WYC RACING POLICIES FOR 2003

Not Part of the Sailing Instructions
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1)      Establish Your Finish Position

Note (and if possible write down) the time when you finish, either actual time or your elapsed time.  Notice other boats around you at the finish, boats in your own class, boats in other classes, both ahead and behind your boat.  It is particularly helpful to note a timed fleet boat near you to later be able to establish your time of finish

The WYC Race Committee does an outstanding job.  Yet when well over 100 boats participate in WYC races, the RC may miss recording a finish.  When you note your finish position and time, and other boats nearby, you may be able to help fix a position for your boat, if missed.  Or, when asked, you may be able to help establish the position and/or time for another boat, whether in your class or a different class.

2)      What To Do If You Are Not Scored Or Are Scored Incorrectly

After the race, the PRO will post the “Raw” score sheets and “Update” the club computer ASAP.  If you are not scored correctly, the data you kept at the finish as suggested above will help.  Immediately after the race you may contact the PRO or the Club Race Officer/Scorer (Blake Middleton) at the clubhouse to discuss the possible error and the correction may be able to be made on the spot.  However, later if you discover an error, you are asked to ONLY contact your fleet captain and convey whatever information you have.  Your Fleet Captain will contact the Club Race Officer/Scorer (Blake Middleton) in an effort to correct the results.  You are asked NOT to contact the Club Race Officer/Scorer at this time.  It is best if you email your Fleet Captain.  If not by Email, ensure in writing or otherwise that the Fleet Captain understands the error and knows exactly what to report.  The Fleet Captain will contact the scorer by Email (only) at MYC@aol.com with a subject line that reads “WYC Scoring Error.”  If you email your Fleet Captain, your Email can be forwarded, with comments as necessary.  FLEET CAPTAINS TAKE NOTE.

3)      You Have 2 Weeks at Series End to Make Corrections
Scoring changes cannot go on forever.  The policy is that two weeks after the last race of a series or cup race the scoring is final.  You have two weeks to get corrections done.  You can go on record before the two-week period ends, even if your fleet captain is out of town.  You can do this by email, US mail, voice mail, or phone calls to your fleet captain.  Members can check and verify race results at the computer at WYC or on-line at www.wyc.org

4)      6 Race Requirement
The WYC by-laws state a family member who Finish 6 races/season maintains a mooring priority in the highest category—which is based primarily on membership seniority.  If you finish the six races in a year and are in the marina, you are guaranteed a dock or buoy in WYC marina the following year, assuming you pay your fees timely.

5)      The 15 Race Requirement
The WYC by-laws state that the Board of Directors shall determine fees.  The WYC BOD has established a two-tier mooring fee system; one system is for members who meet the 15 Race Requirement and the other is for members who do not.  This allows the club to charge the higher “commercial market rate for docking on Lake Minnetonka” for mooring members who do not race at all, powerboats, or sailboat who are not active racers, while charging a lower “WYC Racer Mooring Rate” for active racers (those meeting the 15 race requirement).  New members to the WYC who declare their intent to be active racers (at least 15 races) are automatically granted the racer mooring rate. 

6)      What Races Count toward the 15 Race Requirement
All WYC keelboat races on Lake Minnetonka shown on 2003 schedule may be counted toward the 15-race requirement.  This includes all regular keelboat races for all classes plus but not limited to the regattas like Cool Cup, U-Gotta Regatta, J-22 Districts, and J-22 Fleet #1 Championship run by both the WYC and MYC Races committees and other races shown from time to time on the WYC Schedule for keelboats on Lake Minnetonka.

7)      How To Receive Credit Against the 15 Race requirement For Cancelled, Abandoned, Did Not Finish, Etc.
The new WYC computer scoring system has a provision for scoring a competitor “PAR”, meaning “participated” when the race is Cancelled, Abandoned, or a racer receives a DNF (did not finish), or any of the other scoring abbreviations noted in A11 of the Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS) except, DNC (did not come to the starting area).

When races are cancelled or abandoned, the Race Committee will make an effort (not in lighting conditions) to stand by the race course and the committee boat dock to take sail numbers of competitors who pass by so they can immediately enter them into the WYC scoring computer as a “PAR” which gives the boat credit for that race even though there was no race

8)       Substituting Certain Activities For Up to 3 of the 15 Race Requirement
Members must participate in at least 12 of the keelboat races scheduled in the WYC Schedule of Races.

Members may substitute for up to 3 of the 15-race requirement by participating in associated club support activities.  These include:

a)      Provide a boat for the “WYC On the Water Training” to be a Host Skipper.  Three Saturdays equals the maximum 3 activities credits.  Receive a WYC Host Skipper Hat for participating in 2 of the 3 Saturdays.
b)      Be a Certified Guest Instructor for “WYC On the Water Training.  Three Saturdays equals the maximum 3 activities credits.  Receive a Prized Red WYC Guest Instructor Hat for 2 of the 3 Saturdays. 
c)      Participate in “Spring Cleanup Day”
d)      Participate in another WYC event approved in advanced by the WYC BOD as recorded in the minutes.

Organizers of the above events will keep list of those qualifying for participation credit and enter the data into the WYC computer for the member’s credit.  It would be a good idea for members to check the WYC scoring computer at the clubhouse or on the web to see that they were properly credited.

9)      Trophies
WYC Sailing Instruction 20.1 says that number of trophies per Fleet for a Series (or Cup Race) will be based on the average number of competitors in that event.  An example: a 6 race series where the number of competitors in the races were 6-2-5-4-10-8 = 35.  35 divided by 6 = 5.83 is rounded to 6.  Per SI 20.1 the chart shows two trophies (1st & 2nd) for six participants in that Fleet.  If races 5 & 6 were canceled in that example, there would be just one trophy for that Series based on an average of 4.25 competitors.

There has been confusion in the past on how trophy numbers are calculated because of language in Sailing Instruction 17.3.  17.3 does not apply to trophies.  Instruction 17.3 refers specifically and only to Rule A9 to distinguish the number of points assigned to a boat that Did Not Come (“DNC”) to a race vs. points for those boats that did come---including DSQs, DNFs, DNSs, etc.

10)   Appealing an Unsatisfactory Scoring Request with a “Request For Redress”
If a competitor is dissatisfied with a scoring result they may file a request for redress in accordance with the RRS.

11)   Appealing to the WYC BOD the Missing of the 15 Race Requirement
A member who misses the 15-race requirement due to mitigating or extraordinary circumstances may appeal to the WYC BOD at season’s end. 

a)      When filed under mitigating circumstances the following applies:

i)        Mitigating circumstances can be a change in employment or special family circumstances, which temporarily hinder the member’s ability to participate in racing.
ii)       The BOD may rule that the member must pay the market rate for the forthcoming season, but upon meeting the 15-race requirement, receive a refund for the difference in rate.
iii)     This exception will not be granted for 2 consecutive seasons.

b)      When filed under extraordinary circumstances the following applies:

i)        Extraordinary circumstances can be: prolonged illness or death, severe accident, or natural disaster, or severe boat damage, which precludes participation in races for an extended period of time.
ii)       The BOD may grant an outright exception to the 15-race requirement and permit the member to pay the “Racing Rate” for the forthcoming season.

c)      Appeals which do not fall within the above guidelines/definitions will be denied.