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 green.

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}. {Note: "rules as defined.." includes RRS, prescriptions, class rules, NOR, & SIs.}

1.1 Changes to the rules:

• Preamble to Part 4 is changed by instruction 5.3
• Rule 28.1 is changed by instruction 9.3
• Rule 33 is changed by instruction 12.2 {2nd option}
• Appendix A is changed by instruction 14.1 

 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 30 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 preamble to Part 4 of the RRS.

 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 a warning signal is displayed.

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. Use only if starting many fleets with line in middle of course.}

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) or the definition of finish in order to start or finish properly under the RRS or to comply with rule 14 (avoiding contact).

{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.}

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.  Boats on a leg of the course shall not sail through a start or finish line except to start or to finish. The marks denoting the ends of such line bound legs of the course; the required side is outside the line. The starboard end shall be left to port or the port end to starboard. Violations may not be corrected by rule 28.1 (string rule); this changes 28.1 The penalty for violating this instruction shall be 20% for each occurrence, except that no violator shall be scored worse than "Did not finish".

Exceptions: Complying with the defintiions of start or finish, or rules 29.1, 29.2, 30.1, 30.2, & 31 shall not be violations of this instruction. A boat may seek redress if compliance with rule 14 compels it to violate this instruction.

 

10. Marks: Marks 1, 2, 3, and 4 will be ___ {describe fully}. New marks, as provided in instruction,  Change of Position of the Next Mark, will be ___. The starting and finishing marks will be ___.

11. The Start:

10.1 Races will be started using Rule 26, with the warning signal given ___ minutes before the starting signal

OR
10.1 Races will be started as follows; _______.

10.2 The starting line will be ________.

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.

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 {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 ___ race have been completed, a boat’s scores will be the total of her race scores.

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.”

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.”

 15. Safety Regulations:

15.1 Check-in and check-out: ____.

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}

 19. Equipment and Measurement Checks:
       {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 neither 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.

 25. Prizes: Prizes will be given as follows: ____________.

 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.