MACMAN 2010 Notice of Race

Notice of Race

(Under Review - subject to change)

Management
Little Current Yacht Club is the organizing authority of the 2010 Mackinac to Manitoulin Challenge (Race) and has appointed the Little Current Yacht Club Mackinac Race Committee (Race Committee) to conduct the Race and related activities. The Race Committee has the authority to interpret the rules and conditions of the Race and to reject the entry of any boat at any time before the start of the Race. The Race will start on July 22, 2010. The fleet will be divided into divisions and classes according to rating/handicap and other factors at the discretion of the Race Committee.

Rules
The Race shall be governed by the “rules” as defined in the current Racing Rules of Sailing for 2009-2012 (RRS), which include the following (except as changed by the Sailing Instructions):

a. The prescriptions of the Canadian Yachting Association.
b. This Notice and Conditions of Race (Notice of Race).
c. The Sailing Instructions and any amendments.
d. The International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea.
e. Applicable U.S.and Canadian Coast Guard Rules and Regulations.
f. Performance Handicap Racing Fleet (PHRF) rules as administered by the Race Committee. All handicapping will be based on nautical miles.
Responsibilities of Skipper and Crew
a.) Little Current Yacht Club, its officers and members, the members of the Race Committee and sponsors shall not be liable for any loss of life, injury to persons or damage to property that may occur during or related to the Race.

b.) As used in the Notice of Race and the Sailing Instructions, the term “Skipper” means the person who is designated on the Entry Form as “Skipper” and who is in charge of the boat, whether or not the owner.

c). The safety of a boat and its crew is the sole and inescapable responsibility of the Skipper, who must insure that the boat is fully sound, thoroughly seaworthy and sailed by an experienced and physically fit crew. The Skipper must be satisfied with the soundness of the hull, spars, rigging, sails and gear and must insure that all equipment is properly maintained and stowed and that the crew knows where it is kept and how it is to be used. Neither the acceptance of a Crew List, the establishment of equipment or safety requirements nor an inspection of a boat in any way limits or reduces the complete and unlimited responsibility of the Skipper.

d.) Little Current Yacht Club strongly recommends (but does not require) that all personnel on deck wear personal flotation when starting and finishing without exception and at all other times except when the Skipper directs that it may be set aside. Competitors are reminded that it is the competitor’s individual responsibility for wearing personal buoyancy adequate for the conditions (RRS 1.2) and that each boat is solely responsible for deciding whether or not to start or to continue racing (RRS 4).

Competitors are required to notify the Race Committee, via VHF radio channel 80 or by phone at (586) 764-7318, at the earliest opportunity if the boat withdraws from the Race.

Conduct
The Skipper shall be responsible for the conduct of the crew before, during, and after the race. In the event of a serious breach of conduct, the destruction of property, or the failure to comply with a reasonable request of the Race Committee, the Race Committee may request that the Protest Committee act under RRS 69.1.

Eligibility
Participation in the Race is only by invitation of Little Current Yacht Club. An invitation may be requested by sending a letter, to Little Current Yacht Club, P.O. Box 167, Little Current, Ontario, POP 1K0, Canada or an email to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . A boat’s invitation to race shall be conditional upon the Race Committee’s acceptance of the boat as an entrant in the Race after application.

To be eligible, boats must be of a seaworthy offshore type, at least 26 feet LOA for Leg One and 24 feet LOA for Leg Two, with accommodations and equipment in accordance with Mackinac Equipment Requirements and have a permanently installed inboard engine fitted with a propeller or an outboard motor that must remain mounted in its normal operating position throughout the race.

a. PHRF Spinnaker
It is expected that there will be more than one class, which will be scored using the PHRF handicap system with either symmetrical or asymmetrical spinnakers or gennakers. Preliminary class splits will be posted on the web site as available. Final class splits will be announced at registration.

Boats in the PHRF Spinnaker classes are subject to the following limitations:
Use either an asymmetrical or a standard spinnaker; you cannot use both.
Headsails must be flown hanked to the headstay or in the headstay groove except that asymmetrical spinnakers may be flown as provided below.
Staysails may not be flown on sloop-rigged boats. Other boats may fly a staysail in the foretriangle provided that the combined areas of the staysail and the headsail do not exceed the maximum LP stated on the boat’s entry form.

If a roller-furler credit is given:
• all headsails must be cut for the roller-furler;
• the roller-furler must be used throughout the race, and
• during headsail changes, the old sail must be dropped to the deck and the new sail then put on the roller-furler and hoisted.

Asymmetrical spinnakers may be flown provided they
(i) are flown without a whisker or spinnaker pole and
(ii) are attached to a tack point or are attached to a tack line that is led to a tack point that is no more than 12 inches fore or aft of the jib tack.

Whisker or spinnaker poles may be used only for headsails or symmetrical spinnakers.

b. PHRF – White Sail Only
All PHRF White Sail Only classes will have the same requirements as shown above for PHRF Spinnaker, except spinnakers and gennikers will not be allowed. A twelve (12) second a mile credit will be given to White Sail Only boats to allow for speed difference to spinnaker boats for overall scoring.

Ratings & Handicaps
a.). All PHRF boats must furnish with the Entry Form a copy of all of the boat’s valid 2010 PHRF handicap certificates issued by any local authority. The Race Committee may adjust individual PHRF handicaps to compensate for differences in handicapping methods employed by various handicapping authorities. Ratings will be posted on the Official Little Current Mackinac/Manitoulin Challenge website, www.lcyc.ca as they are assigned. Competitors will be deemed to have knowledge of the assigned rating when it is so posted. Accordingly, competitors are encouraged strongly to check the website regularly. Ratings will also be emailed to competitors. It is the responsibility of the Skipper to report any discrepancies to the Race Committee as soon as possible.

The Skipper of a boat that does not have a valid 2010 PHRF certificate must complete the Entry Form in its entirety, including all boat information, and copies of all existing PHRF certificates in the Skipper’s possession should be sent to the Race Committee. The Race Committee will assign a PHRF handicap to the boat based on the data provided in the Entry Form and other available information.

b.) No changes in ratings or handicaps initiated by competitors, and no revised rating or handicap certificates, will be accepted after July 20, 2010.
Ratings will be posted on the Official Little Current Mackinac/Manitoulin Challenge, www.lcyc.ca as assigned. Competitors will be deemed to have knowledge of the assigned rating when it is so posted. Accordingly, competitors are encouraged strongly to check the website regularly. The Race Committee may correct obvious rating or handicap errors at any time. The Jury will not entertain protests related to ratings or handicaps. PHRF handicaps assigned by the Race Committee are final.

Entry
The Race Committee must receive the following items before July 20, 2010:
• Completed Entry Form and non-refundable entry fee as per the race fee schedule.
• Crew List, complete with the names and enough information to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Race Committee that Skipper and crew are sufficiently experienced to compete safely in offshore conditions.
• Copy of the boat’s current valid handicap or rating certificate.

Registration
A Final Crew List, signed by the Skipper, shall be submitted at registration.

The Skipper of each boat or a representative with the Skipper’s written authorization shall register the boat at the following location and time:
Mackinac Island Yacht Club on July 21, 2010 between 16:00 and 18:00 hours, followed by a Skipper’s Meeting at 18:00 hours.

The Skipper, or a representative with the Skipper’s written authorization, of each boat sailing only in Leg 2 shall register the boat at the CYC office in Gore Bay or with the Race Committee on July 23, 2010 between 12:00 and 19:00. There will be a Skipper’s meeting at 19:30 hours for the Skippers who are sailing only in Leg 2 at the Pavilion where the fish fry is held.

The Race Committee can be reached on VHF radio channel 80.

Sailing Instructions
Sailing Instructions will be distributed at registration; as well, they are posted here »

Course
Leg one: Starting east of Mackinac Island and north of the shipping channel proceed easterly to False Detour Passage, enter the North Channel leaving Cockburn Island to starboard and Manitoulin Island to starboard. Proceed to the entrance to Gore Bay and then into the bay to the finish off the point at Gore Bay Municipal Marina.

Leg Two: Starting off the point at Gore Bay Municipal Marina proceed up the bay and then easterly to Clapperton Island . Round the north end of Clapperton Island and then proceed southerly leaving Amedroz Island to port. When safe to do so, proceed easterly towards Little Current leaving James Foot Patch to port. The finish will be at the east end of Spider Bay Island , in the vicinity of J45.

Exact start and finish locations will be included with the sailing instructions.
Scoring
Each boat shall be ranked by her corrected time in division and class. The boat with the lowest corrected time wins.

Protests and Alternative Penalties
a.) There will be a Protest Committee constituted in compliance with RRS Appendix M.
b.) RRS 44.1 and RRS 44.2 shall not apply.
c.) Penalties imposed by the Protest Committee include disqualification, but in lieu of disqualification, the Protest Committee may penalize a boat by an amount that the Protest Committee deems appropriate.

Dockage
The Mackinac Island yacht harbor is reserved for the Bayview-Mackinac fleet through Tuesday, July 20^th. All MacMan boats will be able to dock at no charge at the Arnold Ferry dock (West side) on the night of the 21^st. Boats arriving before the 21^st are responsible for making their own arrangements.

Awards
Flags will be awarded for Leg #1 and Leg #2 and overall for the full MacMan and for the Gore Bay to Little Current portion.
Flags for Leg #1 will be awarded in Gore Bay.
Flags for Leg #2 and overalls will be presented at the awards dinner on July 24^th in Little Current.
The “Manitoulin Transport Trophies” will be awarded for 1^st overall on Leg #2 Gore Bay to Little Current and 1^st overall in the Mackinac-Manitoulin Challenge.
The trophies will be kept at Little Current Yacht Club and Mackinac Island Yacht Club.
Flags will be presented to the overall winning Skippers.

Website and E-mail
The Race Committee will post information on the official Mackinac-Manitoulin Challenge website at www.lcyc.ca, and competitors will be deemed to have knowledge of such information from the time it is so posted. The posted information will include assigned ratings and may include amendments to the Notice of Race and/or the Sailing Instructions. Accordingly, competitors are encouraged strongly to check the website regularly. Notices to competitors also will be posted on the Official Notice Board(s) as provided in the Sailing Instructions.