1. THE
CHAMPIONSHIP
1.1 The name of
the championship shall be the U.S. Team Race Championship for the George
R. Hinman Trophy and it shall be organized by the United States Sailing
Association. The Hinman Committee of US SAILING shall be responsible for
the championship.
1.2 The primary
objective of the championship is to provide the highest quality of team
racing to US sailors and selected teams from overseas.
1.3 A secondary
objective is to select the U.S. Team to represent the United States at
the ISAF World Team Race Championship.
1.4 A third
objective is to promote team racing in general within the United States
and to provide an educational forum for team racing ideas, rules,
tactics and strategies.
2. RULES
2.1 This
championship will be governed by the rules as defined in The
Racing Rules of Sailing and these Conditions.
2.2 A Notice of
Race will be prepared by the Hinman Committee and will be available for
publication and distribution at least three months prior to the
championship.
2.3 A set of
Sailing Instructions will be prepared by the Hinman Committee in
consultation with the host club. The Sailing Instructions will be
available to teams selected.
3.
ELIGIBILITY
The regatta is open to
selected teams of sailors who are current members of US SAILING or their
national authority if the team is from overseas.
4.
SELECTION OF TEAMS
4.1 Teams will
be selected or invited by the Hinman Committee on the basis of
applications or regatta results.
4.2 Selection
by application shall be made by completing the online entry form,
available at http://www.ussailing.org/championships/adult/ustrc/ and
submitting it with payment via credit card for the applicable fees
before the deadline established in the annual Notice of Race. EARLY
APPLICATIONS MAY RECEIVE EARLY DECISION. The Hinman Committee will
review the applications and notify all applicants of their status. Fees
will be returned to non-selected teams.
4.3 The
Chairman of the Hinman Committee may accept late entries to fill any
remaining berths.
5.
SUBSTITUTIONS
Substitutions after
the regatta has commenced are prohibited unless a team member is unable
to continue due to illness, injury, or other emergency and approval is
granted by the jury. For teams that won a qualifying event, 1 skipper
and 1 crew may be changed prior to the entry deadline. For all teams
selected by resume and teams that won a qualifying event, only one team
member (either skipper or crew) may be changed prior to the deadline for
crew changes. Three weeks prior to the event, crew substitutions are
prohibited, unless due to illness, injury or other emergency. Any such
substitution requires the prior approval of the Chief Umpire in
consultation with the U.S. Team Racing Committee Chairman.
6. BOATS
6.1 The boats
used in this championship are borrowed/chartered from yacht clubs,
colleges, private owners, or manufacturers. It is of the utmost
importance that they be treated with care at all times as the future of
this event depends on being able to borrow boats again.
6.2 This
championship is intended to be a dinghy team racing event, and the
regatta will be conducted in small, doublehanded, sloop rigged dinghies
whenever possible. Spinnakers and trapezes will not be used.
7.
LIABILITY AND DAMAGE
7.1 Contestants
are not covered by any insurance provided by the host club, and should
have or seek their own coverage for personal goods and liability
protection.
7.2
Responsibility for damage to boats or to other property will be
determined by the designated member of the organizing authority and all
crews entering will be bound thereby.
8. REGATTA
SCHEDULE AND PRACTICE SAILING
8.1 This
championship will be scheduled as a three-day event, preferably
including a weekend. The day prior to the regatta may be used as an
optional practice session. Competitors are not required to be present.
Registration and a competitor's meeting will take place early on the
first day of racing, and racing will commence as soon as possible
following that meeting.
8.2 No
competitors, except those representing the host club, will be permitted
to practice at the site of the championship before the optional practice
day.
9. FORMAT
AND NUMBER OF RACES
9.1 Depending
on the number of registered teams, the number of available boats, and
subject to anticipated wind and weather conditions, the format may be a
single or multiple round robin of all teams, or teams may be split into
groups for a preliminary round robin, followed by a championship round
robin. The format to be attempted will be announced at the skipper's
meeting and posted on the Official Notice Board with any contingency
arrangements.
9.2 If
extraordinary circumstances preclude the possibility of completing any
type of round robin series, the Hinman Chairman in consultation with the
jury and the regatta chairman, may terminate or alter the format in
progress, and institute a single or double elimination ladder format, or
make whatever arrangements necessary to conclude the championship and
declare a winner.
10. MINIMUM AND
MAXIMUM COMBINED CREW WEIGHT, WET CLOTHING,
AND WEIGHT JACKETS
10.1 The combined
weight of the entire six-person team shall not be less than 870 pounds.
The team shall carry penalty weight if the combined weight fails to meet
the minimum. Penalty weight will be one pound of corrector for each
pound of weight less than 870lbs. Penalty weights shall be distributed
amongst the boats of a team so that boats with combined weight of
skipper and crew less than 290 lbs. carry the penalty weights. The jury,
on request, may approve a more equitable distribution.
10.2 Providing
penalty corrector weights shall be the responsibility of the
competitors. Only water in sealed jugs shall be acceptable. Competitors
will carry the penalty corrector weights in every race, from boat to
boat, and shall secure them in the cockpit of each boat.
10.3 Competitors
shall be weighed by a member of the organizing authority on the scale
provided to determine combined weight. Competitors will be weighed in
swimming attire.
10.4 Competitors
shall not wear wet clothing for the purpose of increasing weight. Water
bottle or weight jackets are prohibited. Clothes worn on the water must
be reasonable in terms of weather conditions, and all clothes worn for
additional warmth shall be worn inside foul weather gear.
10.5 The umpires
will make spot checks during the regatta for compliance.
11. SCORING
Scoring will be in
accordance with RRS D4.
12. UMPIRING
The regatta will be
officiated by on-the-water umpires.
HOST CLUB
CONDITIONS
1. ENTRY
FEES
The Hinman Committee
shall approve the entry fee and all other assessed fees based on a
reasonable estimate of the costs including, but not limited to; race
management, trophies, meals, Chairman's expenses, transportation,
printing and publicity. The intention of the committee is that the host
club and US SAILING break even in the hosting of the championship.
However, the entry fees do not cover the cost of running the event.
2. BOAT
INSURANCE AND DAMAGE DEPOSITS
Each team will be
required to file a credit card number with the organizing authority to
cover all damage that is assessed to that team as determined by the
designated member of the organizing authority (or manufacturer’s
representative when so assigned) and the outcome of the umpire calls, if
any.
3.
POWERLINE HAZARDS
This championship will
only be conducted at a site free of powerline hazards.
4. JURY AND
UMPIRES
4.1 The terms
"jury", "umpire" and "protest committee" are used synonymously.
4.2 Judges and
umpires will be used as possible.
4.3
The jury
will decide all protests and determine all matters not covered by these
Conditions and the Sailing Instructions.
4.4
Appropriate umpire boats shall be provided with sufficient boats to
allow for a back-up boat. The type of boats proposed must be detailed in
the submission to host the event and must be reviewed with the Umpire
Chairman before final selection of the site.
4.5
Umpires
will be housed and fed by the host organization.
5. RACE
COMMITTEE
The race committee
will be appointed by the host club. The Hinman Committee will appoint a
Race Management Coordinator to help with course set-up, wind shifts and
race coordination.
6. COURSE
6.1 The course
will be as described by the Sailing Instructions.
6.2 The length
of the course should vary depending on the type of boat used and the
wind strength. Each race should take between 7-12 minutes to sail,
although variance with this condition shall not be grounds for redress.
7. PRIZES
7.1 The winning
team shall receive the George R. Hinman Trophy, which they shall have
appropriately engraved and must take to or ship to the following year's
championship.
7.2 US SAILING
medals for permanent possession will be awarded to the teams finishing
in the top three positions.
updated March 07
