Winter Series Race Documents

Race: Spring series, race 2
Date: 24-Sep-16
Hearing date: 27-Sep-16 @ 18:00
Protest: Download

Facts found

• Prime Mover was reaching toward mark #4 from mark #5
• Outrageous was 8 lengths astern of Prime Mover
• Prime Mover rounded mark #4, but did not hit it

Conclusion and rules that apply

• RRS 31
• No breach of a rule occurred.

Decision

• Protest dismissed

Race: Spring series, race 2
Race date: 24-Sep-16
Hearing date: None
Protest: Download

Decision

Testarossa took a scoring penalty under SI 1.22. After Midnight withdrew her protest.

Race: Autumn Series, race 2
Race date: 1-Apr-17
Hearing date: 4-Apr-17
Protest:

• Dangerzone v Prime Mover
• Prime Mover v Dangerzone
• Decision

Facts found

• Falcon Shoal Pile (mark #10) is a fixed navigational beacon, extending approximately 10m above the water.
• Prime Mover and Dangerzone were running on port gybe approaching mark #10. Prime Mover was to windward of Dangerzone.
• At the zone, Prime Mover was overlapped to windward of Dangerzone.
• Dangerzone (the leeward boat) altered course to windward to round the mark.
• Prime Mover took avoiding action, by also altering course to windward, while Dangerzone altered course to leeward.
• Prime Mover made contact with Dangerzone, her first reefing line became entangled in the arm of a crew member on Dangerzone. The crew member was injured, and Dangerzone suffered minor damage

Conclusion and rules that apply

• Dangerzone failed to give Prime Mover mark room – rule 18.2(a).
• Dangerzone changed course and failed to give Prime Mover room to keep clear – rule 16.1.

Decision

• Dangerzone is disqualified.

Race: Commodore’s Trophy
Race date: 29-Apr-17
Hearing date: 2-May-17
Protest:

• To come

Facts found

• REVS, LOCO, PRIME MOVER, ZIMMERFRAME RACING, HAUMURI and VENDETTA did not attend the hearing so the protest was decided in their absence pursuant to Rule 63.3(b).
• The course required boats to round Mark 28 on port.
• Mark 28 is described in the sailing instructions as “North Somes Buoy: laid spherical or cylindrical orange buoy”.
• The sailing instructions contain a map indicating Mark 28 as being approximately ½ nautical mile North of Somes Island. No co-ordinates are given. During the race there was no buoy in that vicinity.
• Nine minutes after the start of the race there were radio communications between the race officer and the mark boat in which the race officer instructed that Mark 28 was to be laid at certain coordinates north of Somes Island. The communications could be heard by the fleet.
• Normally no physical mark is located at the co-ordinates given by the race officer, but on that day, another orange cylindrical buoy was in that vicinity.
• The buoy dropped by the mark boat was some distance away to the north west of Somes Island when the fleet approached.
• The Protestees all rounded the mark north of Somes Island.
• MARANGI spent 20 minutes looking for Mark 28 and rounding the mark to the north west of Somes Island.
• Prior to arriving at the north of Somes Island, MARANGI was a short distance ahead of VENDETTA. MARANGI finished 19 minutes behind VENDETTA.
•  AIRSHIP and LOCO retired after finishing believing they had sailed the wrong course.

Conclusion and rules that apply

• The Protestees rounded a mark that reasonably fitted the description of Mark 28 in the sailing instructions. Therefore, they sailed the course as required by Rule 28.
• There was uncertainty as to the position of Mark 28, which was an omission of the race committee.
• The uncertainty caused MARANGI’s, AIRSHIP’s and LOCO’s score to be made significantly worse through no fault of their own.

Decision

• The protests against AIRSHIP, REVS, LOCO, PRIME MOVER, ZIMMERFRAME RACING, HAUMURI and VENDETTA are dismissed.
• MARANGI is given redress pursuant to Rule 62.1(a) whereby she shall be scored as if 20 minutes were deducted from her finishing time and the scores of the other boats shall be changed accordingly (Rule A6.2).
• AIRSHIP and LOCO are given redress pursuant to Rule 62.1(a) whereby they shall be scored according to their finishing times and the scores of the other boats shall be changed accordingly.