EXTRACT FROM CLUB SAILING PROGRAMME

 

 

SNOWFLAKE SERIES RACING

 

The Snowflake series of races will be on Sundays from 6th January 2008 to 2nd March 2008. Racing will be on an Average Lap basis using Portsmouth Yardstick numbers.

 

There will be 2 races of around 45 mins each.

 

Starting signals will be as follows :

 

            1100               Warning Signal

            1103               Preparatory Signal

            1106               Start

 

The warning signal for the second race will be around 12.20

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EXTRACT FROM CLUB SAILING INSTRUCTIONS

 

13. Shortening the Course

 

For average lap races, flag S displayed at the finishing line means boats finish when they next cross the finish line. This adds to Rule RRS 32.1.

 

16. Scoring

 

Finishing places in average lap races will be determined using corrected times based on Portsmouth Numbers and the number of laps completed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.         Setting a Course

 

4.1  For average lap races try to set a course that will allow the slowest boats to complete at least two laps.

 

13.       Snowflake Series Races

 

13.1  All dinghies start together, and race on an Average Lap basis.

 

13.2  Two races of around 45 minutes.

 

13.3  Timing and signals for the first race:

 

 

Start Time

Time Difference

Signal

Hoist

Lower

11.00

0

Warning

Flag “Z”

 

11.03

3 min

Preparatory

Flag “P”

 

11.06

6 min

Start

 

Flag “Z”

 

 

 

13.4  Finish all dinghies when they next cross the finishing line after you display Flag “S”.

 

13.5  At the end of the race announce the time of the warning signal for the second race.  This should be around 12.20.

 

13.6  The timing and signals for the second race will be as for the first race

 

16.       Shortening Course

 

16.3    For average lap races, you must use the same line for finishing as you did for starting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HINTS FOR RUNNING SNOWFLAKE SERIES RACES

 

 

Snowflake series races are “Average Lap”.

 

These are different from all other races held at BGSC. In average lap races:

·        All boats start together,

·        Sail for roughly the same amount of time,

·        Complete a whole number of laps,

  • The results sheet completed by the OOD shows the sailor’s name, the type of boat sailed, the number of laps completed, and the total time taken,
  • The results coordinator does a calculation using PY numbers, the number of laps sailed, and the time taken, to work out a finishing order.

 

The big advantage of average lap races is that you can finish slower boats (or boats being sailed more slowly!) before faster boats, and thus compress the overall time taken for the race.  Cold sailors don’t have to flog or drift round for another lap simply to complete the same number of laps as the fastest.

 

What is essential when running average lap races?

  • A course that starts and finishes at the same place.
  • A course that requires the boats to sail through the start/finish line on every lap.
  • A course that should allow even the slowest boat to complete 2 laps (simple triangles work well in extremely light winds, and figure of eight courses have been used successfully in other conditions).

 

What is desirable when running average lap races?

  • A start line that is long enough for all the boats to start on (say 1.5 boat lengths per starter)
  • A start line that is square to the wind if the first leg is a beat, or square to the course if the first leg is off-wind. As you’ll be starting from the OOD box an off-wind first leg is quite likely.

 

Any other suggestions?

·        When recording boats through the line, list sail number and time every time they pass through. This is good practice and a failsafe against missing a boat on a lap.  It also means that if the wind should die completely, or there is an emergency, the times you have recorded can be used.

·        Don’t try and have separate lists for each lap, just use one continuous list.  When transferring results to a results sheet it is easy to count the number of times each boat appears on your list.

·        Keep an eye on the slowest boats, and don’t be afraid of shortening the race before the 45 minutes if it means the slowest boats can finish in under an hour.