Sailing Instructions    5th Annual 12 Ounce Regatta For the Benefit of: Annapolis Maritime Museum   August 16, 2008 You can read below or download the document   Building Your 12 Ounce Boat   Section 1: Materials and Construction: Competitors are provided a bucket of materials from COG with which to build a boat. You can only use the materials in the bucket except for the special exception to the Grand Prix class detailed in Section 8.  You do not have to use all of the materials in the bucket.  To acknowledge our bucket sponsor, The Boatyard Bar and Grill, all boats shall conspicuously affix the red and white flag shaped sticker with the letter “B” onto the front of the sail of their boat.  The bucket itself cannot be used in the construction of the boat. The boat must fit within the bucket in its sailing configuration.  In other words, when the boat is racing, it must still fit within the bucket.  A “string” (part of the provided materials) of appropriate length must be permanently attached to the back of the boat to facilitate starting.  Appropriate length is defined as such that the skipper can hold the boat with the string prior to the start without the boat touching the back of the pool or crossing the starting line. Every boat is assigned a number at the Skipper’s Meeting.  This number must be represented on the boat.  The number assigned to the boat must be at least 3 inches tall and be clearly visible from above and in front of the boat. No boat may be configured in such a manner as to cause significant or intentional damage to another yacht, skipper, or the racing area. “Decorations” such as paint or magic marker are allowed, however, the use of such materials to improve the performance of the boat is prohibited. It is advisable to keep extra stuff to make repairs, because you can only use the quantity of materials provided in the bucket for repairs during racing. No motors, propellers, or any form of stored energy allowed! Your boat must be wind-powered. Be sure to construct the boat in such a way that it can be lifted from the water (from above) without damage.  The Race Committee will lift boats out of the water and place them on the ground upon finishing each race. Think Green:  Please recycle any unused materials at the end of racing.   Section 2: Measurement and Inspection: Before racing, all boats will be measured and inspected for the following: Check for correct materials, and amount of materials Make sure the boat fits within bucket. Ensure the boat’s numbering is clearly visible.  At its discretion, the Race Committee (RC) may elect to place numbers on a boat to aid in its identification. For the purpose of fairness, boats will not be allowed to race until they are inspected by the Race Committee (RC) Boats are subject to inspection by the Race Committee (RC) at any time.  Failure to meet measurement requirements at any time during racing constitutes grounds for penalty or disqualification. It is suggested that Skippers arrive to the event early enough to allow for measurement and remediation prior to the start of racing. A competitor may request the RC conduct a measurement of a fellow racer’s boat if evidence is presented to support why such measurement is necessary.  Re-measuring shall be solely at the discretion of the race committee.  The decision of the RC is final; there are no protests, appeals, redress, arbitration, nada, nothing, zero, zip.  Arguing or crying will get you nowhere!   Section 3: Repairs and Reconfiguration: Once racing has begun, any significant repairs and/or reconfigurations of a yacht must be cleared with the RC. Significant repairs include changes to sail, rig and/or hull shape. The yacht must still be able to “measure in” after any repairs and/or reconfigurations. Failure to have repairs reviewed by the RC may result in assessment of a penalty or disqualification at the discretion of the RC.   The 12 Ounce Racing Section 4: Schedule of activities, August 16, 2008 at Port Annapolis Marina: Competitor Registration                        1000-1200       Boat Measurements                              1030-1145 “Open Course” Practice Session           1100-1145 Racing                                                  1200-1630 (4:30 pm) (Approximate) Awards                                                1830  (6:30 pm) (Approximate) Party/Social                                          1700-2100 (5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.)   Section 5: How the races work: There will be fans behind the starting line to provide the “wind” for the boats.  Each race will be a single run down the length of the pool, with the winner of the race being the first boat to touch the finish line at the end of the pool.  The RC has exclusive control over the direction and velocity of the fans.  Competitor may not adjust or in any way interfere with the fans or they may incur a scoring penalty. We may have more boats registered than can race at one time, so boats will be assigned to groups or classes of similar competitors.  Planned classes include The Best Beginning LLC Root Beer Class (14 years or younger with adult supervision), Sport Class (One Design Class requiring a complete beer can in normal shape used in construction), Grand Prix (the almost anything goes class), and Sponsor Challenge (Business Sponsors).  Prizes will be awarded to the top boat or boats in each class. The Race Committee may elect to change class assignments of individual boats at its discretion prior to the start of racing. Each boat will participate in two heats of 6 or more races (up to 20 races total) against the other members of its class.  The exact number of races will be determined by the time available. There will be no more than 10 boats in each heat.  The RC will have a list of which boats will be in each race as well as where boats will be positioned on the starting line. A clearly marked “starting lane” will be monitored by the RC for premature starters during each race. Expect each race to take about 3 to 5 minutes.  At the conclusion of the race, competitors are asked to quickly retrieve their boats and prepare for the next race. The configuration of the race course is shown below.  The racing area will be approximately 24 feet long by 15 feet wide.  The depth of the water will be at least 5 inches. A rail (not shown in the diagram) runs down each side of the pool.  The purpose of the rail is to offset the boats from the side of the pool.  The rail sits at the level of the water and rises approximately 1-2 inches. Section 6: Scoring: The score of a boat in a race will be equal to its finish position, unless a penalty is assigned by the Race Committee for a rule infraction. The winner will have the lowest overall score across all of the races.  For instance, if there are 6 races with 8 boats in each race, the lowest possible score is 6 (six first place finishes) and the highest is 48 (six eighth place finishes).  In this example, the first place boat would have 6 points; the last place boat would have 48.  Since it’s possible that everyone will have at least one bad race, each boat will be allowed at least one “throw out” that will not count toward the total score.  In the example above, a boat’s score will actually be the sum of the best 5 races out of 6.  The total number of throw out’s will be determined by the number of races sailed; but will primarily follow the rule of thumb of one throw out per heat.   Section 7: Starting a Race: To get ready for the start, skippers will line up with their boats along the starting line.  Their position on the starting line will be drawn by the competitors immediately prior to the first race of the day. To get into position, skippers will place their boats in the water in their assigned lanes and hold that boat in position by pressing the “string” attached to the stern of the boat against the back of the pool.  Once boats are in position, the race committee will count down to the start (3, 2, 1; “zero,” “start,” or “go”).  Immediately prior to the countdown, skippers may hold their boat until the beginning of the countdown, after the countdown begins competitors are not allowed to touch any part of their boat other than the “string.”  The Race Committee may assign a scoring penalty to a boat that violates this rule. When the Race Committee says “Zero, Start or Go,” skippers may release their boats by letting go of the string. A boat cannot be released early.  Also, the boat cannot be over the starting line when it is released.  The Race Committee may assign a scoring penalty to a boat that violates this rule. It’s important not to interfere with any other skippers or boats when releasing your boat.  The Race Committee may assign a scoring penalty to a skipper boat that violates this rule. Upon release of his (or her) boat, the skipper must immediately clear the starting area to allow all boats to receive equal benefit of the wind.  The Race Committee may assign a scoring penalty to the boat and heckle or soak with a water gun the skipper that violates this rule. Penalties: In the event that the Race Committee determines that a boat has broken a rule, the score for the boat will be adjusted with by adding points for the finish position as follows: 2 points for the first infraction 4 points for the second infraction 6 points for the third infraction Disqualification from the event for the fourth infraction or unsportsmanlike conduct. For example, if a boat is released early and finishes second in the race, the actual score the race will be 4 points (finish second and 2 point penalty) for the first infraction, 6 points (second place plus 4 point penalty) for the second infraction, and so on.  The decision of the RC is final; there are no appeals, redress, arbitration, nada, nothing, zero, zip.  The RC reserves the right to settle all disputes through the use of the water cannon.   Section 8: During the Race: Once a boat has started, it may not be assisted or hampered by its skipper or the skipper of another competitor in any physical manner.  The Race Committee may assign a scoring penalty if this occurs. Badmouthing, smack-talking, heckling, karmic connections, well-wishing, and voodoo do not constitute outside interference and will not be penalized.  Performance enhancing beer consumption for competitors over 21 years of age is encouraged as long as it is used responsibly. If something happens to a boat (like sinking) that prevents it from completing the race in a timely manner, it may not be retrieved until after the race is determined to be over by the RC. It is probable that boats may become entangled through incidental contact on the race course.  The RC may disengage the boats.  RC will do everything in its power to disengage boats with as little changes in position of the boats as possible.  Boats are scored how they finish regardless of any changes occurring during disengaging of boats. Competitors may not swim or dance in the pool or drink the pool water until all racing has been completed.  No competitor may pee in the pool at any time.   Section 9: The Finish: A boat finishes when any portion of it comes in contact with the finish line The Race Committee will remove finished boats from the finish line and place them on the ground in the finish area for retrieval by their skippers. The Race Committee may introduce a time limit for the finish of all boats.  This will usually be expressed as a period of time after the finish of the first yacht in the class.  Boats that do not make the time limit will be scored as if they finished last.   Section 10:  Prizes Prizes will be awarded to the top finishers in each class.  COG asks all competitors to patronize the sponsors who donated money prizes for this charity event and to help support the Annapolis Maritime Museum.   Section 11: Special Class Notes:   For the Best Beginning LLC Root Beer Class (Kids Class) Non alcoholic Root Beer will be provided in the bucket kits for participants in the Root Beer class.  Parents are encouraged to assist in the design and construction of the boat, but it is expected that the child skipper will have primary responsibility. The parent must accompany the skipper at the event. The skipper will be responsible for racing the boat.  It is anticipated that racing in the Kids’ Class will take place earlier in the day. Please visit our Root Beer Class sponsor at http://bestbeginningllc.com/   For the Sponsor Challenge All boats must use at least one beer can in its original manufactured shape in the construction of their boat.  The beer can may be emptied (strongly encouraged), holes may be placed in the can and attachments are permitted but the beer can must remain as one whole unaltered 12 ounce can.  Competitors are encouraged to decorate their boats with corporate logos.  This may include the application of paint, stickers, or other materials not included in the original kit. In the interest of fair racing, logo applications may not improve the performance of the boat. It is anticipated that racing in the Sponsor Challenge will take place later in the day.   For the Sport Challenge All boats must use at least one beer can in its original manufactured shape in the construction of their boat.  The beer can may be emptied (strongly encouraged), holes may be placed in the can and attachments are permitted but the beer can must remain as one whole unaltered 12 ounce can.    For the Grand Prix Class Construction of the boat must include at least one beer can, the beer can may be dismantled, but the sum of pieces must still be recognizable as a single beer can. For the first time, a competitor may use one and only one household recyclable item in the construction of their boat.  This item may be used in addition to the items provided by RC in your bucket.  The recyclable item utilized cannot be altered from its original shape or form and the recycling symbol must be evident on the item.  The recycling symbol must be on of the following symbols (the letters at bottom of symbol need not be present).  The recyclable item must consist of household consumer product commonly collected during curbside pick-ups. In order to promote our sponsor Budweiser and Bud Light and in the spirit of this regatta, no steel or aluminum cans other than the beer cans provided in bucket may be utilized. Recycle containers may not contain any of the original products that they were intended to hold. The recyclable item used in the construction of the boat must be identified to the race committee at time of measuring.  Materials not commonly collected during curbside pick-up (e.g. batteries, inkjet cartridges, light bulbs, appliances or components from appliances, computers or electronics are not allowed.  Containers used for oil, grease, lubricants or others substances that may contaminate the pool water are prohibited. The race committee has the sole discretion to ban an item that does not meet the above requirements. This new rule shall in no way affect all other rules listed in Sections 1-9.