Sailing Instructions 2009
Heineken Regatta Curacao
The Curacao Sailing Festival takes pleasure in inviting you to compete in the second Heineken Regatta Curacao, November 6 to 8, 2009. Three days of racing for the racing class and two days for the other classes.
The organizing authority is the Curacao Sailing Festival Foundation. The event will be governed by the rules as defined in the ISAF Racing Rules of Sailing (2009 - 2012), which can be found at:
www.sailing.org, the Sailing Instructions and its attachments.
1. Rules. The regatta will be governed by the 2009-2012 Racing Rules of Sailing, the rules of the NASAF, the Caribbean Sailing Association (CSA) rating rule and simplified rating rule, the Notice of Race and by these Sailing Instructions, the rules of the entered classes, except as any of these are altered by these Sailing Instructions. The Regatta is designated Category C.
2. Entries. Boats must be entered by completing registration and paying entry-fee to the Race Committee at latest 19:00 hrs on Thursday November 5th 2009 at ‘Heineken Regatta Curacao Village’.
3. Definition of classes. Races will be organized for the following classes:
*Simplified CSA Rating Rule. Intended for live-aboard and boats without CSA rating certificates.
The handicap for the first race in the Yachts Open Fun Class will be based on the Simplified CSA Rating rule. The handicap will be adjusted by the Race Committee for the next race depending on the boat’s performance in the previous race(s).
The organizing authority reserves the right to amalgamate, cancel, sub-divide or rearrange classes.
The sailboards will have special Sailing Instructions.
Other classes like sailboards, fisherman boats, beach cats, centaur match racing, optimist, sunfish will compete in separate organized races. See the special announcement on the website. A Fishing Tournament and other activities will also take place.
4. CSA Rating Certificates. For classes where the CSA Rating rule is valid boats must have a valid 2009 CSA digital rating certificate. CSA rating certificate changes will only be approved in accordance with the amendment to Rule A.3.4.2. of the CSA Rating Rule.
5. Divisions: The division between classes will be announced at Thursday November 5th 20:00 hrs for the races on Friday and at Friday November 6th 20:00 hrs for the races on Saturday and Sunday. Written requests for Redress on ratings and class division will be received till 21:00 hrs of the day of announcement and be considered by the RC. The RC decision on this Redress will be announced not later than the next day 09:00 hrs. This decision will be final.
6. Identification. Participating boats shall exhibit on their main sail a unique sail number. The sail number shall be at least 18 cm high and placed on both sides of the sail at different heights. This is a registration requirement. Boats that fail to comply may be considered not entered in the race and may not be scored. This changes RRS rule 77.
7. Notice to competitors. Notice to competitors will be posted on the Official Regatta Notice Board, located at the Heineken Regatta Curacao Village.
8. Changes in sailing Instructions. Any change in the “Sailing Instructions” will be posted not later than one hour before the race for which it will take effect. Course changes for all classes will be announced in the same way and be advised by displaying code flag “L” (black-yellow squares) from the starting tower. If circumstances require to change the course to sail to course “S” on the day of the race this will be displayed with a big “S” on a starting tower not later than a half hour before the first warning signal.
9. Advertising. The event will be Category “C” as specified in the RRS 2009-2012. Boats may be required to display advertising provided by the organizing authority as permitted by ISAF Regulation 20.3. (d)(i). The organizing authority may charge a fee to permit advertising selected by the competitor to be displayed in the area reserved for advertising to the organizing authority (forward 20% of each side of the hull).
10. Class Flags and Identification. A list of class flags will be issued when the division between classes is announced.
11. Signals made ashore. On Friday there will be no signals made ashore except as indicated under sailing instruction nr.8.
12. Course. The diagrams in other page show the courses, including the approximate angles between legs, the order in which marks are to be passed, and the side on which each mark is to be left. The written text prevails over the diagrams. In case a course is shortened after the start RRS rule 32 shall apply.
13. Course area. Boats whose warning signal has not been made shall stay at least 0.25 mile away from the starting line. Boats that break this rule may be protested by the RC only.
14. Marks. Marks Island Waterworld, B and Wet and Wild will be orange inflated buoys. Mark P will be the white floating pole at the entrance of the Annabaai near Hotel Plaza. A missing mark will be replaced by a committee boat, displaying code flag “M”. Mark HRC C, K, S1, S2 and S3 are small colored buoys. The marks SP1 and SP2 are permanent constructions at these locations. The approximate place of the marks is indicated on the Google Earth maps in the appendix.
15. Start. Races will be started in accordance with RRS rule 26. Warning signal will be made 5 minutes before the starting signal of the concerned class. The starting signal of a preceding class is the warning signal for the succeeding class. The starting line on Friday will be determined between a red flag on the Race Committee Signal Boat and an orange inflatable buoy, mark A. The Race Committee Signal Boat may be at either end of the line. Any boat or buoy attached to the Race Committee Signal Boat shall be considered to be part of the Race Committee Signal Boat.
The starting line on Friday and Saturday will be determined by the red flag on the RC tower and a red flag on the “Otrabanda“ side of the Annabaai. For the sunfishes the starting line of the 2th and 5th race will be at the north site of Heikenen Regatta Curacao Village between a red flag and a buoy in the middle of Annabaai. For the sailboards the start will be downwind between mark P and the starting committee of the sailboards on the dock of Marichi.
16. Recalls. Individual recalls will be signaled in accordance with RRS rule 29.1. General recalls will be signaled in accordance with RRS rule 29.2. In the event of a general recall, starts for succeeding classes will be postponed accordingly.
17. Finish. On Friday the races of the Commodore Cup will have the finishing line between an orange flag on a Race Committee Signal Boat and a nearby orange inflatable buoy. The finishing line on Saturday and Sunday will be determined by the line through the red flag on the RC tower and a red flag on the “Otrabanda“ side of the Annabaai but only the part west of Mark F. An in-between finish line for Yachts, Sunfishes and Beach cats will be the extension of the line from a red flag on the Plaza hotel and the white floating pole in front of that hotel. In the case one of the yachts cannot enter the Annabaai for reasons of big ship movements or closed bridge in the Annabaai the in-between finish time for the class concerned will apply.
18. Use of Engines. Any boat that uses her engine during a race, including the preparatory period from the preparatory signal on, shall submit a written report of the incident, including the time and distance covered and the reasons for using the engine, to the regatta office within protest time. The regatta office shall report the incident to the protest committee, which may take any action it deems appropriate in its sole discretion.
19. Protests. Protests shall be written on forms available at the race committee and lodged there within 60 minutes after the last boat's finish in that class of the races that day. Protest notices will be posted on the notice board within 30 minutes of the protest time limit to inform competitors if they are parties to a protest or named as witnesses. Protests will be heard in approximately the order of receipt, starting as soon as possible each day of the races after the last race.
20. Scoring. For Yachts, Multihulls and Beach cats, Sailboards 4 races are scheduled. For these classes, the Low Point scoring system, RRS rule A4.1, will apply except that a boat’s score will be the total of all her races. This changes RRS rule A2.
For Sunfishes: 6 races are scheduled, when fewer than 6 races have been completed, a boat’s series score will be the total of her race scores, when 6 races have been completed, a boat’s series score will be the total of her race scores excluding her worst score.
For all classes one race shall be completed to constitute a series.
21. Radio/telephone Communications. The Race Committee can be reached via VHF channel 71. A designated observer may report over the radio a time check, changes to the sailing instructions and visual displays by the Race Committee. This changes RRS rule 41. This information is provided as a courtesy to competitors, any errors or omissions of the observer will not be grounds for redress. This changes RRS rule 62.1(a). Calls will not be answered during the starting procedure.
22. Prizes. Prizes will be awarded to winners, depending on the total number of competitors in the class concerned. Award giving takes place on Sunday, November 8th at 18.00 hrs at Maritiem Museum.
23. Safety. For Sunfishes RRS rule 40 is changed to read: “Y flag need not be displayed. Life jackets shall be worn at all times while on the water. A violation is subject to DNE.
For all classes: Boats which do not start, which retire or do not finish, shall inform the Race Committee as soon as possible. Failing to do so may result in disqualification
24. Responsibilities/liabilities. The responsibilities for the safety and security of each participating boat, its crew and its gear as well as for the decision whether or not to race or continue to race lies entirely with the participant. The race committee shall not and cannot be held liable for any damage, loss or injury of whatever nature which directly or indirectly could result in connection with participating in the races.
25. Skippers meeting/briefing. Briefing will held on Friday November 6th, 20:00 – 20:30 hrs at ‘Maritiem Museum’.