Results
Race Officers Report for Day 1 the IOM Top of the South Regatta held at Best Island 5/6 November
2022.
We all arrived on Saturday to an unexpected/ unforecast blustery southerly requiring B and C rig
changes. After the first round the wind eased and competitors switched to A rigs, the wind swung to
the north and racing was held at the top end of the A rig range.
John Leydon was race officer for Saturdays races that were somewhat trying sailing conditions.
Linley Morton and I were starters and place recorders with Judy Curtis fleet management and data
input, along with lots of other helpers.
We ran two fleets under the SHRS scoring system
10 sets of races were sailed that set us up for “Silver” and” Gold” fleets for Sunday.
A number of competitors went to and reported an enjoyable dinner at the Waimea Club on the
Saturday night.
Sunday heralded a beautiful sunny day with a gentle northerly breeze and racing commenced at 11
am.
I was race officer (first time) and it was a pleasure to work with all involved.
It was much easier and faster to get through races as the finishing signal for the winning boat was
an indication to the next fleet to get in the water.
The local sea breeze kicked in around midday and mid afternoon swung somewhat to the west
requiring a course adjustment.
19 heats were sailed and a winner, regular Pegasus visitor, Rick Cassels-Brown took the title,
followed by veteran IOM sailor Keith May (not the oldest competitor but he’s been sailing IOM’s for
a long time) also from Pegasus, well done. Top local sailor Brian Bennet in third. Nigel Petrie was
first in the silver fleet followed by Alan Yardley all the way from Keri Keri in the Far North.
Best Woody went to Bob Senior from Auckland (another regular competitor at our regattas) and Top
classic went to Michael Ballard.
Well done to everyone.
Once again the visitors were very complimentary to the great facilities the hard working club
members have developed at Best Island and the effort club members put into running these events.
They will be back.
The success of this event is wholly reliant on a team of fabulous volunteers who anticipate in
advance and make the event run so smoothly. A big thankyou to all those people who helped with
everything from setting up the Goldpine marquee to launching and retrieving boats for people
requiring extra assistance. Its this spirit that makes these events enjoyable and easy for everyone.
Gabriella Petrie.
Top of the South IOM Regatta Best Island,Nelson . Day One Nov 5 th 2022
The day was sunny and cool with a continuation of the gusty sou-westerlies of the previous few days. Those with B
rigs used them and with gusts coming through at about 25 knots the few A rigs had some spectacular wipeouts, and
also some moments of advantage between the gusts. In mid afternoon the forecast sea breeze arrived and good A
rig conditions lasted until racing finished at 5 oclock. With the wind from the westerly quarter getting a true start
line was not possible and so having the least bias was the aim of the day. This meant having quite a lot, which in the
long run is the same as having a little, as it still favours one end. Starts were frantic, but after 40% of the fleet were
recalled in start 2 , the sailors regained their well behaved demeanour and sailing for the rest of the day was keen
and entertaining. Though not without the odd skirmish!
There were two fleets of 10. The race committee decided on two fleets rather than the one permitted with fewer
than 21 entries. Given the small course and cluttered start line this gave fairer racing for everyone.
The recall on race 2 was interesting. Two boats returned, one number was miscalled, and one skipper did not hear
his number. The miscalled boat was at the far end of the line, and I called it as 81. When it got closer, I could see that
it was a zero with a diagonal bar through it, and a one. The owner was advised that this type of zero is not permitted
under the Rules of Sailing. In fact, if he used a standard zero, and the Helvetica typeface specified in the rules, his
problem may be solved, ie 01.
Sailors not hearing their recall will always be a problem, and the gusty conditions were not ideal for long distance
verbal communication .On the other hand, this boat had started half a length over at the windward end, and so
everyone else knew he was over !
Two boats were granted redress in the form of average points for being taken off the course for some time in
collisions with infringing boats, and many penalty turns were observed .One boat was disqualified on the report of
an observer for missing out the offset mark on the first lap. The Observer has to tell you if you hit the mark, but may
not tell if you miss it! There must be a story here, as the rules that say you cannot hit the mark also say you have to
go around all the marks of the course, so why allow the advising of one but not the other?
At the briefing I explained my full-size sailing experience far outweighed that of my Radio Sailing. This showed in the
different emphasis in two main areas. Recalls are signalled but individuals are not advised in full size sailing. The
other main difference is with the use of observers. Only at the very highest level of fullsize sailing, World
Championships up ,is the sport not self policing.
I also mentioned at the briefing that I had inherited a race management crew, and at that time I had no idea what an
efficient and well oiled team they were. Gabriella Petrie as assistant RO (on day one, she was promoted on day 2)
and Lynley Morten looked after the sign on and finishing places for each heat. Jacki Hart was communications runner
between Race Control and the Results Bus, where Judith Curtis shuffled competitors between heats, and produced
running results almost as they happened. Thanks to all of you Ladies. Truly a case of being saved by the Belles!
Basil Hart and his team of willing helpers prepared the venue and John Levy and Dave Corbett sorted the mark
laying.Thanks to them all for their help and support in making my day go smoothly.
Observations.
As mentioned above, having observers was new to me. There is a very good publication put out by the NZRYA called
the ”Race Management Manual’’ . While I was familiar with the Yachting NZ equivalent, the Radio Sailing version was
quite new to me when I found out about it after the weekend! All sailors should be familiar with the contents, not
necessarily because you are going to be a Race Officer, but because it explains the duties and procedures that you
will expect to govern your racing. Duties of the Observers, the mark boat, and every aspect of running a race or
event are covered in a clear and logical manner
The role of observers is to “call any contact between boats or between a boat and a marker buoy….. as it is the
responsibility of the offending boat to accept a penalty immediately and complete the penalty at the earliest
reasonable opportunity” (Guidelines for Observers NZRYA. ) Competitors also need to be able to call their own
rights, or acknowledge fault , without waiting for an observer to do it for them. You still incur a penalty if you hit a
mark and no one else saw you, and yes, your boom hitting a mark ,or another boat, is an infringement.
Your responsibility is spelled out in Rule 2 of the Racing rules :
2 FAIR SAILING A boat and her owner shall compete in compliance with recognized principles of sportsmanship and
fair play. A boat may be penalized under this rule only if it is clearly established that these principles have been
violated. The penalty shall be a disqualification that is not excludable.
“This means when you accidently break a rule you mut take a penalty unless you are exonerated” (Bryan Willis)
I discussed the issue of taking a penalty with YNZ Judge Alasdair Daines. The common problem is that the alternative
Penalty rule is in two parts.
44.2 One-Turn and Two-Turns Penalties After getting well clear of other boats as soon after the incident as possible,
a boat takes a One-Turn or Two-Turns Penalty by promptly making the required number of turns in the same
direction, each turn including one tack and one gybe. When a boat takes the penalty at or near the finishing line, her
hull shall be completely on the course side of the line before she finish.
*Therefore you cannot necessarily just fly into your turns after accepting a penalty. If boats have to avoid you while
you are doing your turns then that would be another infringement.
*Getting clear may involve tacking away
*If you tack and sail to get well clear, then that tack is not included as part of your penalty turn
*You must indicate your intention to move clear promptly so as to let the infringed boat know you have accepted
the penalty so he can get on with his race. 15 seconds would be considered reasonable by Alasdair for Radio Yachts,
as an Olympic 49er has been penalised for taking more than 20 seconds
*The penalty has to be done on the same leg. Only a penalty incurred by hitting a mark, or a boat at the mark, does
the penalty get done on the next leg
*It is a penalty, it is supposed to penalise .Back in the day any contact meant instant retirement. So practise getting
clear, and then doing 360s so that if you have to do one it will be part of your skillset and not a major upset.
Other Observations
The penalty for hitting a mark is not to re-round it. Throw that rule book away! The penalty is as above.
If you infringe after the preparatory signal, but before the start, you can, and have to ,do your penalty before
the start .See above!
If you know you are going to be over the line, bail out before the start on the off chance you can get around
the end, or tack back and get a bad start, rather than being recalled and getting a disastrous start!
The speed and compactness of the IOM fleet means that there are always going to be errors of judgement,
especially when much of the action takes place on the horizon. This is part of the sport. Remember that the
race does not stop while you do your turn. You need to get on with it and get back into the race. For
practical purposes, being recalled or having to do a penalty is going to wreck your day, but at the end of 20
races, having got back up to an 8 th or something, may be important.
Good Sailing
John Leydon
Race Officer
Day