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Welcome to edition 02/2013 of the Halyard

View From the Deck

We desperately need your input when we compile the Halyard. If you know of any event or anything of note that you feel members should know about then please email the details to Hilary at abychalyardnews@gmail.com. We can’t publish what we don’t know about so don’t be afraid to send a quick email. We would rather receive the same information from five people than not hear about it at all.

Upcoming Events

Sunday 20th January – Jonathan will be singing on the deck next Sunday

Sailing News

The Governor’s Cup

The Governor’s Cup yacht race was recently completed with the last finishers arriving in St Helena on 7th January. ABYC member Steve Burnell took part skippering the maxim 38 Tico Tico in the Rally Multihull section.

The Governor’s Cup is a biennial race from Cape Town to St. Helena, the first race being held in 1996. This year the race started in Simon’s Town providing the added thrill of rounding the beautiful but dangerous Cape Point very early in the race. You can read more about the event on their web site; http://www.governorscup.co.za/

Tico Tico departed Simon’s Town on 22/12/12 and finished at St Helena on 6th January. From St Helena they are continuing on to the Med. The 1750 mile race was won by Thinus Groenewald’s Royal Cape One-Design – Reaction. It would also seem that Hans Arndt from yacht Brandenburg also took part on a yacht called Silver Cloud. Any more information on this would be welcome. You can also visit the facebook page, search for “governorscup2012”

Weekend of 19th January 2012

NOTICE OF RACE

• CAPE ST. FRANCIS
• START: FRIDAY 2200 – 18 JANUARY 2013
• 106nm round trip
• SKIPPERS: THURSDAY 17 January 2013 @ 1800
• NB: NO STOP OVER/SLEEP OVER: Port of Port St. Francis has no space for ABYC yachts

Please advise John Tudehope of your intention to participate by Wednesday 16 January 2013

Sailing Results

None this week

Social News

None this week

View From the Deck

Your chance to voice your opinion and contribute to the Halyard. Please email to Hilary at abychalyardnews@gmail.com

Racing Rules

Over the next few weeks we will be publishing “Racing Rules Made Simple” in multiple parts. The idea is that you can read through each section when it is published and then copy and paste into a word a document of your own. Eventually you will have a complete guide to the Racing Rules at your disposal. First though is a note on new rules for 2013 concerning the disposal of garbage. The first section of “Racing rules made simple” can be found below that.

BE CAREFUL WITH YOUR TRASH…

On January 1, 2013, the new edition of The Racing Rules of Sailing will go into effect. These rules are locked in through 2016, the year of the next Summer Olympic Games. Rules authority Dave Perry helps explain some of the significant changes.

A new Basic Principle has been added called “Environmental Responsibility” which reads, “Participants are encouraged to minimize any adverse environmental impact of the sport of sailing.” This is supported by new Rule 55, Trash Disposal, which reads;

“A competitor shall not intentionally put trash in the water.”  Rule 55, applies at all times, when boats are on the water and subject to The Racing Rules of Sailing (see the preamble to Part 4 of the RRS). (this is in line with new MARPOL regulations coming into force in 2013 – Ed)

Now it is a rule in the book, sailors will need to be even more careful with their trash. Note that this rule applies even between races; and rule 64.1, Penalties and Exoneration, says, “If a boat has broken a rule when not racing, her penalty shall apply to the race sailed nearest in time to that of the incident”

Racing Rules Made Simple – Background:

Although the ISAF racing Rule book looks imposing you only need to know the definitions and “When boats meet” approximately 10 pages of rules and of those you only really need to know the major ones. The lesser ones you learn by getting your butt kicked in a protest meeting.

Out on the big blue there are neither spectators nor referees, just you, your crew and the crew of the boat alongside of you. We are all Corinthian sailors (i.e. amateur – Ed) with Yacht racing being one of the few sports where the competitors police themselves. To be able to do this in fair sportsmanship, we owe it to ourselves and those around us to know and understand the rules of yacht racing.

Thus you only have to know understand and apply the first 17 pages of the Racing rule which should not be a train smash for cleaver folk like yachties? Note: – The Racing rules are revised, edited and updated after each Olympic. This  allows Olympic sailor 4 years to learn and apply the changes.

Next week – Part 2 – Definition

Have a great week ahead,

The Editor