SRCS Dock Tips

Steveston RC Sailing Club Dockside Tips For New Sailors

Welcome to the 2022 Racing Season. Here, in no particular order, are a few tips and suggestions that will hopefully contribute to a successful racing season for you and your fellow competitors

1. Prior to your first sail of the season, review the Steveston RC Sailing Safety Plan at https://www.stevestonrcsailing.com/resources/membership .

2. Arrive early. Check with the PRO or other volunteers already working to see if there is anything you can do to help set up equipment or race marks. Basically do your part to help with the setup and don't assume someone else will do it!

3. Check-in with the PRO and make sure they know you're there and intending to race and are using your usual boat and sail number.

4. On your first visit to the dock familiarize yourself with the content of the club Safety Gear Bin and locate all the permanently installed safety gear on the dock including ladders and life rings.

5. Give some serious thought as to whether or not you are potentially a safe rowboat operator so you are not tempted to just jump in when your boat needs rescuing. The rescue row boat is MUCH MORE tippy than it looks (Don't ask me how I know this). If you do not feel comfortable using the rescue boat, let the PRO know and he will designate someone to rescue your boat for you. Anyone using the rescue boat must wear a PFD while in the boat.

6. At the end of racing, and before you take your boat to the car, see if there are any tasks you could help with in retrieving marks or returning equipment to the storage area. When storing the timer please always put it into the safety bin not the marks bin with all the wet gear.

7. Always be courteous to the public (including those pesky fisherman!) who may interact with us on the dock. Our use of the Imperial Landing facilities is a privilege not a right and we need to maintain positive relationships with others, especially the City of Richmond and our neighbors from the Blue Cabin.

8. If you are aware of duplicate sail numbers, try to resolve the conflict BEFORE race day, either permanently by changing your number, or temporarily by checking if the other boat is going to be sailing and then agreeing between you who will change their number. If there is a conflict in sail numbers, then the PRO will determine priority in the following order:

1. SRCS member;

2. Number on 2022 Master List circulated to all club members;

3. Registered Personal Number with CRCYA;

4. Last two digits of hull number;

5. First to report to the PRO;

The PRO may require the lower priority boat(s) to alter their sail number with tape.

9. Let the PRO know if you have any special needs in terms of mobility, hearing, sight etc. that need to be accommodated.

10. Set up your boat stand, sail kit bag, lunch etc. on the river side of the dock so that the course side of the dock is clear of gear.

11. Get your boat in the water early and make sure the radio is binding and the servos are all working. Charge up your batteries for the boat and radio the night before.

12. Assume that the races will be run continuously with the next race starting signal being made as soon as practicable after all boats have finished. If you need a break in the racing to change or tune your rig, drain out water, go to the bathroom, get a jacket from your ,car or ???, talk to the PRO and ask for a break. The PRO will likely accommodate you if the break will be brief, or they may ask you to wait for a scheduled break, or they may decide to continue with the racing schedule and score you either DNF or average points.

13. If you are a new sailor, make sure you are familiar with the rules against barging on the start line and the dangers of entering the starting area on port tack.

14. Remember that the start “line” is not an imaginary line between the centers of the starting marks, but rather a narrow line on the course side at the edge of the starting marks, unless otherwise discussed in the pre-meeting with the PRO.

15. Once the countdown timer has been started please remain silent until after the start (except to call a protest or foul) as the timer may be difficult for all to hear.

16. If you are called over early on a start, you must either drop out or return to the line and restart. Do NOT continue racing with the intention of scoring an OCS or DNF.

17. Hails to other boats should be concise and by sail numbers eg. “46 claims room at the mark from 72” or “starboard 72 ” etc.

18. If you intend to protest another boat, you must do so in clear terms: ie. “72 protests 46”. Simply claiming you were fouled or asking another boat to do a 360 is not a protest.

19. If you feel you have been fouled, be respectful and try to remember it was likely unintentional and it's just a game! Yelling at the offender and/or getting into arguments as to who was in the right or wrong is not productive and could get you into trouble with the PRO if he feels your behaviour is unsportsmanlike or likely to bring the Club or the sport into disrepute.

20. If you commit a foul, acknowledge it promptly and do your penalty turn. Announce your completion of the penalty turn so other boats will know you are back in the race. Ie “46 has completed its penalty turn”.

21. When you finish, call out your sail number and mentally record the sail number of the boat finishing immediately ahead and behind you. The scorer may need help in a large fleet with close finishes.

22. If you lose control of your boat, let the other competitors know ASAP. If you run aground, become tangled with another boat or otherwise need to be rescued, let the PRO know.

23. Finally, Remember its just a game and the object is to have a day of competitive, and fun, racing. Be respectful of your fellow competitors.