Ballast Head Cup: New Year’s Day 01.01.24

The Organising Authority for the Ballast Head Cup Regatta is the Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia.

The course shall be set on the waters of magnificent Eastern Cove, Kangaroo Island on an area generally lying between Ballast Head and Rocky Point.

Any queries to be directed to Adrian Wotton on 0411 101 875.

Rules

Races will be conducted under Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS) 2021- 2024; the Prescriptions and Special Regulations (SR) of Australian Sailing (AS); the Department of Transport Boating (safety and equipment) Regulations; and the International Regulations for the Prevention of Collision at Sea, 1972. It should be noted that this regatta is a fun picnic yacht race based on a “twilight event”. The use of spinnakers is prohibited but headsails may be poled out.

Where there is conflict between this Notice of Race (NoR) and the Sailing Instructions (SIs), the SIs shall take precedence.

Any additional or variation to the Sailing Instructions shall be communicated to competitors at a compulsory pre-race briefing on the beach adjacent to the Island Beach boat ramp at 1100hrs on New Year’s Day and by radio up to 5 minutes prior to the first Start. Competitors are advised to keep in radio contact on VHF 77 or direct verbal contact at all times. Each boat shall make every attempt to have at least one representative at the briefing.

Eligibility

This Regatta is open to keel-boats and trailerable yachts.

Skippers and/or Sailing Masters shall hold membership with a recognized Yacht Club and therefore hold Australian Sailing membership. Participants as crew in competing vessels will be afforded casual membership on the day through the entry process at the pre-race briefing.

The boat shall hold a current Category 6 Safety Certificate as stipulated in the Australian Sailing Special Regulations. Boats participating in this race conducted by the Organising Authority shall be insured with third party liability insurance with a minimum cover of $10,000,000.

Sailing Instructions

Sailing Instructions will be made available at the pre-race briefing and may be circulated to potential competitors by email prior to the event.

Boat Identification

Boats are required to display a sail number, with the starboard number being affixed above the port number. Boats without a number may not be able to be identified and may therefore not have a finishing time or a position in the fleet determined.

Entry Fee

Registration and the payment of a $10.00 entry fee per boat shall be made at the pre-race briefing. The entry fee includes one complementary sausage sizzle per boat. An entrant who fails to register and pay the entry fee at the briefing may be treated as a non-starter.

Handicaps

Handicaps shall be calculated from the results of previous Ballast Head Cup Regattas. For new entrants, a handicap shall be allocated using its known Twilight handicap; local information; its performance on the first lap of the two-lap course or a combination of all three parameters.

Fleet Allocation

In order that boats may experience some close-quarter sailing toward the latter stages of the race and to get all crews to arrive at the on-shore BBQ and drinks after the race at about the same time, they shall be divided into the “Ballast Fleet” (lower handicaps) and “Rocky Fleet” (higher handicaps) with thirty minutes separating their Starting Signals. All elapsed and corrected times shall be calculated from the respective Start Times into a single result list. The Fleet allocation shall be announced as soon as possible after the briefing.

Prizes

Depending upon entries, a handicap event may also be conducted simultaneously for multi-hulls, but which are not eligible to win any of the three Ballast Head trophies, however a multi-hull trophy may be awarded depending upon multi-hull entries.

The following prizes shall be awarded: –

1. The Ballast Head Perpetual Cup and pennant: –  Line Honours.
2. The Ballast Head Perpetual Trophy and pennant: –  Handicap winner.
3. The Jamie Cowell Memorial Perpetual Trophy and pennant: –

Best first time Regatta entrant on corrected time other than the line honours and handicap winners.

4. Multi-hull Trophy.

Multi-hull handicap winner and pennant, (Three entry minimum)

 

Should there not be an eligible first-time entrant as defined in 3. above, the Organising Committee shall make a discretionary decision and award the Jamie Cowell Memorial Trophy accordingly.

All first-time entrants shall receive a Ballast Head medallion.

Results and Presentation

Results shall be announced on the beach ASAP after the race.

Please BYO nibbles & drinks.

Disclaimer of Liability 

Warning: Sailing and activities associated with it involve risks of personal injury, loss, damage and even death.  The risks include, but are not limited to, the risk of injury from collision, capsizing, falling overboard, being trapped under a sail or boat after capsize and impact with equipment.  The risks involved in this activity are increased by adverse weather conditions, inadequate training, fatigue, inexperience, failure to maintain the boat, failure to supply and use the recommended safety equipment and failure to observe the RRS, AS Prescriptions and the Sailing Instructions

 

The Organising Authority relies upon the provisions and limitations of the South Australian Civil Liability Act 1936 and notifies all race participants who engage in recreational activity that they do so at their own risk.

 

See Rule 3, Decision to Race, “The responsibility for a boat’s decision to participate in a race or to continue racing is hers alone”.

Having given this risk warning, the Organising Authority will not accept any liability for material damage, personal injury or death sustained in conjunction with, prior to, during, or after racing.