AUSTRALIAN LANDSAILING ASSOCIATION (INC)

SAILING RULES - NOVEMBER 1991

'ALSA' is the governing body for land sailing in Australia and controls and organises national competitions and holds affiliation with the Federation International de Sand et Land Yacht (FISLY) in Europe and the Pacific Rim Association (PRA) in the Pacific area.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS – HOST CLUB REQIREMENTS

Hosting Club

1. Collect entry form and fees.
2. To provide:

a. Markers –highly visible. (i.e. road markers, painted 40 gallon drums or stacked tyres)

b. Flags – Orange for markers, chequered for finish, black for stop racing, red for last lap.

c. Starting Grid - numbered 1-20. Easily read visible numbers, minimum of 3 meters apart.

d. Toilet Facilities – at least one to be available.

e. Race Marshal/Starter – to oversee all race activities.

f. Scorers – a least one scorer with good knowledge of the ALSA rules to oversee the scoring and assist the race starter with course setting.

g. First Aid Facilities and First Aid Officer – The first aid officer shall have a current senior first aid certificate if possible.

A small club can make arrangements for help with a large club.

ALSA to Provide

1. Entry Forms – directly to all clubs
2. Sailing Rules and Requirements
3. Scoring Material and Race Cards
4. Trophies and/or Certificates

PROCEDURES

1. The Race Marshal/Starter is in charge of all race activities.
2. The Race Marshal/Starter in conjunction with the Chief Scorer, shall decide and set the courses and number of laps per race.
3. The Race Marshal/Starter shall receive any written protests.
4. The Chief Scorer is in charge of all scorers and marker observers.
5. The Chief Scorer shall allocate race start positions for each class of yacht.
6. The Chief Scorer in conjunction with the Race Marshal/Starter, may cancel or abandon the race if the course for any reason is unsafe, or under Section D.6 (no wind) of the ALSA rules.
7. A race committee shall be nominated and must consist of the Race Marshal/Starter, Chief Scorer, a representative of competing pilots, host club President, and if possible one member of ALSA Committee who is not competing. This committee shall be for the purpose of hearing protests.
8. The designated Scorers area is off limit to all pilots and members of the public. Only race officials allowed.
9. Courtesy to other pilots and host club facilities should be shown at all times. Please remove your rubbish. Keep any pets under control. If using toilet facilities, help keep them clean.
10. ALSA sailing rules apply at all times and all pilots must be familiar with them. The fundamental purpose of these rules re to promote safe sailing.

A. RACE ENTRANTS

1. Age Limits. a. Senior - 16 years and over. b. Junior - under 16 years.

2. Entrants must have paid all club membership, insurance and entrance fees and be affiliated to the Association.

3. By entering a race, every pilot acknowledges that the rules are understood and will agree to abide by them.
4. All the rules must be observed with common sense, and in the spirit of fair play and good sportsmanship.
5. Entrants must be capable of operating their land yacht in a controlled and safe manner.
6. All pilots shall be subject to the direction and control of the race committee.

B. SAFETY REGULATIONS

1. It is compulsory to wear a seat belt at ALL times during a race.
2. It is compulsory to wear a safety helmet and closed-in footwear for racing, and recommended for social sailing. (Upon presenting a valid reason, pilots may be given exemption from rule B.2.)

1. The minimum requirement for a safety helmet is Australian Standard Lightweight Protective Helmet, SAA 2063/1, 2063/2.
2. The helmet shall not impair vision or hearing.

3. Sail ropes shall not drag on the ground.
4. All pilots must take adequate precautions to avoid collision with other yachts, spectators and obstacles.
5. Attendance at the Pilot's Meeting is compulsory. A ten minute signal warning to meeting start time will be given by either audible signal or the chequered flag flying.
6. When the course is laid out for practice, always sail the course in the same direction as other yachts. Any other practice can be dangerous.
7. All yachts not racing must be parked safely and away from the race course.
8. If there is an accident, the pilot must signal by getting out of his yacht, standing up, and walking around his yacht so as to show a passing yacht or the Race Marshal/Starter that he is all right. If there is no visible signal from the yacht, it must be assumed that the pilot is seriously injured. If this is the case, do not remove the pilot from the yacht unless there is the possibility of further danger to the injured. The First Aid Officer shall make the necessary decisions.
9. Do not drink alcohol when sailing, especially when racing.

C. YACHT REQUIREMENTS

1. Every yacht must be of sound construction and repairs, and meet safety requirements.
2. The yacht will conform to the standards set by its class specifications
3. The yacht sail will bear clear identification as set out below.

a. Position The national letters and numbers shall be above an imaginary line projecting at right angles to the luff from a point one third of the distance measured from the tack to the head of the sail (see diagram 1). A sail must display country letters, and sail numbers on both sides of the sial. The numbers on one side of the sail must be higher than those on the other side of the sail, without overlapping.

b. Size The height of the numbers and the letters shall be a minimum of one tenth the size of the foot of the sail rounded up to the nearest 50 mm. The minimum size for the letters and numbers shall be 250mm (see diagram 2)

c. Colour The colour shall be such that it is clearly visible, in general it can be said that the requirement is for the race committee to be able to red the numbers with no more difficulty than they can expect to have with numbers of another colour.

d. Infringements Failure to display the correct numbers renders that yacht out of class and disqualifies it.

D. RACING

1. BEFORE RACE STARTS
1. Race start positions will only be allocated at the pilots meeting and must be adhered to. No start position – no start.
2. The start time for the first race shall be given at the pilots meeting. The start of any race on any day will not be delayed for any tardy pilot for whatever reason.
3. A ten minute warning of the start of the first race of the day shall be given by either an audible signal or the chequered flag flying. With this all sailing yachts must leave the race course.
4. At the start line, the race starter shall check to make sure all yachts are headed in the same direction (to avert possible accidents) and has the authority to require a yacht to alter her heading.
5. The starting signal shall be by both the dropping of a flag and an audible signal. Pilots shall be informed at the pilots meeting as to what these signals are (i.e. colour of flag etc.)
6. No yacht may be in motion or cross the starting line before the signal has been given.
7. A red flag will start flying as the leading yacht crossed the line to commence it’s last lap. This will be maintained until the chequered flag.
2. Pilots are not allowed to change their yacht during a race.
3. a. Rules of the road apply at all times. (keep to your left – give way to your RIGHT)

(A. gives way to B.)

.

Diagram 3 Diagram 4

b. Yachts meeting head-on should each move to their RIGHT

(Both yachts move to their right.)

Diagram 5

c. A yacht moving should keep clear of a yacht that is stopped.

(A. keeps clear of B.)

Diagram 6

d. Yachts on the same tack and sailing upwind, the windward yacht shall keep clear.

e. Yachts on the same tack and sailing downwind, the leeward yacht shall keep clear.

(Yachts on the same tack... A. keeps clear of B.)

Upwind Downwind

Diagram 7                                                                                        Diagram 8

f. A right of way yacht shall not carry a non-right of way yacht away from the line into an un-sailable area or obstacle.

(A. must not carry (force) B. away from the course into an obstacle, even though A. is on B’s right)

Diagram 9

4. Overtaking: Overtaking yachts must keep clear of overtaken yachts. (Point of overtake occurs when the front wheel of the passing yacht is forward of the rear wheel of the passed yacht). The yacht being overtaken will maintain a steady course and will not veer or tack in front of passing yacht. However, if the overtaken yacht meets an obstacle, it has the right to be given room to manoeuvre.

(A. is overtaking B. and must keep clear of B.

B. must maintain a steady course but has the right to manoeuvre for obstacles)

Diagram 10

5. Markers:

a. No yacht may overtake another on the inside of the course within five (5) yacht lengths of a marker.

b. No yacht shall touch the markers.

c. Any pilot missing a marker, or passing it on the wrong side or direction, must return and round it correctly before reaching the next marker.

Diagram 11

6. No wind: Pilots are not permitted to continuously push their yachts in an unsailable direction at any time. If 3/4 of the fleet has stopped or are pushing, the race will be cancelled. A yacht that is restarting shall keep clear of a yacht that is under sail power.

Diagram 12

7. Finishing:

1. A pilot has finished the race when any part of the yacht has crossed the finish line and the chequered flag is flying. The race is finished regardless of what lap the yacht is on. Pilots must then proceed to the nominated staging area of the day without recrossing the finish line.
2. The nominated staging area is a safe parking area for yachts that have finished racing and is away from the race course line.
3. Yachts will not leave the staging area until the Race Starter has signalled that they should do so.
7. Infringements: Infringements of any of the RACING RULES (Section D.) can be nulled by doing a 720o turn (ie. two 360o turns) prior to the yacht completing the race, without hindrance to other competing yachts, and away from the course line.

E. DISQUALIFICATION

The Race Marshal/Starter and/or Chief Scorer may disqualify any pilot at any time. The definitions of disqualification are:

1. Any infringement that involves the safety of any yacht, including class specification, or pilot and the violation of any of the sailing rules.
2. The result of any protest of any infringement that the race committee determines in favour of the protester.

F. PROTESTS

1. Any competing pilot, any Race Official or any member of the Race Committee may enter a protest.

2. A competing pilot, Race Official or Race Committee may be protested.

3. Pilots must make their intent to protest known to;

a. The Race Marshall/Starter immediately after the race.

b. The protested party as soon as possible after the infringement has occurred.

c. The pilot must then present the protest in writing with the protest fee within 30 minutes after the finish of the race in which the protest occurred.

4. All protested parties will be notified by the Race Committee of the time and place of hearing of the protest.

5. If a protest has been entered, no score shall be posted until it has been decided.

6. The Race Committee decision will be final with no right of appeal.

7. If the protest is upheld, the fee will be refunded.

8. The protest fee is set at $15.00.

G. ADVERTISING

A yacht may display at any time, the logo or advertisement of a sponsoring company on either the seat or the sail. It shall not cover or impede the visibility of the sail number or the national letters. It shall be tasteful and deemed not of a crude nature or sexist.

F. SCORING

1. Yachts shall score .75 points for 1st place, 2 points for 2nd place, 3 points for 3rd place, etc.

2. DNF (did not finish) yachts shall receive the number of points corresponding to the number of finishers + 1.

3. DNS (did not start) yachts shall receive the number of points corresponding to the number of finishers + 2.

4. DSQ (disqualified) yachts shall receive the number of points corresponding to the number of finishers + 3.

5. In the case of a dead heat in any one race, each yacht tied will receive the number of points corresponding to their finish. Any yacht finishing immediately after the tied yachts shall receive the points score for the position one worse than the yachts finished ahead. (ie. 1st, 2nd, 2nd, 4th)

6. Ties between two yachts scoring the same number of points overall shall be decided in favour of the yacht with the greater number of wins against the other. In the case of equal wins, then the highest number of second placings, to third placings, etc.

7. Duplicate individual trophies shall be awarded for yachts still tied after all levels of the tie-breaking procedure have been followed. Perpetual trophies are to be engraved with both names.

8. At the first days Pilot's Meeting for the competition, it will be decided if there will be a `race discard'. If it is agreed to, the following procedure shall be followed:-

a. 1 out of each block of 6 races will be discarded. (ie. race 1-6, drop one race; race 7-12, drop one race)

b. A DSQ cannot be discarded under any circumstances at all.

c. A DNS cannot be discarded unless a full block of 6 races has a DNS against each race, then one race may be discarded.

9. When there is a tie on overall points, excluding discards, the discards shall not be included to break the tie. The procedure outlined in '6' shall be followed.

10. Minimum entries per class and trophy allocation:-

3 yachts starting 1st place trophy only

4 yachts starting 1st place trophy only

5 yachts starting 1st & 2nd place trophy only

6-9 yachts starting 1st-3rd place trophy

10-14 yachts starting 1st-4th place trophy

15 + yachts starting 1st-5th place trophy

This applies to all classes as well as ladies and juniors.

For further details, contact Promo girl