Sailboat Race Instructions
19th Annual Deer Harbor Wooden Sailboat Race
(Local non-wood boats are allowed but are ineligible for prizes.)
Tuesday September 7th, 2021
See Ward Fay (sloop AURA, slip B-16 near the gift shop; cell 360-376-5581) for race entry forms.
No Skippers’ meeting:
This year, in the interest of avoiding the creation of a crowd which may spread the dreaded virus, even outdoors, masked, and distanced, there will be no skipper’s meeting. Instead, Ward will be touring the Deer Harbor Marina Monday night and Tuesday morning to distribute entry forms and these race instructions with charts. He will also answer your questions and collect the entry fees. Entry forms/waivers must be filled out, signed, and submitted to Ward with the $15 entry fee by 11 AM Tuesday. Otherwise, you are not in the race. Start is at NOON.
Start/Finish Line:
The Line will be SE of Fawn Island, running roughly east and west, with the committee boat on the west end. The committee boat will likely be a Grand Banks motorboat. The pin end of the line to the east will be a buoy consisting of a red flag on a pole attached to a traffic cone on plywood on a foam-filled tire, placed not too closely to the shore.
In a south wind, pass between the committee boat to starboard and the pin buoy to port, and head for Bird Rock to pass it to starboard.
In a north wind, pass the committee boat to port and the pin buoy to starboard, and head for a big Yellow Tetrahedron (pyramid) buoy which will be placed north of the line, and well south of the Marina. Then proceed south to pass Bird Rock to Starboard. You may cross the start/finish line going south.
Note: The Inclusion of Jones Island on the course will be determined the morning of the race, depending on if we think there will be enough wind to finish within the time limit. This will increase the distance of the course by about 3 miles. Jones Island will be kept to starboard. If we include Jones Island, there will be only one lap of the course. If we are not going around Jones Island, the committee will fly the short course flag.
If short course is one lap, committee will fly the short course flag, and give you a horn as you cross the line to finish. If two laps, they will take times at the end of the first lap in case the wind dies on the second lap. Round the committee boat to port in the event we are doing two laps of the short course. The yellow pyramid buoy will only be used on the first lap of a north wind.
The committee may change the finish line to shorten the course after the race starts. If you see them stationed somewhere on the course flying the short course flag, assume it is the finish line, and pass the committee boat to starboard. Monitor Channel 69 for any course-change announcements during the race.
Monitor Channel 69. Do not hail the committee boat during the starting sequence. Any changes to the course will be announced by the committee.
Flags Explained:
The Short Course Flag is a white square with a blue square in the center. If the committee boat is flying it, or if the committee flies it from the marina at the finish, the short course will be in effect.
The Individual Recall Flag is white with a blue cross. It will fly if a boat is over the starting line early and must re-cross the line, avoiding all other boats.
The Postponement Pennant is long and tapered with vertical red and white stripes.
The Starting Sequence
Sequence will begin around NOON, unless postponed.
Before 11:55, come by the Committee Boat, or hail them on Channel 69, to identify your boat, or your time may not be recorded.
About 1 minute before a yellow flag goes up to begin the starting sequence; there will be three or more blasts on the horn, and the postponement flag will go down.
The horn will blast once as each flag goes up or down.
Yellow flag goes up: 5 minutes to Start
P flag (blue with white in center) goes up: 4 minutes to Start
P flag goes down: 1 minute to Start
Yellow flag goes down: Start
Marks
In a North wind:
Keep to Port:
1. Committee boat at the start/finish line.
2. Yellow Tetrahedron south of the Marina
3. Optional: Fawn Island
In a South wind:
Cross the line with committee boat to starboard
Then:
Keep to Starboard:
1. Bird Rock (Not too closely!)
2. Coon Island
3. Red buoy southwest of YellowIsland
4. Underwater rocks 200 yards west of Yellow Island (N 48 35.49 and W 123 2.17). Look for kelp there and stay a stone’s throw away from it.
5. OPTIONAL: Jones Island
6. North end of McConnell Island (Not too closely!)
Keep to Port:
7. South end of Reef Island (Not too closely!)
8. Committee boat at finish
There will be a time limit of four (4) hours, so if the race starts at 12:05, and you are still on the course at 4:05, come on in. The committee may decide to extend the time limit. Since there is no organized dinner this year, there will be no gathering to present awards. Results will be emailed and passed around Tuesday evening in the marina.
NOTE: HAZARDOUS AREA. All rocks and shallow areas are charted. Study and consult your charts! The use of GPS units with charts downloaded on them is strongly encouraged. The north end of McConnell Island and the south end of Reef Island are marks of the course and have underwater rocks extending from them. Especially beware underwater rocks located 200 yards west of Yellow Island and 300 yards northwest of the red nun buoy. Approximate location of these rocks is N 48 degrees, 35.49 minutes, and W 123 degrees, 2.17 minutes. The rocks may be marked by kelp. Rocks off the east side of Jones may be submerged. A large reef just northeast of Jones island Harbor is well marked by a sign
As stated in the entry waiver you signed, you the skipper are responsible for your boat and crew. If you are navigationally challenged, do not enter this race.
In Spring Passage (the channel between Orcas and Jones islands) at noon on race day, the current will be flooding to the north at about 0.5 knots and increasing. Maximum flood of +1.22 knots to the north at 1:48 pm. Slack before ebb at 5:24 pm. Data from Spring Passage south entrance.
Printouts of the results will be available at 7 pm, if not sooner. Prize burgees will be handed out to the top three finishers.
Rules:
1. Avoid collisions. Give other boats room going around buoys, islands, and underwater rocks. Study charts closely.
2. Know and follow the rules of the road. Know which boat has the right of way in any situation.
3. No protests will be allowed. Let your conscience be your guide.
4. If you foul someone, execute a 360-degree turn, while avoiding all other boats. Running aground is its own penalty. Don’t do it!
5. If you touch a buoy while rounding it, you must round it again, avoiding all other boats. Otherwise, you disqualify yourself. If you touch it again on the second rounding, keep going.
6. Be safe and have fun!
Prizes (Wood boats only): Burgees with the Wooden Boat Society of the San Juan Islands logo on them will be awarded to the first (blue), second (red), and third (white) place finishers based on PHRF corrected times. Green participant burgees are for sale.
Thank you for participating!