Oakland Yacht Club Sweet Sixteen series Alameda Estuary, 2009 SAILING INSTRUCTIONS 1) RULES: The regatta will be governed by the rules as defined in the current 2009-2012 Racing Rules of Sailing, US SAILING, SF Bay YRA will govern (YRA prevails if conflicting) except as amended by these Instructions. 2) ENTRIES: Races are open to BAMA rated multihulls and monohull keelboats with PHRF ratings, LOA 20’ and over. a. Competitors may enter by delivering a completed entry form & waiver and paying the listed entry fee to Oakland Yacht club office before any racing day to be scored b. Final fleet divisions will be set at the Skippers meetings before the series. 3) NOTICES TO COMPETITORS: Notices to competitors will be posted on the official notice board located at the Oakland Yacht club, Alameda Ca. 4) SIGNALS MADE ASHORE: Signals made ashore will be displayed from the Race Deck located on nd the East Side of the clubhouse 2 floor balcony or docks as needed. 5) Start/Finish Lines: Start/Finish line is restricted to boats preparing to start, starting, finishing or rounding X when X is a designated mark of the course. a. A boat must pass through the start-finish line when passing X as a listed mark, and must not otherwise. A boat which crosses inappropriately may correct their error. b. The Race Committee will disqualify violators without a hearing, but will try to hail by radio to enable corrections. Boats are required to round the finishing mark to clear the area for other finishers. c. The Starting area will be defined as a region equal in size to the starting line from the boundary of OYC docks to the starting mark “X” plus half the length directly in extension of the starting line towards the East bounded by a parallel lines placed the half of the starting line to the North and South. Boats which are not in the classes being started are excluded from this area before their warning signal. (if your class flag is not displayed, you should not be in the starting area.) 6) Starting Signals: Starting will be as described in Rule 26. All flags used will be huge international code flags hung vertically from the race deck or docks a. The sound signal with the warning (5 min) and Start will be a gun b. The sound signal with the Preparatory (4 min) and 1 min signal will be a horn, not a gun. c. Note that fleets are often combined into multi-fleet starts. d. Watch the flags and listen on VHF channel 69. RACE COMMITTEE WILL ATTEMPT TO ANSWER ALL HAILS FOR INFORMATION, BUT CAN NOT GUARANTEE TO HEAR THEM, NOR TO RESPOND iF OTHER ACTIVITIES INTERFERE. 7) Course Signals: Courses numbers will be indicated by code flags numerals or placards displayed with each fleet's warning signal. A fleet's course signal may be removed one minute before its start . 8) Radio: The flags on the race deck are hard to see from the water. The RC, therefore, makes comprehensive announcements before and during the starting sequence on channel 69. The flags remain the official course, class and timing signals. Alert the RC to any inconsistency between flags and the radio for possible correction. 9) Late Starts: A yacht will be scored as DNS if it starts more than 15 minutes late unless it hails the RC and requests a late start and is given permission to start. 10) Time Limit: 2 hours after the starting signal for each class. Finishers after time limit will be scored DNF. This changes Rule 35. 11) Individual Recall: Flag “X” with 1 sound. Sail number or boat names may be hailed. 12) General Recall: "First Substitute" flag and 2 sounds. Any start for which a Warning signal has been made is postponed. One minute after lowering of the general recall (with 1 sound), a Warning signal and class flag(s) will be displayed. The recalled fleet(s) will generally be designated as the starting fleet(s). After a second general recall of the same fleet(s), the recalled fleet(s) will generally start after the other fleets. 13) Postponement: "Answering Pennant" (AP) and 2 sounds. The postponement ends with the lowering of the AP and 1 sound signal, followed in one minute by hoist of the Warning Signal and

one sound signal. 14) Abandonment: Code Flag "N" with three sound signals announces abandonment of all racing. 15) Reverse Course: Flag "R" with a course signal indicates that the designated course is to be sailed in reverse sequence with mark roundings opposite of those shown on the course sheet. 16) Changes to Sailing Instructions: Signaled by code flag "L" to signal yachts to come within hail. 17) Courses: The course sheet is published separately and ranks as a part of these sailing instructions 18) Shorten Course: Finish between the nearby mark and the staff displaying code flag "S". 19) Restricted Areas: In the Brooklyn Basin, the imaginary line between R2 and R4 must be left to the east. 20) Sail Numbers: Sails whose numbers differ from number on entry must be reported to RC before each race. 21) Withdrawals: Yachts withdrawing are to notify the RC by hailing, phone (408 607 4871), or VHF channel 69 (if manned) 22) Protests: Protests must be submitted the race committee no later than 1 hour after expiration of "Time Limit.” 23) Responsibility: Skippers are solely responsible for deciding whether or not to start or continue racing. 24) Ratings: Yachts not holding a current YRA or BAMA PHRF certificate will be assigned a rating. 25) Scoring: Scoring per RRS Appendix A using the low point scoring system, except that number of yachts starting plus 1 for DNF , DNS or RAF, plus 2 for OCS or DNC, plus 3 for DSQ, DGM or DNE. Time on distance will be the basis for handicap scoring. There will be two throw-outs per half. 26) Management: Oakland Yacht Club race committee shall have full power to interpret and enforce these instructions. 27) Prizes: Prizes will be awarded immediately after each race, and for the entire series immediately following the final race, at the OYC bar if available, or by mail if necessary.