Safety Boats are made available principally for the rescue of people who are in difficulty / injured in the water or in boats on the water.

The priorities for use of the Safety Boat are as follows: -

1.    Rescue of injured party 

2. Assistance to a boat which mast is stuck in the mud and which cannot be righted unassisted: - 

Order of Priority: - 

i.                   Juniors (No penalty shall be incurred by a junior helm requiring such assistance (i.e. they will not be disqualified from a race)

ii.                Adult single hander (They will be disqualified from the race)

iii.              Adult double hander (They will be disqualified from the race) 

3.    Recovery of boat (after race if appropriate)   

Important considerations: -

1.    The Safety Boat should be crewed by two people at all times, and at least one of the crew should be dressed ready to enter the water if this becomes necessary 

2.    The capsized crew should follow the instructions of the Safety Boat crew when assistance is being provided

3.    All other sailors should keep well clear of the area in which the Safety Boat is operating 

The following notes are intended as a guide for Race Officers to assist in presenting a uniform racing procedure.

Preparation

Hoist the Beaver flag on the clubhouse mast.Secure I.C. flag “S” (Shorten course) to one of the signal halyards ready for use at the end of the race.Complete the headings on the appropriate number of signing-on sheets and clip them to the board downstairs making sure that pens are available.Ensure that arrangements have been made to collect the race fees.Have the red/green numbered boards available for indicating the course

Boats

Use the rescue boat to fetch the Committee Boat from its moorings checking that boat hooks and towropes are in place.When not in use the boats should be moored on the windward side of the jetties so that competitors boats can be moored on the leeward sideHoist the Beaver flag on the Committee Boat and check that the yellow inner and outer distance marks are on board

Setting the course

It is very important that the course is set correctly, as a poorly set course can spoil the racing. If there is any doubt about any aspect please ask for help.

Note the wind direction and ensure that the first leg is a true beat, ie the windward mark must be upwind of the start line. The downwind mark must also be in the vicinity of the Start line to ensure that on the subsequent laps there is still a beat to sail. If the existing marks, i.e. 1 to 5 do not coincide with the wind direction to form a beat, a temporary drop mark can be used, ie 6 to 9.

Complete the course by including reaches and downwind legs to bring the boats back to the starting area for the commencement of further laps.

If the wind conditions permit, try and use all the water, remembering to leave enough room between the marks and obstructions, such as the jetties and the bank to enable boats to manoeuvre in safety.

Keep the course tidy and remove any unused drop marks.

Use the red/green boards to indicate the direction of rounding the marks and draw the course on the reservoir plan in chalk. A red board indicates that a mark is rounded in an anticlockwise direction, i.e. with the mark on the port side of the boat. A green board indicates that a mark is rounded in a clockwise direction, i.e. with the mark on the starboard side of the boat.

On the Water

Leave the jetty with plenty of time to reach the start area, set the line and complete the starting sequence so that the race commences at the published time.

Position the start line so that it is square to the wind and downwind of the first mark of the course. Keep the line away from the bank and jetties so that the boats have plenty of room to manoeuvre before the start. Is the length of the line correct? If there are 16 starters, the line should be 17 boats long.

Drop the yellow OD mark at the port end of the line and anchor the Committee Boat at the starboard end so that the so that the sound signal horns are pointing down the line. Drop the yellow ID mark over the stern to prevent competitors from sailing too close to the Committee Boat. The start line is between the Committee Boat mast and the OD mark.

If the wind direction changes before the start, do not be afraid to reposition marks or alter the course.

In the event of the wind changing direction after the Committee Boat has left the jetty area it is possible to alter the course on the water. Hoist the first substitute flag and give 3 sound signals. Chalk the new numbers of the course on the board in the Committee Boat and fasten the board to the Port side handrail on the cuddy roof. After the competitors have noted the new course the first substitute flag should be lowered, Accompanied by one sound signal. The race start sequence should be started one minute later.

Starting

For club racing at Beaver the starting sequence is as follows.

Warning Signal, 6 minutes: Class flag displayed in the dip position plus one sound signal. For Handicap races, remember to start your watch and keep it running during the race!

Preparatory Signal, 3 minutes: Class flag displayed plus one sound signal.

Start Signal, 0 minutes: Class flag removed plus one sound signal.

Remember that the signal is the flag, not the sound, so try and ensure that on multi-fleet starts all flags move together in conjunction with the sound signal.

In the three minutes before each fleet starts, ensure that any boat on the course side of the start line returns to the correct side by sailing around either end of the line. Do not give a finishing gun to any boat that fails to observe the correct procedure.I

If the boats over the line cannot be identified, signal a general recall by giving two sound signals and displaying the first substitute flag. The warning signal for a new start for the recalled class shall be made one minute after the first substitute is removed (one sound), and the starts for any succeeding classes shall follow the new start

Before leaving the start line to return to the clubhouse, recover the yellow marks and place them in the Committee Boat.

During the Race

Record on the signing on sheet the number of laps completed by each boat as it crosses the finishing line. The finishing line passes through the orange pole at the top of the race box steps and the orange post on the edge of the reservoir.

Keep a lookout for boats in trouble and arrange rescue facilities if required.

Please ensure that all competitors have paid their race fees by checking the payment sheet against the number of boats on the water. If there are any missing please remind those who have not paid that a fee is required for each race.T

The Finish

As all handicap events, including handicap fleet races, are run as “average lap” races and are, therefore, time based, it is not necessary to specify the number of laps to be sailed. Approximately one hour after the start display I.C. flag “S” accompanied by 2 Sound signals which indicates that the race is about to finish. As each boat crosses the finishing line, irrespective of the number of laps completed, they should be given a sound signal, to indicate that they have finished the race, and their time recorded on the signing on sheet. The first boat to be finished does not have to be the leader on the water.

When fleet racing is taking place, i.e. the Handicap fleet along side Toppers and Mirrors etc, the flag also indicates that as the leader of every other fleet on the water crosses the line they should be given a finishing gun. Please remember that fleet boats must complete the same number of laps as the leader, even if they have been lapped.

It is possible to shorten the race for one or more fleets by hoisting flag “S” above the class flag on the same halyard. To finish the race for the remainder of the fleets additional flag signals are required.