I. QUALIFYING TO RACE
Sailboats eligible to race in accordance with the South Bay Cruising Club (SBCC) bylaws
owned or chartered by SBCC members in good standing are encouraged to participate
in club races.
A. INTENT OF PROGRAM
All sailboats are assumed to comply with manufacturers’ standard hull and accommodation
plans. It is the responsibility of the owner of any vessel that has been materially modified
or is of a unique design to inform the Handicap Committee of the irregularity prior to racing.
Such vessel will then be reviewed by the Handicap Committee and rated accordingly.
B. EQUIPMENT
All equipment required for the participating vessel is to comply with Federal, State and
Local requirements. It is strongly recommended that all sailboats participating in a SBCC
sanctioned race on the Great South Bay comply with US Sailing from ISAF Category 4
& 5 equipment requirements. A vessel that races must have a working auxiliary engine
capable of propelling her at hull speed upwind in moderate conditions and sufficient fuel
to return to home port.
C. INSPECTION POLICY AND PROCEDURES
With the permission of the owners or their representatives, the SBCC measurer or
designated assistants may conduct random inspections to confirm compliance with
equipment and handicap declarations of any SBCC sailboat racing in SBCC sponsored
races. These inspections may also be requested to resolve protest issues.
D. HANDICAPS - SEE HANDICAP PAGE
The SBCC fleet includes many different types of sailboats. In order to make race
participation attractive to as many members as possible, SBCC handicap racing is
offered. Under this system every boat in the fleet is given an SBCC rating. Updated
information on the SBCC Handicap process and regulations are available on the SBCC
web site (www.sbccsail.org) under ‘Racing Info’ via the SBCC PHRF Regulations link.
Handicap forms may be obtained from the SBCC web site (www.sbccsail.org) or by
contacting the Handicap Committee. Boats that do not have a handicap form on file will
be assigned a base handicap. In this case the committee may give a handicap that is
less favorable than that which could be obtained by filing a handicap form. The form
must be updated when a change is made to the boat.
E. HANDICAP APPEAL
A skipper who believes the boat’s handicap might deserve correction may request a
handicap review by submitting a written request to the Handicap Committee stating the
reasons he or she believes a review is in order. The Handicap Committee will respond
in writing within 10 days and the new handicap, if any, will take effect as of the date of
the written decision. Skippers who are not satisfied with their decision have recourse
by appealing directly to US Sailing. The appeal to US Sailing can only be done once in
each calendar year. Contact the Handicap Committee or US Sailing for the procedure
and current cost.
F. SBCC HANDICAP CLASSES
Spinnaker, Non-Spinnaker, and Corinthian (cruising / casual racer) classes are scored
under the SBCC handicap system. Only one headsail may be flown in the fore-triangle
at any one time. The Non-Spinnaker and Corinthian sail inventory is restricted to use
of only those sails that can be correctly flown on all points of sail. Boats handicapped
as having permanent double head rigs will be permitted to fly their staysail when racing
in these classes.
Members may change classes as often as they desire, so long as it is done before the
warning signal and they inform the Race Committee by displaying the proper streamer
(See VI.A Class Streamers)
G. RACING NUMBERS
Racing numbers, either US Sailing or SBCC, are required on mainsails, spinnakers,
and overlapping headsails with an LP of greater than 130% of J dimension. Numbers
shall be integer values with no leading zeros and have high contrast to the sail. This
modifies RRS, 77.
H. MEMBERSHIP RESTRICTION
No boat shall race in an SBCC-sponsored event (except invitational regattas) unless
skippered by an SBCC member or associate. However, a member’s boat may be
skippered by an associate without a member on board only twice in one season, and
only once in any series.
II. RACING RULES
A. RULES
All SBCC races will be governed by the rules as defined in The Racing Rules of Sailing
(RRS) except as otherwise specified in these instructions.
B. CHANGES TO SAILING INSTRUCTIONS
Any changes to the sailing instructions will be posted before 0900 on the day it is to take
effect, except that any change to the schedule of races will be posted by 2000 on the
day before it will take effect. Changes will be posted on the SBCC official notice board
found at www.sbccsail.org
III. RACE PROGRAM
A. RACE SCHEDULE - SEE SCHEDULE PAGE
SBCC sponsors numerous races and participates in various invitational regattas as
set forth in the race schedule. See schedule found at www.sbccsail.org for details and
special notes.
B. COURSES - SEE COURSES PAGE UNDER RACING RULES
Courses used for SBCC races and some invitational regattas are set forth at the end
of these instructions. They are grouped by starting area as Babylon, and Bay Shore,
and Nichol Bay. For each of these areas a variety of courses are described in Section
X, “Race Courses,” each bearing a distinguishing number. The course selected will
be signaled from the committee boat by the appropriate pennant. In addition, the RC
may indicate a “Special” course and will provide the details. The Race Committee may
designate different courses for each class, except for the Smith Trophy, Commodores
Cup, West Island Race and Foulke Trophy. The combined twilight series starting areas
are ‘Special’, will alternate locations and be adjusted as needed.
C. SERIES RACES
Bay Shore & Babylon Twilight Series – Five race series are determined by the race
schedule. These series will have one throw-out, provided the series is at least four
races. In the event that only one race can be sailed, one race constitutes a series.
Great South Bay Yacht Racing Association (GSBYRA) Race Week - This is a multiday
event. All boats must register with the host club and pay a registration fee. Check
the SBCC website for details or inquire with the GSBYRA.
SBCC Race Week - This is a multi-day event held in the Nicoll Bay area. It will be scored
as a series race with a single throw out. Sailing instructions and course details will be
posted on the SBCC website prior to the event.
D. SPECIAL RACES & EVENTS
Babylon Yacht Club 4th of July Invitational Series - The courses, starting sequence,
and other race instructions will be provided by the Babylon Yacht Club (see www.
babylonyachtclub.org) and may be available from the committee boat prior to the start.
You must register with the Babylon Yacht Club to race this series.
Spring Race to Atlantique – This is an invitational, non-Spinnaker, pursuit style race.
It is held in May. The starting area is in the Bay Shore vicinity and finishes off the
Atlantique dock.
Discoverers Race - This is an invitational, non-Spinnaker, pursuit style race run jointly
by Bay Shore Yacht Club and South Bay Cruising Club. The race is held in October. The
starting area is in the Bay Shore vicinity and finishes off the Atlantique dock.
Broadside Race - A non-Spinnaker invitational race for all female crew.
Foulke Race - This race has a fixed course that starts in the Babylon area and races
around West Fire Island. This race will have both spinnaker and non-spinnaker starts.
The Foulke Trophy will be awarded to the best SBCC finisher overall. This race has a
postrace event at the Babylon YC.
Babylon Cup – An event run jointly by the SBCC and Babylon YC. A postrace activity
will be held at the BYC Clubhouse. Regular start with awards presented to the first 3
corrected finishers of each division. Check the website prior to the event.
Creepstakes – A single handed race where only the skipper is allowed aboard during
race. Two classes: 27 feet LOA and over; and under 27 feet LOA. This is a Non-Spinnaker
race. Autopilots shall not be used. Skippers must wear life jackets during the race.
West Island Race – This race starts in Bay Shore and sails around West Fire Island.
Skippers have a choice of two courses, clockwise and counter-clockwise to sail it. This
race has a postrace event at the Bay Shore YC.
IV. RACE SCORING AND TROPHIES
A. SCORING METHOD
SBCC races will be scored using the time-on-distance method. A boat’s corrected
time will be based on its assigned handicap and the distance of the measured course.
The boat with the lowest corrected time is the winner. To determine the winner of the
perpetual trophies, (see section IV. F), the race scorer will apply an adjustment between
the winners of the spinnaker class and non-spinnaker class. The following adjustments
will be applied to spinnaker boats:
Preliminary race results are available to each participating skipper shortly after each
race by e-mail. The official results are printed periodically in the Masthead and posted
on the SBCC web site.
B. SERIES SCORING
The Twilight Season Championship Series and each of the individual twilight series will
be scored using the Low Point Scoring system. Boats are assigned points according to
their place at the finish line (1 point for first, 2 for second, etc.). Boats that do not finish
the race, retire, or are disqualified score the number of boats in the race +1. The boat
with the lowest total score wins.
For a series that is held over a period of time longer than a regatta, a boat that came to
the starting area but did not start, did not finish, retired after finishing or was disqualified
shall be scored points for the finishing place one more than the number of boats that
came to the starting area. A boat that did not come to the starting area shall be scored
points for the finishing place one more than the number of boats entered in the series
(RRS A9).
C. SERIES TIE BREAKER
If there is a series score tie between two or more boats, each boat’s race scores shall
be listed in order of best to worst, and at the first point(s) where there is a difference
the tie shall be broken in favor of the boat(s) with the best score(s). If a tie still remains
between two or more boats, they shall be ranked in order of their scores in the last race.
Any remaining ties shall be broken by using the tied boats’ scores in the next-to-last race
and so on until all ties are broken. These scores shall be used even if some of them are
excluded scores (RRS A8).
D. SERIES SCORING FOR COMMITTEE BOATS
Boats that serve as the committee boat for one race in a series will receive a point for
that race based on the average of the points earned in the other races in which it was
a starter, as follows:
There must be at least two races available to compute average points. If the committee
boat (CB) does not have at least two races in which it was a starter then the CB will not
get an adjustment for the race and instead will get points equal to the number of starters
in the race +1. However, if the CB has two or more races in which it was a starter, then
all the races started (up to a maximum of the number of races used for computing the
series score) will be used to compute the average points. Thus, for a four race series in
which one throw out is allowed, and if the CB did all the other three races, then the CB
will receive an adjustment equal to the average points from the three races sailed. Or,
if the series is the best seven out of nine, and the CB did all the other eight races, then
the best seven races will be used to determine the average points for the CB adjustment.
The committee boat will only receive the adjustment for one committee assignment in
a series. If a boat does more than one assignment, the adjustment will be given to that
race which is most beneficial to it.
The points for the CB adjustment will be included in determining the series standing,
just as if the CB had actually raced in that race with the average points adjustment.
E. RACE TROPHIES
Trophies for individual SBCC races (when not part of a series) will be awarded to each
class, according to the following schedule:
Number of Starters / Trophies for
In any SBCC series, the greatest number of starters in any race will govern the number
of trophies awarded for that series.
F. PERPETUAL TROPHIES
Perpetual trophies only awarded once a year. They are awarded to the SBCC boat with
the best-corrected time based on the method specified in section IV. A.
The Club will award perpetual trophies, as follows:
Commodore’s Cup - Best corrected time between the spin and non-spin winners of
the Commodores Race.
Cruising Club Crock – Best-corrected time for an SBCC boat participating in the Around
Long Island Regatta calculated using SBCC Handicaps.
Deale Trophy – West Island Race Best corrected time between the spin and non-spin
winners of the West Island race.
Foulke Trophy – Best corrected time between the spin and non-spin winners of the
Foulke Race.
Governor’s Cup - Best total score for the Commodore’s Cup, West Island and Foulke
Trophy races.
Smith Trophy – Best corrected time between the spin and non-spin winners of the
Smith Race.
It is the responsibility of the winner of the perpetual trophy to return it by October 1st to
the trophy chairperson for engraving with the following year’s winner. Keeper cups are
given to winners of these trophies and their names are engraved on the perpetual trophy.
V. COMMITTEE BOAT ASSIGNMENTS
A. SERVING AS COMMITTEE
The SBCC depends upon the cooperation of all members. Being the Committee Boat
for a race is an important responsibility. Reliable, timely and accurate performance
reporting of results.
Race Chairpersons are assigned by the Regatta Committee, and listed in the Race
Schedule. Assignments are obligatory.
B. CHANGES
A Race Chairperson may switch assignments with another Race Chairperson provided
that the Regatta Captain is notified at least 24 hours before the race. Arranging such
changes is the sole responsibility of the assigned skipper and does not relieve him or
her of responsibility.
C. PENALTIES
Any Race Chairperson who willfully fails to do his or her assignment shall not be scored in
any SBCC race for a period of one year from the date of his or her scheduled Committee
Boat assignment. As an alternative penalty, a Race Chairperson who failed to do his or
her race assignment for the first time in the racing season will be scored in SBCC races
after payment of a $100 fine payable to the SBCC.
Vl. STARTING LINE and FINISHING LINE PROCEDURES and RULES
A. CLASS STREAMERS
Racing yachts are required to fly streamers from their standing backstays. Streamers
should measure 4’’x18’’.
Streamer Color Creepstakes All Other Races
Red 27 ft. LOA and over Spinnaker
Blue Under 27 ft. LOA Non-Spinnaker
Yellow n/a Cruising
Failure to display the appropriate streamer may be considered grounds for disqualification.
B. CODE SIGNALS
The code flags below are special SBCC course flags:
‘R’ Sail the designated course in the REVERSE direction. Leave or round a mark on
the opposite side.
‘T’ Sail the designated course TWICE around **
‘U’ Sail the designated course THREE times around **
‘V’ Finish at the Babylon YC dock leaving ‘X’ to port
** For ‘T’ and ‘U’ round the pin/X mark on the same side as the next mark of the course.
The following RRS code flags are some of the more common race signals used during
SBCC conducted races. While not all signals are listed, racers are expected to know all
of the race signals and their definitions
‘L’ Come within hail for instructions.
‘S’ Course Shortened: When flown after the start, (accompanied by two signal sounds),
finish between the Committee Boat and the mark. ‘X’ Individual Recall: This signal flag is accompanied with a hail of the sail number,
and a single sound.
‘Y’ Life jackets are required by all crew.
C. CLASS FLAGS
The following class flags shall be used and will generally be started in the order listed
below. However, at the committee boats discretion, this may change if only 1 class is
present. Be mindful of the RC’s starting flags. For ‘Pursuit’ race starting times, specific
handicap based starting will be distributed prior to the race and posted at www.sbccsail.
org.
D. STARTING SEQUENCE
Races will be started in accordance with RRS 26, as summarized below:
*Approximately one minute before the warning signal for the first class to start, the
RC may make 3 or more, quick sound signals to bring your attention to the sequence
commencing.
The Race Committee may utilize a “keep-off” (anti-barging) buoy. If one is used, please
note this is not a temporary or an accidentally attached object, and should be treated
as part of the committee boat.
E. STARTING LINE ETIQUETTE
Racing skippers are reminded to stay clear of the starting line until the Preparatory
Signal for their class. Classes not starting are to remain clear of all boats in the division
before them. Failure to do so may result in a protest that may lead to a disqualification.
No boat will be disqualified without first being given a direct and specific written warning.
F. RECALLS
A boat failing to heed its recall will be penalized by having 30 minutes added to their
elapsed time. This modifies RSS 29.
G. STARTING / FINISHING
The start and finish line is determined by the “X” mark (or buoy) and an orange flag on
the Committee Boat or Committee Platform.
H. VHF COMMUNICATIONS
VHF radio watch shall be maintained during a race utilizing Channel 72. Radio
communications may be utilized to relay information on unusual situations during races
such as postponements, recalls, withdrawals, etc. However, Race Committees may not
always use VHF radio so it should not be relied on as the sole means of communication.
Racers are requested not to initiate communications with the Race Committee from the
time of the warning gun to the time that the last class starts.
I. OTHER INFORMATION
No boat may make use of an autopilot during any SBCC race.
Contact the Race Committee for that race or check the SBCC web site for any last
minute information. www.sbccsail.org.
Vll. TIME LIMIT
The time limit for each race is stated in the notes to the Racing Schedule. The time limit for
all classes starting after the first class will be extended so as to allow all classes to have
the same amount of racing time. If any boat finishes within the time limit for her class, it is
a race for her class. Yachts finishing after the Committee Boat has left its station should
record their time and report it to the Race Committee as soon as possible.
Vlll. PROTESTS AND REDRESS
The Protest Committee will only entertain protests and requests for redress made in
conformity with RRS section ‘A’ and submitted on a valid US Sailing protest form (available
online).
The time limit for protesting or requesting redress is one (1) full business day after the last
boat in the race finishes, except where the rules provide otherwise. The protest/request for
redress is to be mailed, showing a postmark by the postal service, or e-mailed to the Protest
Chairman within the time limit. The Protest Committee will attempt to hold a protest/redress
hearing by the second Monday after the time limit has expired. If a party to the hearing of
a protest or request for redress does not come to the hearing, the Protest Committee may
nevertheless decide the protest or request. A party may appear at a hearing through its
representative by telephone conference provided arrangements to do so are made with
the Protest Chairman 24 hours prior to the scheduled hearing date.
IX. SAFETY
It is the exclusive responsibility of each skipper to decide whether or not to start, continue,
or drop out of any event. South Bay Cruising Club does not assume any liability for the
decision of any participant. The Board of Governors of the South Bay Cruising Club
recommends that all owners and skippers carry liability, as well as hull insurance, to protect
all parties from the financial consequences of an accident.
Common sense should be used to determine whether to venture out. This applies to racers
and the RC. Listen to USCG and/or NOAA updates to guide your decision as well. If gale
warnings are posted, lightening is in the forecast, or other severe weather is imminent,
check your email, text messages, phone, VHF 72 to see if there are attempts to announce
a cancellation. Ultimately, as indicated in RRS 1.4, it is your decision to participate.
For answers to questions regarding minimum U.S. Coast Guard equipment requirements,
see the Coast Guard Safety Info web site at www.uscgboating.org.