Notice of Race - Online text version
(as from 31st October 2007 - click here for a pdf version)
Table of contents
General
19th July – 1st August 2008
in association with the
- Lübecker Yacht Club
- City of Karlskrona
- Klaipėda Yachtclub ‑ Klaipėda
- Navy Yacht Club "Kotwica", Gdynia
Pomeranian Sailing Association Gdynia and Gdańsk - Rønne, Bornholm
Notice of Race
Nomenclature: the words “yacht” and “boat” are interchangeable; the masculine gender shall be assumed to include also the feminine gender. Times are local times unless otherwise stated.
§1 The Event
The event builds on the highly successful image and reputation of the BALTIC SPRINT CUP sailed annually since 2005 for racing and cruiser/racer yachts in the Baltic region: competition, friendship and excellent stopover parties are the hallmarks. The 2008 event steps up the racing element with the addition of an IRC racer division and offers more variety with a day of round-the-buoys racing in the Gulf of Gdańsk.
§2 Race Programme
| Race | from – to | date | first warning signal | approx distance |
| 1 | Travemünde – Karlskrona | Sat 19th July | 1455 | 216 |
| 2 | Karlskrona - Klaipėda | Wed 23rd July | 0955 | 190 |
| 3 | Klaipėda - Gdynia | Sun 27th July | 1155 | 111 |
| 4A & 4B | Races in Gulf of Gdańsk | Tue 29th July | 1055 | 22 |
| 5 | Gdańsk – Rønne/Bornholm | Wed 30th July | 1155 | 171 |
| Total Milage | 710 |
§3 Shoreside Programme - preliminary
| Date | Place | Time | Activity |
| Friday 18th July | Travemünde | 1000 | Check-in available from 1000 |
| 1600 | Check-in deadline (see NoR 9.7) | ||
| 1900 | SE Spezial-Electronic Opening Party | ||
| Saturday 19th July | 1100 | Skippers´ Meeting | |
| Tuesday 22nd July | Karlskrona | 1900 | Prizegiving and crew party |
| Wednesday 23rd July | 0700 | Skippers´ Meeting | |
| Saturday 26th July | Klaipėda | 1900 | Prizegiving and crew party |
| Sunday 27th July | 0930 | Skippers´ Meeting | |
| Monday 28th July | Gdynia | 1700 | Reception |
| Tuesday 29th July | 0800 | Skippers´ Meeting | |
| Tuesday 29th July | Gdańsk | 1900 | Prizegiving and crew party |
| Wednesday 30th July | Gdańsk | 0930 | Skippers´ Meeting |
| Friday 1st August | Rønne | 1700 | Prizegiving reception |
| 1900 | “Final Showdown”: DnB NORD Prizegiving Party |
§4 Eligibility
An eligible boat shall
4.1 have a minimum LOA (length overall) of 30ft (a boat which is nominally 30ft LOA may be accepted at the discretion of the organizers)
4.2 comply with ISAF (International Sailing Federation) OSRs (Offshore Special Regulations) Category 3 as modified in paragraph 16 below
4.3 have minimum stability criteria being either
- an RCD (Recreational Craft Directive) category A or B, or
- a minimum STIX (Stability Index) of 23 in accordance with ISO (International Standard) 12217-2 with a minimum AVS (Angle of Vanishing Stability) of 130-0.005 x m (where m is minimum sailing weight in kg of not less than 1500kg and AVS is = or > 95), or
- a RORC (Royal Ocean Racing Club) minimum SSS (Stability and Safety Screen) value of 20.
Note Stability details of a boat are usually available from the builder or designer or the organizers will be pleased to assist. Please send a copy of the data when it is not shown in your rating certificate. See www.rorcrating.com/stix/STIX2007FAQ.pdf
4.4 have an appropriate rating certificate
§5 Crew
A minimum of four persons shall be on board when racing. Each crew member must be a member of his/her Member National Authority or one of its affiliated organizations. Provided that the race committee is informed in writing in advance there is no restriction on the number of changes allowed to the make-up of a crew or the identity of the person in charge between one leg and another.
§6 Division
There are two divisions: racer (IRC) and cruiser (ORC Club). A yacht may apply to sail in either the racer or the cruiser division. She cannot sail in both divisions and after sailing in her first race shall not change divisions. The organizing committee reserves the right to assign a yacht to a division.
A boat in the racer (IRC) division shall hold an IRC certificate of min 0,900 TCC (to be confirmed – please check the web site)
A boat in the cruiser division (ORC Club) shall hold an ORC Club certificate of max 650 GPH
§7 Race Results
A racer division corrected time result will be found from an IRC rating using the formula Corrected time = Elapsed time x TCC. A cruiser division corrected time result will be found using the formula Corrected time = Elapsed time x TMF. A cruiser division TMF will be found from the formula 600/GPH where the GPH is provided by the yacht’s national rating authority.
§8 Important Notice
Offshore Racing can be dangerous. The attention of owners, skippers, persons-in-charge, crew members and all concerned with the Baltic Sprint Cup 2008 is in particular drawn to:
8.1 ISAF RRS (Racing Rules of Sailing) Fundamental Rule 4: The responsibility for a boat’s decision to participate in a race or to continue racing is hers alone.
8.2 ISAF OSRs including 1.02.1 - Responsibility of the Person-in-Charge: The safety of a yacht and her crew is the sole and inescapable responsibility of the person in charge who must do his best to ensure that the yacht is fully found, thoroughly seaworthy and manned by an experienced crew who have undergone appropriate training and are physically fit to face bad weather. He must be satisfied as to the soundness of hull, spars, rigging, sails and all gear. He must ensure that all safety equipment is properly maintained and stowed and that the crew know where it is kept and how it is to be used.
8.3 NoR paras 34 Insurance and 36 Liability.
§9 Entries / Closing Date / Check-in at Travemünde
9.1 It is strongly recommended that entries are made online at www.BalticSprintCup.com.
9.2 Alternatively a form may be downloaded from the web site, completed and posted to the organizers (see NoR 38).
9.3 An entry may be accepted for the whole event or for two consecutive legs. Races 4A and 4B count as one leg. Exceptionally, a yacht based in Poland or Russia may enter only races 4A and 4B. When the limit is reached the organizers may refuse further entries.
9.4 Closing date for entries is 30th June 2008 but early entry is encouraged so that information can be sent to the entrant. Exceptionally, a yacht based in Poland or Russia may enter races 4A and 4B only and pay in cash the entry fee at the skipper’s briefing on Tuesday 29th July.
9.5 Late entries may be considered but acceptance is not guaranteed. A late entry fee of 50% (of the basic fee) will be payable (see 10.5 below).
9.6 A condition of entering and participating in the Baltic Sprint Cup 2008 shall be the acceptance of and agreement to be bound by the race rules on the basis that they comprise a fair and reasonable framework.
9.7 Check-in at Travemünde: yachts shall report to the committee desk (details in the Sailing Instructions part A) before 1600 on Friday 18th July unless permission is given in writing by the Race Committee for late reporting. Inspections of yachts will be made at Travemünde and at random at other ports.
§10 Entry Fees
10.1 Entry fees comprise basic fees plus crew fees and (except for local entries in races 4A and 4B) must be paid on or before 30th June 2008.
10.2 In the case of cancellation a fee of 25% is payable and any other fees received will be refunded.
Basic fee:
10.3 The basic fee for each boat for all 5 races (incl. Round-the Buoys 4A & 4B) is:-
| Length over all (LOA)* | basic fee |
| less than 40 ft | € 750 |
| less than 45 ft | € 1,000 |
| less than 50 ft | € 1,250 |
| less than 60 ft | € 1,500 |
| less than 70 ft | € 1,750 |
| 70 ft and greater | € 2,000 |
| Races 4A and 4B** | € 100 |
10.4 SAIL & RACE will wherever possible arrange berthing for all the fleet at the same location. However, at some ports very deep-drafted boats may be allocated moorings away from the rest of the fleet. Where additional costs arise for this and any associated extra service (eg a ferry shuttle) such costs will be payable by the deep-drafted yacht directly to the company providing the service.
10.5 For a late entry a fee of 50% of the basic fee mentioned in paragraph 10.3 above is payable in addition to the basic fee.
Plus crew and guest fees:
10.6 Crew fees €36,00 per person for each port visited (Gdynia and Gdańsk count as one port), except that:-
10.7 Guest cards € 45 – advance purchase only: together with the entry fee and not later than 30th June 2008 an entrant may order and pay for not more than one guest card per crew member per port. There is no youth reduction for guest cards and no possibility to purchase guest cards at the port concerned.
10.8 Crew fees and guest cards include admission to crew parties.
Discounts / Reductions / Lottery
10.9 When a yacht enters for less than all races she shall pay the basic fee in the table in 10.3 above reduced by 15% for each race not entered.
10.10 Early payment reduction: Payments made for any entry fee (basic and/or crew fees) may be reduced as follows, provided it is received on the organizers bank account (para 11.1):-
| Received by | discount |
| 30th November 2007 | 15% |
| 31st December 2007 | 10% |
| 29th February 2008 | 7% |
| 30th April 2008 | 4% |
10.11 Junior Crew: a crew member under the age of 14 years on 19th July 2008 will pay €18 and
10.12 Youth Crew: when a yacht has at least 50% crew members under 25 on 19th July 2008 each youth crew member will pay € 18
10.13 Sponsorship has been offered by DnB NORD to assist with entry fee payments for yachts from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania Russia and Poland. For details please apply to SAIL & RACE.
10.14 Lottery: As in the 2007 event there will be a lottery for fast decision-makers with the following playing rules:
10.14.1 Every official entry made by 31st January and accompanied by payment of the basic fee (see para 10.3) will take part in the lottery.
10.14.2 Payments will be accepted either by bank transfer or cheque (in case of a late money transfer SAIL & RACE must receive before the closing date a copy of the bank slip confirming the amount).
10.14.3 Each valid lottery entry will be drawn on 3rd February by young children with the following result:
- 1st, 2nd and 3rd drawing: each of the drawn skippers will be refunded 25% of the paid basic fee. The proceeds will be credited to the crew fee payment.
- 4th drawing: the skipper will receive a 50% refund of the paid basic fee. The proceeds will be credited to the crew fee payment
- 5th drawing: the skipper will receive a 100% refund of the paid basic fee. The proceeds will be credited to the crew fee payment
§11 Payments
11.1 All payments (except for local entries in races 4A and 4B) must be received at the following account not later than 30th June 2008:
SAIL & RACE • Henning Rocholl • (VAT-Id Nr. DE239308366)
Hamburger Sparkasse • Address: P.O.B. / D-20454 Hamburg
BLZ 20050550 • Account-No. 1043 216 520
IBAN: DE80 2005 0550 1043 2165 20 • SWIFT (BIC): HASPDEHHXXX
All fees include 19% German VAT.
11.2 All payments shall be made in EUROs. Any financial adjustment at a stopover port will be done only in cash in EUROs.
§12 Classes
Each division may be divided into classes according to the profile of entries received.
§13 Points System
Each division will be scored as provided in Appendix A of the RRS using the Low Points System when each race (that is, 1, 2, 3, 4* and 5) will be scored according to table A 4.1 except that a boat that did not finish shall have points for the place one more than the last yacht to finish. The worst performance of races 1,2,3,4 and 5 shall be discarded. The number of legs held shall comprise the number of legs required to complete the series.
*Race 4 will be scored by adding Appendix A Low Points scores for Race 4A multiplied by 1.1 to the scores for Race 4B multiplied by 0.9 and dividing the product by 2.
(this changes RRS Appendix A)
§14 Prizes, Trophies and Special Awards
The following principal awards and others for both divisions (ORC and IRC) will be detailed in Sailing Instructions part A.
14.1 Baltic Sprint Cup (IRC)
14.2 Baltic Sprint Cup Award – perpetual prize: best skipper for last two events (2007 ORC + 2008 IRC)
14.3 Youth Awards – perpetual prize – (IRC): best boat with at least 50% crew members under the age of 25
14.4 Team Award – perpetual prize – (IRC): best team of two boats
14.5 Baltic Sprint Cup Speed Award – perpetual prize: fastest yacht.
§15 Organizing Authority / Management
The organizing authority is the Baltic Sprint Cup Commity, Copenhagen and the event is managed on their behalf by SAIL & RACE , Hamburg (see contact under NOR 38).
§16 Rules
The event will be governed by the:
16.1 RRS except that between the hours of sunset and sunrise the rules of RRS Part 2 will be replaced by the right-of-way rules of the IRPCAS (International Regulations for Preventing Collisions At Sea)
16.1.1 ISAF Offshore Special Regulations (OSRs) for Category 3 plus liferaft (see the ISAF web site for details) modified as follows:-
16.1.2 A grab bag for each liferaft shall be carried as defined in OSR 4.21.2
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Recent evidence has shown that packaged liferafts are vulnerable to serious damage when dropped (eg from a boat onto a marina pontoon or from a delivery vehicle) or when subjected to the weight of a crew member or heavy object (eg an anchor). Damage can be caused internally by the weight of the heavy steel CO2 bottle abrading or splitting neighbouring layers of buoyancy tube material.
The Race Committee strongly recommends that every alise-packed liferaft should have an annual certificate of servicing and it is required that every liferaft has a certificate of servicing at an interval no longer than that specified by the manufacturer.
A liferaft should be taken for servicing if there is any sign of damage or deterioration (including on the underside of the pack). Persons in charge should insist on great care in handling liferafts and apply the rules NO STEP (crew should not walk on the liferaft) and DO NOT DROP UNLESS LAUNCHING INTO THE SEA.
16.1.3 a yacht shall have a GSM mobile phone with waterproof cover, capable of being connected to the ship’s power supply, and with ring tone capable of being heard by the crew at sea. An installed extension GSM aerial is recommended.
16.1.4 under OSR 3.29.1 the marine radio transceiver shall be VHF with 25w output power and a masthead aerial with not more than 40% power loss. A cockpit loudspeaker is recommended.
16.1.5 a 406 MHz EPIRB Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) is recommended as defined in OSR 4.19.1. Attention is drawn to the value of personal EPIRBs, or PLBs (Personal Locator Beacons), and AIS class B transponders.
16.1.6 personal survival training for a proportion of the crew is strongly recommended as defined in OSR 6.01
16.2 The rules of IRC
16.3 The rules of ORC “Club”
16.4 Notice of Race
16.5 Sailing Instructions
Where there is conflict between items in the above list, the succeeding item shall take precedence
Sailing Instructions part A will be sent in July 2008 to each registered entry
§17 Turns Penalty
RRS 44.2 shall apply except that a One-Turn Penalty shall be substituted for the Two-Turns Penalty, and that no penalty under RRS 44.2 shall be taken until it is safe to do so.
§18 Course
18.1 The course for each leg will be detailed in Sailing Instructions part B. In order to try to maintain the published schedule or for any other reason, the Race Committee may change or shorten a course in accordance with a procedure to be defined in Sailing Instructions.
18.2 A short “initial course” will if circumstances permit be sailed immediately after a start.
§19 Advertising, Media and Copyright
19.1 Category C: The event is open to all boats including those with advertising under ISAF category C. Advertising chosen by a boat may be permitted provided that the organizing committee is satisfied in its opinion that the design does not contravene reasonable standards of good taste. It shall be the responsibility of a boat to ensure that her advertising does not contravene a law applicable in any of the countries visited during the event.
19.2 Bow Stickers: in accordance with ISAF Regulation 20.3(d) (i) every boat may be required by the race committee to carry bow numbers and/or an event sponsors’ sticker within 20% of the hull length from the bow, on each bow during the event.
19.3 Backstay Flag: when an event sponsor’s backstay flag is issued to a boat it shall be flown on the backstay at least 2m above the deck day and night including at stopovers to identify the boat not only to race committees but also to official authorities.
19.4 Battle Flag: when an event sponsor’s “Battle Flag” is issued to a boat it shall be flown from the forestay whenever possible during the event when not racing.
19.5 Pictures published by the organizers in connection with the event, including those shown on the internet, are copyright and shall not be used copied or distributed without the express written permission of the organizers except that strictly limited copying for private use is permitted. All pictures given to the organizers in connection with the event or uploaded into the event web site shall be deemed to be available for reproduction copyright-free by the organizers.
§20 Crew list
A crew list will be required to be received by the organizers by 30th June 2008. a pro-forma will be available on the web site as soon as formalities have been agreed with the respective border control authorities.
§21 Self Steering
Self-steering (including eg automatic and wind-vane devices) is not permitted.
§22 Moving ballast, mechanical power
Provided it is declared and accepted by the appropriate rating authority, ballast and dead weight may be moved for the purpose of changing trim or stability and mechanical power may be used for charging batteries, pumping bilges, loading, unloading or transferring water ballast, moving keel and rudder appendages or for weighing anchor. The operation of engines, motors or pumps must not provide any element of propulsion. The foregoing changes RRS 51 (moveable ballast) and RRS 52 (manual power).
§23 Race Headquarters and Race Information
The location of an official notice board and Race HQ at each port will be described in Sailing Instructions. Official notices will be available at www.BalticSprintCup.com.
§24 Outside Help
There is no restriction on receiving information from outside the boat when racing
(changes RRS 41).
§25 Boat starting late
A boat may start a leg not later than 30 minutes after her valid starting time.
§26 Mooring Fees
Mooring fees at the stopover ports are included in the entry fees.
$27 Parades of Sail
A boat may be requested by the organizers to take part in a Parade of Sail en route from her moorings to a starting area. A boat shall if possible comply with such a request.
§28 International Jury
An International Jury will be appointed whose decisions will be final as provided in RRS 70.4. The international jury shall have the authority to conduct hearings by voice, email or other communications systems. A penalty system will be described in Sailing Instructions and will include an option for the Jury to award a zero penalty.
§29 Communications when racing
A VHF watch will be required at certain times and reports may be required via VHF or mobile telephone – details will be provided in Sailing Instructions.
§30 Time Limit
Time Limits will be applied in Sailing Instructions part B.
§31 Dumping Rubbish
A yacht shall not dump into the sea any non-biodegradable material. It is recommended that all rubbish is collected and properly disposed of ashore.
§32 Standards of Behaviour
Every person connected with a boat entered in the event shall show due and proper regard for accepted standards of behaviour. Failure to observe this requirement may result in a boat and/or a competitor being penalised or disqualified or a competitor being excluded from the event under RRS 69.
§33 Festival of the Sea, Klaipėda; dressing overall
Baltic Sprint Cup sailors will be invited to take part from 1400 to 1500 on Saturday 26th July in the official street parade celebrating the Festival of the Sea, Klaipėda. Crews are recommended to wear distinctive crew uniforms.
The Parade of Sail at Klaipėda en route to the start of race 3 will be an integral part of the Festival of the Sea in conjunction with naval ships, training ships and many local vessels.
Boats are recommended to have on board a set of flags for “dressing overall”. These may be used at any of the event ports.
§34 Insurance
Every individual competitor in the event has the responsibility to organise suitable and adequate personal insurance having regard to their own possessions, commitments and liabilities. Each person in charge shall ensure that every crew member understands the foregoing.
Each participating boat shall have valid third-party liability insurance with a suitable and adequate minimum cover.
§35 Disputes
A competitor in dispute with the organizers, their employees and agents or the sponsors of the organizers and the sponsors’ employees and agents that is not one to be determined under the rules shall seek to resolve the dispute by arbitration which may include the Court for Arbitration in Sport rather than by means of legal action.
§36 Liability
The organizers, their employees and agents and their sponsors, employees and agents shall have no responsibility for loss of life or injury to crew members or others, or for the loss of or damage to any vessel or property.
§37 Summary of changes to the RRS
(these will appear in full in Sailing Instructions) NoR 13 changes RRS Appendix A, NoR 17 changes RRS 44.2, NoR 22 changes RRS 51 and 52, NoR 24 changes RRS 41.
§38 Contact Us
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact the Baltic Sprint Cup Organisation as follows – e-mail preferred in English language: mail(at)BalticSprintCup.com
SAIL & RACE Hamburg: Henning Rocholl | SAIL & RACE London: Alan Green |
principal address: Panzerstraße 20 · D-22587 Hamburg · Fax +49-40-866 42 1-43 | |