CAMBS YOUTH SAILING LEAGUE
SUPPLEMENTARY SAILING INSTRUCTIONS
1. Events will be governed by the current Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS) or equivalent title together with RYA prescriptions, Sailing Instructions of the Host Club and these Supplementary Instructions. Should there be any conflict between Instructions then the Supplementary version shall apply.
2. Age Limit - Competitors shall be under the age of nineteen (19) years on 31st August in the year of the competition. (i.e. This enables all competitors in their normal Upper Sixth Year to be eligible to sail for their respective club during the year of the competition.)
3. Classes permitted - Classes of boat sailed shall be in accordance with the rules of the host. Boats shall generally conform to Class rules except that they may be permitted to be modified or equipped for training purposes, always provided that such changes shall not produce an enhanced performance.
4. Buoyancy Aids - these will be worn by competitors AT ALL TIMES whilst afloat.
5. The Series - Host Clubs will endeavour to sail three races at each venue (or the equivalent should a flight system be used).
6. Scoring System - The RYA low points system will be used. (i.e. lst place l point; 2nd place -2 points,3rd place -3 points etc.)
Disqualified (DSQ), Did Not Finish (DNF), Retirement (RET) - Declared entry at venue plus 1 point.
Did Not Start (DNS) - Declared entry at venue plus 2 points. Competitors not attending a venue (i.e. DNC) shall score entry at venue with the largest attendance plus 4 points.
7. Penalties - Infringement of Right of Way Rules (RRS). A Two-Turn Penalty in accordance with RRS. For hitting a mark a penalty by making one turn in accordance with RRS.
8. Places - Club: Over the entire series (nominally 15 races) each club accrues points as follows: In each Race a Club's best three results will be attributed to the Club. (i.e. a first, a fifth and a twelfth would score 18 points for that race). The aggregate of a Club's points over the total number of races sailed shall determine the League placing of each Club. Ties on aggregate points will not be broken.
9. Places - Individual: At each event (venue) the placing of a competitor shall be on aggregate of their best two results. In the event that only two (or one) race is sailed then all races will count. For the whole Series (5 events) each competitor will score their best nine (9) races. Ties will be resolved in the following order:-
1) By applying RRS A8.1.
2) If a tie remains between two or more boats the discard race of the boats involved will be taken into account
3) If a tie still remains between two or more boats RRS A8.2 will be applied
10. Prizes - Club: The Cambs Youth League Trophy will be presented to the Club achieving the lowest aggregate points over the full series.
11. Prizes - Individual: At each event the following prizes will be presented:
Overall - Leading three (3) competitors.
14 years of age and under - Leading two (2) competitors.
11 years of age and under - Leading two (2) competitors.
Youngest Competitor.
Endeavour Prize.
Team Prize.
For the series - Prizes will be similarly presented.
(Age limits for the younger age groups apply as at 31st August). Where a boat has both helm and crew the age of the HELM will determine the age group.
Top competitors in the younger age groups will be awarded prizes from age groups above them if they beat other competitors in those groups, and in the event of this happening they will not be awarded prizes in the younger age group(s). The youngest competitor must start at least one race/
It is the responsibility of the host club to issue prizes as above at their event. Any discrepancy should be resolved with the host club at individual events. For the series it is the responsibility of the Youth League Committee to issue prizes as above. Any discrepancy should be resolved by applying in writing to the Y.L. Committee following the final prize giving.
12. Independent Judging - At any venue of the Youth League the Host Club may appoint judges who will be in the vicinity of the race course and who may, having observed an incident which is subject to RRS, adjudicate at a competitors request or otherwise, and require an offending boat to do penalty turns. Judges may carry a red and green flag. A green flag raised indicates "no offence". A red flag indicates that an offence has occurred and the offending boat will be hailed. The offending boat shall complete penalty turns. A red flagged boat may protest and if found not to be at fault by a protest committee will be given such redress as is thought suitable.
13. Starting flights - Due to the wide variation of boat speeds competing, boats should be started in flights, for example: 1. Optimists and dinghies of similar yardstick. 2 Mirrors, Toppers and dinghies of similar yardstick. 3. Lasers, Graduates, Enterprises and boats of similar yardstick.
14. Exoneration Penalty
14.1 A boat that may have broken a rule of Part 2, or rule 31 or 42, may, after finishing the race concerned and before the start of a related protest hearing, notify the race committee that she accepts a 20% scoring penalty as stated in rule 44.3(c), (except that the minimum penalty is two places if that does not result in a score worse than DNF). This penalty does not reverse an OCS score, a disqualification under rule 30.3 or a penalty under Appendix P. It is not available for a breach of rule 2 or of class rules or for gross misconduct under rule 69. Nor is it available to a boat that caused injury or serious damage, or gained a significant advantage by her breach: in these circumstances, her penalty is to retire.
14.2 When an Exoneration Penalty is accepted:
(a) Neither the boat nor a protest committee may then revoke or remove the penalty.
(b) The boat shall not be penalized further in a protest hearing when the protest committee decides that it was appropriate to the facts found and the applicable rules.
15 Advisory Hearing
When there is an incident that will not result in the lodging of a protest or a request for redress, a boat, protest committee or race committee may request an advisory hearing with the race office, and notify any boat involved in the incident. An adviser will then call a hearing to learn what may have happened and will state whether any rule appears to have been broken, and by which boat. A boat may as a result notify the race office that she accepts an Exoneration Penalty when it applies to the incident, or choose to retire.
16 RYA Arbitration
16.1 When a protest or request for redress is lodged, a boat may at the same time request RYA Arbitration, or the protest committee or race committee may offer it.
16.2 If the parties and a member of the protest or race committee agree that RYA Arbitration is suitable, an arbitrator (who may be that member of the protest committee) will call a hearing conforming to Section B of Part 5 of the Racing Rules of Sailing, except that rule 64.1(a) will not apply. Instead, when the arbitrator decides that a boat that is a party to the arbitration hearing has broken a rule for which the Exoneration Penalty is available, the party will be invited to accept that penalty, and, if it is accepted by a protested boat, the protesting boat will be allowed to withdraw the protest, changing rule 63.1.
16.3 When there is not an agreement to use RYA Arbitration, or when, after RYA Arbitration, a protest is not withdrawn or the Exoneration Penalty is not applicable to the facts, there will be a normal protest hearing, at which the arbitrator may be a member of the protest committee. Rules 66 and 70 (reopening and appeal, respectively) do not apply to the arbitration decision since this is not a protest committee decision or procedure. A boat may still accept an Exoneration Penalty at any time before the start of a protest hearing and receive its protection from further penalization. She may also retire.
16.4 When redress is offered and accepted by boats at the RYA Arbitration, all parties, the protest committee or race committee may seek to have this reviewed by asking for a full hearing. When redress is offered and not accepted, or not offered at all, all parties may ask for the request to be heard before a protest committee.
Boats may sail different numbers of whole laps of the prescribed course and the overall results shall be worked out on an average lap time basis, after applying corrections for the Portsmouth Yardstick, the principle being that all boats should sail as nearly as possible for the same length of time.
RYA Published Portsmouth Yardsticks should be used for all classes, except where class rules permit alternate values to be used.
NOTE TO PARENTS: Host Clubs will provide safety cover for competitors whilst afloat. However, they cannot act "in loco parentis" and it is requested that visiting Clubs provide adequate adult assistance as may be needed for supervision of competitors, launching and recovery of boats, etc.