News

12:40 Friday 31 Jul 2015 Rupert HolmesChanges to the 2015 Sailing Instructions at Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week

photo : Rick Tomlinson

The Sailing Instructions for this year’s Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week have been significantly overhauled, with the aim of simplifying the requirements as much as possible.

“Over the winter we analysed every element, asking whether it was absolutely needed, or whether the provisions of the RRS [Racing Rules of Sailing] would be adequate in each case,” says the event’s Sailing Director, Stuart Quarrie.

As a result, a number of rarely used clauses that had originally been intended to make the Week a bit different and special compared to other events, but which had the potential to cause confusion instead, have been eliminated. In addition, other elements have been simplified as much as possible, with the result that the documents are now eight pages shorter than in the past

Many of the changes are relatively minor, such as removing the option to send a fleet to a different finish line, although a race can still be shortened at a mark of the course, as per the RRS. It’s worth noting that, in this situation, where a number of classes are rounding the same mark, the committee vessel on station will display the class flag of the classes whose course is being shortened at that point.

A number of navigation restrictions, which have caught out unwary competitors in the past, have also been removed, although competitors must pass to the north of the red Cowes Number 2 fairway buoy when racing and keep clear of the exclusion zone around the outer breakwater that’s currently under construction at all times.

There are also a few changes old hands will need to take account of. For instance, starting signals will change those prescribed by RRS Rule 26, with a Warning Signal at 10 minutes, and preparatory at four minutes. This will help to smooth the accelerated starting sequence that may be used to get all classes away in good time following a long postponement, when the Warning Signal for each class will be five minutes before the start, followed by the preparatory at four minutes and so on.

Promulgation of courses

In a change from previous years, courses for both White and Black Group classes will be announced on VHF – make sure you are listening on the appropriate channel for the line on which you are starting each day. Each announcement, which will take place after the warning signal, will contain the course for two classes – the one that’s currently in its starting sequence, plus the following class. This will give competitors an additional opportunity to double check their course before the start.

In addition, the system whereby the course is transmitted to competitors’ UK mobile phone numbers that have been registered with the race organisers will continue to operate. The course for White Group classes will also be displayed on a course board at the eastern end of the Royal Yacht Squadron platform, although no longer at the platform’s western end.

Cowes Outer Harbour Breakwater construction

Construction of this has now resumed, with the stone armour being placed on top of the gravel bank that was laid in 2014. The buoyed exclusion zone remains in place and during the course of the regatta there will be a small number of barge movements.

They are expected to approach the exclusion zone from the main Cowes Fairway and, as with other large commercial vessels, the barges will have priority when under way. Black Group Sailing Instructions can be found here and the White Group Sailing Instructions can be found here.

Skippers are also strongly advised to attend the Skippers’ briefings at the Event Centre in Cowes Yacht Haven on Friday August 7. These take place at 1830 for White Group dayboat classes and at 1930 for Black Group yachts.