SOS Committee Boat Instructions
September 2020 – March 2021
Thank you for volunteering to be the race committee for one of the Sailing on Sundays events. It probably best to describe this as a “pick-up game of sailboat racing with rules” where each participant takes a turn as a Race Officer running a race for whoever shows up to play. With this event welcoming new racers, many of the volunteers lack experience as Race Officers. And so, we try to keep the racing simple and the expectations low. There are three basic tasks, they are:
- Tell the boats where to go;
- Tell the boats when to start;
- Record how long it takes each boat to complete the course.
The fourth task is to follow our Covid-19 guidelines to keep yourself and your crew-mates safe. Those guidelines at appended to the end of this document and also available on the Notice Board for this race on the OCSA website:
http://www.sailpdx.org.
Task 1: Telling the boats where to go:
A course should always begin at 14. Your boat will define the south end of the starting line and 14 the north end. Do not set up North of 14. If you do, you will likely interfere with barge traffic because the North side is the commercial channel.
Don’t worry about making the line perfectly square; biasing the line so that 14 is favored will discourage boats from barging near the committee boat, i.e., your boat. Do make the line reasonably wide with the goal is to get everyone started safely and heading in the right direction. Leave space to the south between your boat and the docks at RCYC so that boats can sail on that side remembering that the Start/Finish is restricted after the start per OCSA local rules. If you need a copy of those rules, go to: http://www.sailpdx.org.
If it’s an East wind, the course should be 14-18-14, 14-18-2 or 14-18-2-14, with the longer courses appropriate in steady breeze. If it is light breeze, instead of 18 you might consider as the weather mark using either the Airport wing dam, which is the first one east of the 42nd street boat ramp, or Upper Airport, which is the second one. If you do, remind racers that they can “round the mark” when the skipper sitting in their normal driving position is parallel to the wing dam. Also remind them that they should be on the Oregon side of the river no further North than the tip of Government Island. In general, sailors would prefer to try to sail in light wind than to postpone indefinitely and abandon, but it is your call as the Committee. If it is too light to make reasonable progress against the current, postponing or abandoning should be given consideration.
If it’s a West wind, the course should be 14-2-14 or 14-2-18-14. You can also use Airport or Upper airport for the leeward mark if it feels like going to 18 is going to take small boats forever.
If there’s no wind and a fair bit of current, we can sometimes race 14-2 from the apparent wind generated when drifting in the current. Some might argue this isn’t actually sailing, but if you consider the sort of sailor interested in spending their Sunday on the river in 40 degrees and rain when there is no wind in the forecast, they’re not going to care if it’s lame – just give them an objective. Note, however, this will put a strain on you to get down to 2 and anchor before the first boats arrive. Use this option wisely.
When you’ve decided on a course, broadcast the course a few times on ch72 starting around 12:45. Be prepared to announce the course more than once while folks turn their radios on and only catch half the announcement or have to adjust their radio volumes to they an actually hear it. If the breeze is light and needs to build, you can postpone before deciding on a course, just announce it on the radio along with two horn blasts (see below re: announcing and horn use).
Task 2: Telling the boats when to start
We have two fleets, handicap and level. If the turnout is low, say, 30 boats or less, you should consider starting both fleets at the same time. If it is larger, you should have two starts. Start handicap first, and then start the level fleet.
THE START TIME: There has been confusion in the past regarding the start time of the race. Let’s be clear. The first horn (warning, i.e., 5 minutes to the start) is at 1:00. The first start is at 1:05. It’s true that the NOR says that the first start will be at 1300, but just like we do on Tuesday or Thursday nights when the first start is at 6:30 pm, that means that the first warning signal is at 6:30 with the first start signal at 6:35. To reiterate, the first start is at 1:05.
PROCEDURE: You should both broadcast over the radio and use a horn for your starting sequences. Use your cell phone for an atomic clock time. Time is called out in the following sequence: 6 minutes before the Start is a “get ready for the sequence to begin notice,” 5 minutes before the Start, 4 minutes, 1 minute, Start. Follow this table for signals including countdowns over the radio:
Some radios do not transmit immediately when keyed, so key your mike a second or two before you announce the countdowns. When you are announcing the course, be sure to announce that you will be doing a sequential start sequence for the level fleet.
With an East wind, sometimes the current makes it difficult for the heavier boats to get started. If it is a light east wind, you should do one start, wait at least 5 minutes for boats to cross the start line, and then do your sequence as you did with the first start, i.e., pre-warning at 6 minutes, warning at 5 minutes, 4 minutes, 1 minute, start. If everyone in your first or second start is struggling to cross the start line, abandon the race, postpone and wait for breeze. Again, make sure you announce your intention to follow this procedure when you announce the course.
After boats have started, you’re free to do as you please, as long as you’re on station at the finish mark before the first boat reaches it.
Task 3: Recording how long it takes each boat to complete the course:The Race Captain will provide a score sheet where you will record each boat’s finish time. People get grumpy when there are mistakes in the finish times, so be as accurate as possible and print legibly. Print two copies and have two people record and a third person calling out the time. You should have noted the start time for each fleet on this score sheet. Also record the time each boat crosses the line. If you are unsure about what qualifies as a boat finishing, you can find the definition in the Racing Rules of Sailing.
Scott Stevenson is our scorer for this year. He’s doing a fantastic job. You will likely get some form of the following email on Thursday before your committee duty. It will include score sheets that are current. Here is a sample:
Thank you for volunteering for Race Committee this weekend, January 19.Attached are three files. They are the Scoring sheets in Excel, and PDF and a Finish Line sheet in PDF. I’ve included the Scoring sheets in both formats to make it easier for you - use either format. The Finish Line sheet is a tool that previous Committees have used to avoid the stress of recording finishes in the middle of chaos - this tool allows the RC to just document the sail #'s and times of the finishers, regardless of class, in the finish order. Then, after the race, the results can be transferred to the Scoring sheets when it is less chaotic. The 'Finish Line sheet' is an entirely optional tool to use to quickly capture the finish line data to make the transfer to the Scoring Sheet a bit easier. Some CBs use it, some do not. These files are current as of this morning. If boats show up and check in that are not on the list, just add them and get their times. They probably signed up late -or- have not yet registered. If they check in and are not on the check in sheets, ask them (if possible) to register - please.Please use two (2) scribes when finishing to reduce the chance of error. After the race email the scoring sheet to me as I will be recording the information. Please keep the originals in the event of a discrepancy. Also, please enter the times in 24 hour format. It makes recording them in Regatta Network just a tad easier.NOTE: We have been able to post the scores on Sunday Night because the RCs have been able to get me the Score Sheets right after the race. Just send me the completed form as soon as possible after the race and I will take it from there. Have a great weekend.See you on Sunday!Scott Stevenson s/v La Dolce VitaCYC Sailing on Sunday Race Scorer503-880-2692
scott19770@gmail.com
If you have not heard from Scott by Friday, please contact both Scott directly and me to get the current scoring sheets.
Other notes:Set up about 12:15 because folks will start looking for you to check-in that early, and it may take you a bit of time to get anchored.
Protests are allowed, but discouraged. We are not going to ask you to watch for potential protests or rule infractions except in two cases:
Over early, On Course Side (OCS) – Call their sail number over the radio as best you can. If they do not return and restart, mark their finish time, but note that they were OCS.
Sailing through the start finish line – The start/finish line is restricted after the start according to OCSA rules. You do not have to call them on the radio if you see them go through the line. Mark their finish time, but note that they sailed through the Start/Finish. We’ll deal with the consequences.
If you have any questions, call me at 503-318-6295 or email at race.captain@cycportland.org. If it relates to scoring, please contact Scott before you contact me because he handles all things related to the actual scoring.
Thank you for volunteering. Without your help, we’d be out there starting ourselves and taking our own times, which invariably would result in bad words and/or fisticuffs at the bar after.
See you on the river,
Denny Damore
CYC Sailing on Sunday Race Captain
COVID-19 GUIDELINES FOR THE SAILING ON SUNDAYS SERIES These Guidelines are presented to comply with and be in support of the guidelines published by the State of Oregon and the CDC to prevent the spread of Covid-19. They are NOT, however, to be considered or construed as a Rule under the definition within the RRS and, as such, are not subject to protest.
Stay home if you feel sick or have been exposed to someone suspected to be infected with COVID 19.
- Groups should not congregate in parking lots or on docks before or after races. Once sailing is done, pack up your boat and go home.
- Use face coverings in public areas including docks, bathrooms and parking lots.
- Practice physical distancing between you and others not in your household.
- Boats should sail/race with their own household members rather than with those in their extended social circles, or all crew must wear face masks at all times.
- Because Race Committee teams and boats will have limited crew, it is highly recommended that all participants use PFDs during sailing activities.
- Sailboats sailing a similar course should take a conservative tactic to avoid any close quarter maneuvers to minimize collisions or prolonged entanglement.
- All boats will carry an operational VHF radio.
- Have hand sanitizer onboard your vessel and use when appropriate.
- Use your own personal equipment such as life jackets, do not share equipment, water, food, etc.
- Sanitize and disinfect commonly touched surfaces or tools (winch handle, tillers, etc.) on boats after the race.
