified to “The race committee will display or hail the designator of the mark replacing the one originally signaled.”
13. The Finish: The finish line will be ____.
13.1 Time limit: The time limit for each class to complete a race and finish shall be ___ minutes after its starting signal; the time limit for each boat shall be 30 minutes after the finish of the first boat in its class to finish. {Note: If the sailing instructions do not contain a time limit, there is none.} Rule 32 is modified to add the following as a reason for shortening course: (f) To permit a race to be completed within the time limit.
14. Scoring:
14.1 The Low Point scoring system of Appendix A will apply,
Option: with the following modifications:
DNS/OCS/DNC ________ {as in “starters+ 1"}
DNF/RET _________ { as in “finishers + 1"}
OR
14.1 The scoring system is as follows: __________.
14.2 __ races are required to be completed to constitute a regattas/series.
14.3 (a) When fewer than ___ races have been completed, a boat’s scores
will be the total of her race scores. This changes A2.
14.3 (b) When from ___ to ___ races have been completed, a boat’s
series/regatta score will be the total her race scores excluding her worst score except
“DND.”
OR
14.3 (b) When ___ or more races have been completed, a boat’s series score
will be the total of her race scores excluding her two worst scores except
“DND.”
14.4 Overall trophy: {If there is an overall trophy, describe scoring for it here.}
Example: "Boats wining their respective classes are eligible to be scored for the overall trophy. Scoring for the ___ overall trophy shall be total points in all completed races (This changes A2.) multiplied by 10 and divided by the number of completed races for the respective classes. Ties will be broken, by the methods in Appendix A8 except that all scores shall be used, changing A8.1. Any remaining ties will be broken by average corrected time for all races completed, using the handicap system for the appropriate handicap class."
{Note: It's conceivable that two boats (e.g., a dinghy and a keelboat) could sail in different fleets with the same number of entries and receive all first-place scores, thus creating a tie unbreakable under A8. Another method is needed to break this tie or award two trophies,}
15. Safety Regulations:
15.1 Check-in and check-out: ____.
Optional:
Each boat shall check in with the race committee signal boat each day before the first warning signal for any fleet
{Sail-by} by sailing to leeward of the signal boat on starboard tack, hailing its sail number & being recorded by the race committee.
OR
{VHF} by hailing its sail number on VHF channel __ & being recorded by the race committee.
AND
Boats which have neither a recorded check-in nor finish shall be scored as "Did not compete". This changes Appendix A.
{Note: A check-in "requirement" without
penalty is not a requirement. The RC must protest to enforce any penalty.}
15.2 A boat that retires from a race shall notify the race committee as soon as
possible.
16. Replacement of Crew or Equipment:
{Optional}
{Optional. Restrictions for
water-ballasted boats here.}
20, 21. Official Boats and Support Boats
{Optional}
22, 23. Haul-Out Restrictions, Diving Equipment and Plastic Pools
{Optional}
24. Radio & Telephone Communication: A boat shall not make radio
or telephone transmissions while racing nor receive radio or telephone communications not
available to all boats, except that a boat may monitor communications of the race
committee without interfering with race committee communications and respond if called by
the race committee and may advise the race committee if retiring. The race
committee may communicate with competitors using VHF channel __.
25. Prizes: Prizes will be given as follows: ____________.
If there is an overall trophy it should be described here.
26. Waiver of Liability: Competitors participate in the regatta/series
entirely at their own risk. See Rule 4, Decision to Race. The organizing authority will
not accept any liability for material damage or personal injury or death sustained in
conjunction with, prior to, during, or after the regatta/series.
27. Insurance: Each participating boat shall be insured with valid third-party liability insurance with a minimum cover of $ ___ per event.
Course Diagrams