CSC is committed upholding high standards for racing on White Rock Lake. This page provides a summary of the governing rules and provides information on how we run races.
On This Page:
- Racing Rules of Sailing, NOR and SIs
- Race Committee Responsibilities and Guidelines
- Race Committee Checklist
- Executive Race Committee
Rules, NORs and SIs
Racing Rules of Sailing 2021-2024
Every four years, in the year following the Olympic Games, World Sailing (which used to be known as the International Sailing Federation - ISAF) issues a revised edition of the racing rules which are endorsed by US Sailing. The latest revision became effective January 1, 2021.
The Racing Rules of Sailing for 2021-2024 (RRS) are available to download online and are the definitive rules which govern sailboat races around the world. The online edition of the RRS is available with the changes noted. We will race under the RRS with the US Sailing prescriptions.
The RRS with US prescriptions are available in an app from US Sailing. The app also includes the US Sailing Appeals Book, along with excerpts from Dave Perry's book on understanding the racing rules of sailing. The app is free, but you must be a member of US Sailing to access all of the content.
The World Sailing Case (appeals) Book is available online.
US Sailing protest form and decision form in pdf format
Sailing Instructions
Sunday Racing Program
Notice of Race
Sailing Instructions Effective June 2024 (Changes to April SIs noted below)
Racing Signals
Flying Scot Scoring Rules
Flying Scot Challenger Fleet Rules
Wednesday Night Series
Butterfly Saturday Series
Summary of Changes to Sunday Sailing Instructions
Effective June 11, 2024, the Sunday Racing Program Instructions have been updated for 2024. Here are the changes:
1. In Section 5, Schedule, this wording has been changed to hold Sunday Racing Program races on Saturdays starting at 0900 for the months of July and August.
The prior Sailing Instructions 2021 are available here.
The prior Sailing Instructions 2020 are availabe here.
The previous change to the Sailing Instructions in April 2020 were more significant: they were updated to correspond to current practice that were used at other sailing clubs. The following is a summary of the changes. The prior Sailing Instructions 2017 are available here.
SI 3 Changes to the SIs may be made and posted prior to 1230 on Sunday. Time was 1200.
SI 5 Added the ability to indicate that races will be sailed back-to-back by displaying Code Flag B.
SI 7 and Attachment A Change course designations for:
Windward-leeward (W) courses so that the modifier indicates the number of legs instead of the number of laps.
Triangle (T) courses so that the modifier indicates the number of laps and includes an upwind finish without need to add the 1/3 final lap modifier that we currently use.
Here is how the old course designators map to the new designators.
W with Upwind Finish W with Downwind Finish Triangle Gold Cup and Olympic W ½ > W1 W1 > W2 T1 1/3 > T1 G > G W1 ½ > W3 W2 > W4 T2 1/3 > T2 O > O W2 ½ > W5 W3 > W6
SI 10 The committee is no longer required to move the offset mark when changing the position of the weather mark.
SI 12 Invokes US Sailing RRS Appendix V Alternative Penalties to encourage competitors to take penalties when they have broken a rule of Part 2 or rule 31. Appendix V is reproduced below. V1 Provides for a 1 turn penalty, instead of the current 2 turn penalty, if the foul occurs outside the zone. V2 Provides for a post race 30% Scoring Penalty if requested prior to a protest hearing.
RACING RULES OF SAILING APPENDIX V – ALTERNATIVE PENALTIES
This appendix is a US Sailing prescription. Rules V1 and V2 provide alternative penalties that encourage competitors to take a penalty when they may have broken one or more rules of Part 2 or rule 31 in an incident. One or both of these rules apply only if the sailing instructions so state. Please report your experiences with and evaluations of these rules to US Sailing by sending an email to rules@ussailing.org.
V1 PENALTY AT THE TIME OF AN INCIDENT
The first two sentences of rule 44.1 are changed to: ‘A boat may take a One-Turn Penalty when she may have broken one or more rules of Part 2 or rule 31 in an incident while racing. However, when she may have broken one or more rules of Part 2 while in the zone around a mark other than a starting mark, her penalty shall be a Two-Turns Penalty.’
V2 PENALTY TAKEN AFTER A RACE
After a race, a boat that may have broken one or more rules of Part 2 or rule 31 in an incident while racing may take a Post-Race Penalty for that incident. A boat takes the penalty by delivering a written notice to the race office that identifies the race number and when and where the incident occurred. The penalty shall be a 30% Scoring Penalty, calculated as stated in rule 44.3(c). However, rules 44.1(a) and (b) apply, and the penalty shall not be taken after a protest hearing involving the incident has begun.
Templates for NORs and SIs
These are NORs and SIs that have been used recently for regattas on the lake. They are provided as templates that you may use when tasked with preparing documents for an upcoming event.
CSC Championship NOR 2019
CSC Championship SI 2019
CSC Commodore's Cup NOR 2019
CSC Commodore's Cup SI 2019
CSC State Fair NOR 2019
CSC State Fair SI 2019
Butterfly Wrangle NOR 2021
Butterfly Wrangle SI 2021
Corinthian Fleet Harvester NOR & SI 2019
Corinthian Fleet Hired Gun NOR & SI 2019
Flying Scot Open House NOR 2019
Flying Scot Open House SI 2019
Junior Rock the Rock NOR 2019
Junior Rock the Rock SI 2019
Laser Rock the Ice NOR 2020
Laser Rock the Ice SI 2020
Snipe Southwestern NOR 2019
Snipe Southwestern SI 2018
Race Committee Responsibilities and Guidelines
1.The race committee shall be composed of at least six (6) members. Each fleet on their scheduled day shall provide the Principle Race Officer (PRO) and five (5) assistants. Each Chase Boat shall be manned by two (2) and no more than three (3) competent people and the Committee Boat shall be manned by at least two (2) and no more than five (5) competent people.
2. The Executive Race Committee (ERC) representative will meet with the PRO before the races each Sunday and actively participate in a parliamentary position for any protest following the races. It will be the responsibility of the PRO to provide adequate qualified personnel. The ERC shall be the final authority as to the personnel qualifications.
3. The PRO shall not leave the dock or conduct races without adequate qualified personnel. The term “qualified” means CSC club members, or regular crew members of the fleet on duty. The term “adequate” means people who have some knowledge of sailing, rules of water safety and operations of the race committee equipment and are capable of performing the duties of race members. Young children shall not be taken aboard committee boat or chase boats under any circumstances. (Competent experienced youth may serve on the committee boat or as a third person on a chase boat at the discretion of the ERC.)
4. If a Fleet is unable to fulfill its race committee duty obligation, it will be suspended from the racing for a period of one (1) month. In the event that this occurs, the ERC member shall assume the role of PRO and make every effort to form a Race Committee and hold races.
5a. The PRO will be the sole judge as to whether conditions are such that races can be run safely. It is recommended that a starting line not be set when the temperature is below 40°F or when the wind is in excess of 25 MPH. It is the responsibility of the individual skippers to judge their own abilities to safely engage in races.
5b. The PRO may cancel races if there are less than six (6) boats [two (2) classes with three (3) boats each, or one (1) class with six (6) boats] prepared to race.
5c. If weather is marginal at 1:30 p.m., DO NOT CANCEL, but postpone for 30 minutes, by Code flag “AP” with two (2) sound signals. The warning signal for the first race will be made not less than thirty (30) minutes after the “AP” is lowered. If at 2:30 p.m., it is obvious that a race can not be run, the PRO may consider cancellation. A cancellation prior to 2:30 p.m. may be considered failure to fulfill race committee duty.
Race Committee Checklist
PRO should contact committee during week to confirm
Check gas before noon on Sunday
Prior to leaving the dock check equipment
- Meet the ERC.
- See equipment checklist at bottom of page
- Put flags up at the clubhouse.
- Check radios (set to channel 72 and low power).
- Blow one horn as you leave the harbor as a courtesy warning to the racers.
- If PRO is considering running races back-to-back, fly Code Flag B when leaving the harbor.
When on station
- Set course. Set up the orange line flag.
- Setup course board and record courses on the score sheets. Course board should be displayed prior to the first Warning Signal.
- Set starting line square to the wind and about 1 to 1 1//2 times as long as the hull length times the number of the boats in the largest fleet.
- Record sail numbers as boats come out.
- Ready the start 1 warning pennant and preparatory, postpone, over early and general recall flags.
- Designate persons to watch line and call over-early, keep time, backup the timekeeper, blow horn, raise flags and handle over-early and general recall flags.
Starting Sequence
- Use the IStart to time starts and sound signals. Check the mode to make sure it is on 5 minute rolling start (mode 51). The sequence will start and first horn will sound when the Start button is pressed. The sequence is as follows:
- At 5 minutes prior to start raise warning signal (start numeral pennant) with horn
- At 4 minutes prior to start raise preparatory signal (P flag) with horn
- At 1 minute prior to start take down preparatory signal with long horn
- One minute later take down the start numeral pennant to signal the start with horn and simultaneously raise the start numeral pennant as the warning signal for the next class
- Continue the sequence for each successive start
- Start sequence at 1:30 or postpone (raise flag with 2 horns, flag down with 1 horn, and 1 minute later start sequence)
- Turn course board around with warning signal or before.
- Record starting time on the score sheets.
- If boats are over early - raise over-early flag with one sound (whistle preferred) and hail numbers of boats that are over early. Keep over early flag up until all boats clear or for 4 minutes, which ever comes first.
- Use the postpone or abandon flags to stop the sequence. General recall also stops the sequence.
- At the final start, the only flag or shape should be the line flag. Stop the time. After all starts, take down flags.
- Count rounding during the race so that you know when to finish each fleet. Watch for and record penalty turns.
At the finish
- Get to the finish line well ahead of finishers and set the line.
- Buoy end should be left to same side as at start, but is not mandatory.
- Set a fairly short finish line - 6 to 10 boat lengths
- Set line square to the wind for up wind finishes.
- Set line square to course if downwind finish.
- Raise the blue finish line flag when anchored and ready to take finishes.
- Fly Code Flag B if you are going to run races back-to-back.
- Blow horn for winner and hail numbers of other boats as they cross the line. Record numbers on the score sheets in order they finish.
- Record time of first and last finishers in each class on the score sheets. Record any protests observed.
Returning to dock
- Blow the horn as you enter the harbor and note time. This signals the start of the 30-minute time frame to receive protests.
- Post scores in clubhouse and put copy in race management cabinet in tackroom.
- Take the flags down at the clubhouse.
- If committee receives protests, form a committee to hear the protests. The protested party may request an Appendix V2 penalty in writing before the protest is convened.
- In winter, motors must be stored straight down to drain water and prevent freezing.
- Turn off radios.
- Lower the Bimini tops.
- Remove drain plugs.
Race Boat Equipment Checklist
General - All Boats
- Motors and Gas
- Install gas tank in each boat
- Pump bulb
- Tilt motor down to water
- Do not start until prop is under water
- Radios
- Use channel 72 and set to Low Power
- Test communication
Committee Boat
- Life Jackets for each person
- Throw cushion
- Rule Book and Sailing Instructions
- Automatic timer and back-up watch
- Compass
- Wind Indicator
- Course board - course and class indicators
- Score sheets, clipboard and pens
- Whistle
- Anchor
- Flags
- Orange – starting line flag
- Blue – finish line flag
- P flag – Preparatory signal
- Numeral pennants – one for each start Warning signal
- S flag – Shorten course
- X flag – Individual recall
- 1st sub flag – General recall
- AP flag – Postpone
- N flag – Abandon
- B flag -- Back-to-Back Races
- Flag container with other flags
Chase Boats
- Life Jackets for each person
- Flag bag
- C flag with red and green flags - change of course
- S flag - shorten course
- M flag - this boat is the mark
- Blue flag - this flag is at one end of the finish line
- Marks, one with black band
- Compass
- Wind Indicator
- Tow line and bridle
- A throw cushion and life jacket for each crew
- Boat hook
- Scoresheets, clipboard and pens
- Anchor (Anchors stay in locker on boats)
- Put in drain plug
Club House
- Flags - US (halyard from the gaff)
- CSC Burgee (at top)
- Texas, Commodore and Vice Commodore (at the yardarm)
Executive Race Committee
The duty of the Executive Race Committee (ERC) is to assure that the Sunday Racing Program has the highest quality race management possible consistent with the race schedule and the weather conditions.
The Executive Race Committee is made up of 12 people that are regulars members of CSC, active racing sailors and have demonstrated their ability to be rated one of the top race management people on the lake.
A member is assigned one month to act as the ERC member for the races in that period. The duties shall include (but not limited to) the following:
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Notify the Principle Race Officer (PRO) of the fleet having the duty early in the week prior to duty. Advise the PRO of any special events taking place on the water, or off, which could effect the races.
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Meet with the duty fleet PRO before the races, verify that there are sufficient qualified personal to run races. The ERC member has the final say as to the qualification of the personnel.
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Assist the race committee, if needed, in opening locks, locating equipment and making correct connections.
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The assigned ERC member should sail in the races, either as a helmsman or crew.
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Be available between races to advise on questions, and assist in equipment problems.
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At the end of the races for the day, the ERC member should thank the race committee on behalf of the sailors.
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Assure all of the paper work is complete and the scores posted. Discuss any issues that caused problems for the race committee.
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If protests are filed, the ERC member should be available to make sure proper procedures are followed and the protest is disposed of correctly. The ERC member should not be a member of the protest committee.
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Notify the appropriate people of equipment problems that need to be addressed before the next race.
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In the case that an assigned fleet fails to provide sufficient qualified personnel, the ERC member shall form a race committee from volunteers and run the races as scheduled.