International Women's Keelboat Championship

Conditions

1. NAME
The name of the Championship is the International Women's Keelboat Championship (IWKC).

2. SPONSORING ORGANIZATION
The United States Sailing Association (US SAILING) through the US SAILING International Women's Keelboat Championship (IWKC) Committee will make arrangements for a host club within its jurisdiction. The US SAILING IWKC Committee will carry out the duties of the Organizing Authority.

3. GOAL
The goal of the championship is to provide the women keelboat and offshore sailors throughout the world with high quality racing and an opportunity to compete against the top women sailors of the world.

4. OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the championship are: to make it easy for women to participate in competitive boats in an international women's sailing championship, to provide excellent keelboat racing on good courses, and to provide the environment for competitors to make friends.

5. INTERNET USAGE
Given the highly international distribution of competing teams and the widespread availability of the internet, the IWKC Committee and Host Club are encouraged to actively use the internet to promote and publicize the championship. All official information regarding the event will be published at least on the US SAILING IWKC website: http://www.ussailing.org/championships/adult/women/riwkc/

6. HOST NATIONAL AUTHORITY
The Organizing Authority (as described in RRS 88.1) and host National Authority will be the United States Sailing Association (US SAILING).

7. RESPONSIBILITIES OF US SAILING INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S KEELBOAT CHAMPIONSHIP COMMITTEE

7.1. ORGANIZING AUTHORITY
The US SAILING International Women's Keelboat Championship Organizing Committee (IWKC Committee) will execute the duties of the Organizing Authority on behalf of US SAILING.

7.2. CLASS
The IWKC Committee will decide the one-design keelboat class in which the championship will be sailed. The class must be an ISAF-recognized international one-design keelboat class. The class in which the IWKC is sailed should be decided and publicized not less than 18 months prior to a championship.

7.3. SELECTION OF THE HOST CLUB
The IWKC Committee will select the Host Club. This selection will be made and announced no less than 18 months before the championship.

7.4. APPOINTING THE INTERNATIONAL JURY
a) The IWKC Committee will appoint an International Jury for each event in accordance with RRS Appendix N.
b) The Jury Chairperson will be appointed no less than seven months before the championship and preferably prior to publication of the Notice of Race.

7.5. REGATTA ANNOUNCEMENT
a) No later than 10 months before each championship, the IWKC Committee will publish a Regatta Announcement. This announcement will be approved in advance by the Chair of the IWKC Committee and the Host Club.
b) It will be mailed to: all ISAF member national authorities, ISAF Women's Sailing Committee, US SAILING Women's Sailing Committees, other women's sailing groups and women sailors on the mailing list from previous IWKC and other women's regattas.

7.6. NOTICE OF RACE
a) The Notice of Race will be published by the IWKC Committee no later than 8 months before the championship.
b) It will be mailed to: all ISAF member national authorities, ISAF Women's Sailing Committee, US SAILING Women's Sailing Committees, other women's sailing groups and women sailors on the mailing list from previous IWKC and other women's regattas.
c) This mailing will also include full contact information, entry form, chartering information and application, and any other information necessary for teams planning to compete.

7.7. REPORT AND EVALUATION
Following the championship, the IWKC Committee will prepare a report and evaluation of the event. The Committee may request the competitors to complete a survey that will be included in the report.

7.8. UPDATING THE CHAMPIONSHIP CONDITIONS
The IWKC Committee should review and amend these Championship Conditions biennially. The amendments should be published in time for their intent to be reflected in the Regatta Announcement.

8. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE HOST CLUB AND RACE COMMITTEE

8.1. CHAMPIONSHIP CONDITIONS
These conditions represent the IWKC Committee's guidance on the preferred style and format for running the regatta. The host club is expected to respect and honor these conditions.

8.2. SAILING INSTRUCTIONS
a) The Host Club's Race Committee will write and publish the Sailing Instructions in accordance with these Conditions and RRS, including Appendices M and N.
b) The Sailing Instructions will be reviewed and approved by the Principal Race Officer, the IWKC Committee, and the Jury Chairperson.

8.3. REGATTA FACILITIES
a) The Host Club will provide the Regatta Facilities. The use and structure of the facilities should provide for efficient administration of the championship and encourage informal communication among participants and regatta personnel.
b) Facilities shall be available from the day before boat measurement or the practice race (whichever is earlier) to the day after the last race day. No fee (aside from the entry fee) shall be required for use of these facilities during this period.

8.4. HOUSING
The goal is to provide housing without charge to competitors and the International Jury.

8.5. SOCIAL EVENTS
Social events should be included in the entry fee and held to provide opportunities for competitors to get together.

8.6. ENTRY FEES
a) The host club shall endeavor to finance the championship in such a way that the entry fee will be as low as possible, consistent with protecting the quality of the event. The entry fee will be publicized in the initial Regatta Announcement.
b) The entry fee may include a late fee for entries submitted within 8 weeks of the championship.

8.7. CHARTER BOATS
a) No later than 10 months before the championship, the host club will provide plans and costs for arranging Charter Boats to the IWKC Committee. Full information on chartering will be published in the Notice of Race.
b) The host club will make every effort to insure that there are a sufficient number of charter boats available, and that provisions are made for competitors to obtain spare parts and service facilities for boat and sail repairs.
c) A deadline for requesting charter boats may be set. If so set, it must be published in the Notice of Race. This deadline should be no earlier than 8 weeks prior to the event.

9. REGATTA STRUCTURE

9.1. RULES
a) The championship will be governed by the current ISAF Racing Rules of Sailing (without national prescriptions), the rules of the class to be used, Notice of Race, and the Sailing Instructions.
b) These Championship Conditions are not rules governing the sailors. The spirit and intent of these conditions should be reflected in the Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions as necessary and appropriate.
c) Class rules may be modified to conform to the needs of the championship. (Examples may include class membership and hull or sail numbers). These should be reviewed and approved by the international class's governing body. These changes must be published in the Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions

9.2. ELIGIBILITY
The championship is open to women sailors (skippers and crews) each of whom is a member of a yacht club, a class association, or a national yachting federation or association. Membership in US SAILING is required for all United States participants.

9.3. DATES
The championship shall be held every other year (in odd-numbered years). To the extent practicable, the dates shall be set to avoid conflicts with the ISAF World Women's Championship and other major international class and women's championships.

9.4. CLASS
a) The championship shall be held in a one-design keelboat class. Competitors will be responsible for providing their own boats and sails.

9.5. ADVERTISING
The advertising regulations shall be clearly in the Regatta Announcement, the Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions and will not be substantially modified after the Notice of Race is published. The advertising regulations should follow currently practiced norms for major international events.

9.6. SCHEDULE
Seven days are to be scheduled to include registration, measurement, an optional warm-up, and racing over four or five days.

9.7. SCORING
The championship will be scored with the Low Point Scoring System, Appendix A of the RRS.

9.9. RACE STRUCTURE
In advance of the publishing of the Notice of Race, representatives of the Organizing Committee (appointed by the Chair) and the Race Committee will discuss and agree upon the specific race structure. These will include (but are not necessarily limited to): specifics required by the RRS for inclusion in the Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions; requirements of US SAILING championships; maximum number of races to be sailed in a day; target length of the races; deadlines for individual races; deadlines for starting the last race of the series; minimum number of races to constitute a championship; minimum number of races before a throw out is allowed; use of radio hail; use of arbitration; fleet splitting sizes and criteria for conducting a qualifying series if necessary.

updated December 06