SAILING MATTERS
by the Rear Commodore, Gregg Dobson

IRC Bulletin 05/10Hi all IRC members, racing sailors and interested parties, The IRC SA KZN Provincials are less than 3 weeks away, starting on the 12 June. I trust all those intending to compete in these championships have contacted Donald at the SAS KZN office to have your revalidation pushed through, so you get it back in time?
The IRC Provincials have always been a well run event with good racing. As is common knowledge, IRC is the "high ground" of yacht rating systems internationally, effectively rendering all rated yachts as a level rated class. IRC is the most credible racing rating system in operation today.
Success in this class is a noteworthy achievement. Remember, this is a SAS KZN Provincial complete with medals and points.
So, where are all those big boats hiding? Is Doughty, Phezulu, Wynleigh and the J133 coming to give Skitzo or "big" Prodigy 3 a run for their money? Will the Pacer 27s dominate this year, or the Melges 2's in Division 2, or is it the time for Stoked, Cabriole or B2G2?

Rob Samways
IRC SA Chairman.
~Racing Rules
I have been asked by our Rear Commodore, Gregg Dobson, to present a weekly "simplified" explanation of a specific aspect of the Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS), and to outline a possible scenario, with possible actions applicable. However, it would be more fun if any "non-racing rule gurus" reading this, e-mail or fax me with an incident in which they were involved. With this information, I will attempt to determine what rule/s applied and what action/s should or could have been taken. Obviously, without the other party/s account of what happened, the explanation will be based purely on your "testimony". I will omit any reference to actual persons and boats in the published presentation of the incident.
To start, we're going to talk about at the start, of a yacht race: On a typical start line set for a windward course to be sailed, we're at "x" seconds to the start signal.
Before the start signal there is no "proper course". Boats "stacking" on the start line can sail as high as they like, even head to wind. Most of the RRS Part 2 Section A and B Rules of "When Boats Meet" apply, simplified as: Port Tack yielding to Starboard Tack, Windward Boat keeping clear of Leeward boat, keep clear whilst tacking, avoiding contact, and when you have manoeuvred into a right of way position you must initially give the other boat "room to keep clear". From the start signal you are required to sail a "proper course", which in this instance is defined as "no higher than close hauled".
(There are other rules applied at the pin end of the start line, at the start signal, which will not be covered here.) Following, and simplified, is the most common infringement experienced on Wednesday Night Racing: Boats reaching in from an "outside of the start line" position around the back of the Committee Boat have no right to room or "water" between the Committee Boat and boats to leeward of them sailing higher, or boats "stacking" on the start line, awaiting the start signal. Your proper entry into the "starting line area" should be from around 5 - 10 boat lengths back from the line with a turn onto close hauled (usually on starboard tack), allowing a run up and arrival at speed, close hauled, on the line at the starting signal. (This does take practise to get it right!) If your close hauled path into the start line is started too high, so that your bow is either aiming at or above and to windward of the Committee Boat, you have a problem. Any boat below and to leeward of you, able to "fetch" the Committee Boat, can squeeze you out of the line, as you have no rights being the windward boat, and must keep clear.
To keep clear, you will have to sail to the windward side of the Committee Boat (Try and not ram the Committee Boat between the motors! Sinking the Committee Boat puts the "fear of God" into Race Officials, and they are hard to come by!) and circle around and approach the line again, or you can release all your sails and try and slow down so you are able to follow boats to leeward of you through the line. (Not a race winning start!)
Should you arrive at the starting line too early before the starting signal, you do not have the right to bear off down the start line across the bows of all boats to leeward of you, apologising as you go!
You  need to keep clear of everyone and get back, as soon as possible, to the start side of the line, without inconveniencing anyone. Your failure to make a good start should not be made the problem of all those who have got it "just about right".
This is when the braai mounted on your pushpit can be lit, as you follow your fellow competitors disappearing into the distance!

Ken Allas (your "Rule xpert|)
~Durban to Richard's Bay Race
3 (yes only 3 - how sad is that!) boats entered the Durban to Richards Bay Race. The weather forecaster indicated that the fresh sw'ly would moderate and back into the east, so it was decided to start earlier than advertized.
As Bandit was going to make an attempt of the record, the boats 'self started' by recording the time that they cleared the north breakwater.
Bandit tore up the coast, taking only 4 hours to reach Tugela. Unfortunately a squall popped out of a cloud giving her a headwind to contend with off Durnford. This effectively blew their chances of breaking the record. But Bandit and crew have the ability and, more importantly, the desire to do it so its only a matter of time before the record falls.
This time she was crewed by Sean Jones, Lynette Calder, Vernon Heyller and Cyril (Tiger) Foley.
Elapsed times: Bandit 7 hrs 23 mins. (Sean Jones).
Cape Smoke 12 hrs 21 mins. (Chris Despy / Mano Govender).
Spindrift 14 hrs 15 mins. (John Banfield).
Many thanks to ZYC for accommodating the visiting yachts.
The return race is scheduled for 29 May. Are there any other crews that are keen to enter?

~A report from Sean Jones
On 15 May we participated in the Durban to Richards Bay Race on Bandit, a Simonis 26' micro multihull (cat). The crew was Sean Jones, skipper and Cyril Foley, Vernon Hellyer and Lynnette Calder. At 09h18 we started at Durban Harbour entrance, with about a 15 knot SE blowing, the wind increased during the day as the rain squalls passed through. We were surfing off some of the swells at speeds in excess of 20 knots and apart from having to gybe to avoid a collision with a ship it was virtually a one gybe reach all the way.
True to form a rain squall hit us at Durnford and the sea got very lumpy and confused forcing us to go out to sea, the wind backed to the NE and was gusting up to 35 knots at times, which resulted in having to drop the bag and put in a reef and put us into a beat for the last stretch until we could bear off into the finish line at Richards Bay Harbour.
It was 7hrs 36 mins of an adrenaline rush, roller coaster ride.

Who moved Richards Bay?
~A report from John Banfield
The race started on Saturday at 09h00 on a very nice south westerly, but with only three boats, Bandit, Cape Smoke and Spindrift. The weather was squally with 36 knots at times, but normally 12 to 18 knots - just the weather for a fast run to Richards Bay.
As predicted by evening the wind swung to the east making a nice reach in. Bandit had an exceptional run missing the run record by 10 minutes and clocking speeds of 22-plus knots and requiring an extreme level of concentration. If they had not lost a rudder on the way they felt they would have broken the record. I am told when the speed came down to 11/12 knots they felt they were standing still.
Cape Smoke unfortunately retired after losing their spinnaker, but pushed on to Richards Bay under power for the race back in two weeks. Spindrift had a good run crossing the line just after 21h00 having blown the spinnaker and pulling the guy blocks out of the deck during a squall.
A fantastic race and it was enjoyed by all with Zululand Yacht Club as welcoming as always (when you eventually get in at night in the dark at low tide and have navigated the sand banks).
The performance of Spindrift is all that more noteworthy as the Banfield family crewed the boat. Well done John and all the Banfields.

~Crew Service
Struan Campbell has created a crew mix and match group on facebook for skippers who need crew and crew who need boats. It is open to anyone so if you need a person or a boat then put a wall post up advertising yourself. Hopefully we can start building fleets by making it easy for skippers and crew to connect.
Put videos, photos - whatever you want - up there for all to see.

See the link at: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=112468105452262

Let's enjoy our sport safely! See you on the water