Weta 4.4m Sports Trimaran - Race Rules
Racing Basics
Sailing a Weta is great fun – whether it be a destination sail, blast reaching in 25 knots or having your 4 year old take you for a ride. But after doing this for a while most sailors are keen for a new challenge – Racing! (actually we are yet to find a Weta sailor who has become bored of just sailing !). Racing adds a whole new dimension to sailing and helps improve your skills in the boat as you have to react under pressure. It is also a great social activity where people can yell and scream at each other on the water – then have a beer and laugh about it after the race.
To maximize enjoyment from racing it is good to know the basic rules so you can keep out of trouble! Here are the basic rules to get you started. If you have any questions the team at Weta Marine is more than happy to discuss these with you.
Start Sequence
The standard method of starting a race is using a 5 minute countdown sequence. The following illustration shows what signals the start boat gives prior to the race start. At 0 minutes to go all boats should be behind the start line (a line between the start boat and pin end marker). All boats usually line up on starboard tack at about 1 minute to go and accelerate as the start gun is sounded. It is risky to start on port tack as the boats start on starboard tack have right of way and if it is congested collisions are likely!
Recalls
When 1 or more boats are over the start line at the gun the race committee will display one of two flags to recall boats.
If there are 1 or more boats over the start line that the race committee can identify code flag X (right) will be displayed with a single sound signal. This is the individual recall flag which means all boats that were over the start line must return back to the line and restart the race (this is done by dipping back behind the start line and then continuing to sail) . It is up to those boats that are over to decide if they were or not. If they fail to return they will be scored maximum points for that race.
If there are more boats over the start line than the race committee can identify the 1st substitute flag (right) will be displayed with 2 sound signals. This means all boats should return to the start line and another 5 minute start sequence will be made.
Basic Rules for Racing
Here are some of the basic rules you will need to sail in your first race. The best way to learn the Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS) is to buy a rule book and read it! There are really only 4 pages in the entire book that you need to understand to be able to race without getting into trouble. These are the pages in "Part 2 – When Boats Meet". Having said that, here is a summary of the most important rules to get you started!
There are three basic rules that cover the majority of crossing situations between two boats in open water.
Port/Starboard
This is the most common rule used while racing and overrides most other rules. A boat on Port tack shall give way to a boat on Starboard tack. You should always be aware of boats around you – but especially when you are on port tack as you need to give way.
A boat on starboard tack sails with the wind blowing onto the starboard (right) side, and the mainsail on the port (left) side. A boat on port tack sails with the wind blowing onto the port (left) side, and the mainsail on the starboard (right) side. If you are unsure about what tack you are on please see Roger or Chris as they have stickers that will help.
Windward Boat
When two boats are on the same tack and overlapped, the windward boat is the boat that is closest to the wind. This boat must keep clear of all other boats to leeward. A common situation is when a boat is sailing downwind on a collision course with a boat on the same tack sailing upwind. The boat sailing downwind must give way to the boat sailing upwind.
Clear Ahead / Clear Astern
When two boats are on the same tack and not overlapped, the boat clear astern must keep clear of the boat clear ahead. Basically if you are passing a boat on the same tack you should keep clear of them
Buoy Room
When two or more boats on the same tack are approaching a buoy, the boats on the outside shall give room to the boats on the inside to pass the mark. Other Organisations use more complicated rules to
this regarding the 2 boat lengths circle – but we do not – if there is a collision at the mark the outer boat is at fault.
Race Courses
These are usually explained in the sailing instructions or at a briefing. They will consist of an upwind start then a specified number of laps around a course – either a windward/leeward, triangle or trapezoid – then a finish by sailing through a line between a committee boat and a buoy. All marks are generally rounded to port – that is as you round a mark you leave it on the left side of your boat. The only exception is where a gate is used where you sail between the gate marks on the approach and then pick either mark to go around.
General Recall
Individual Recall
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