Skip to content

Bouys around lake

Race times

There are four races run each Sunday:

RaceSpring and summer timesAutumn and winter times
Personal handicap10.3010.30
Morning Handicap11.0011.00
Pursuit13.0013.00
Afternoon Handicap15.0014.00 (straight after 13.00)

Starting the Race – Handicap

The start sequence for the Handicap races (10:30, 11:00 and 15:00) is the simple 5 – 4 – 1 – go.

Time to startFlagDirectionDescription
5 minsRaise ‘H’
One sound signal.
4 minsRaise ‘P’
One sound signal.
1 minDrop ‘P’
One sound signal.
0 minDrop ‘H’
One sound signal.

Recalls

If one or more boats, that can be identified, are over the line then the
Individual Recall flag should be raised with one sound signal.

If one or more boats, that can be identified, are over the line then the
Individual Recall flag should be raised with one sound signal. Boats only need to cross behind the line – they do NOT need to go round the end of the line unless you have specified with the ‘Round the End’ flag.

If you cannot (or will not be able to) identify which boats are over the line then the General Recall flag  should be raised with two sound signals and the start sequence started again from the beginning.

Starting the Race – Pursuit

The start sequence for the Pursuit race (13:00) is the simple 5 – 4 – 1 – GO
with additional starts for each fleet. DO NOT TOUCH the clock after starting any of the boats
You need the ‘Count Up’ feature to time the 1 hour race.

Time to startFlagDirectionDescription
5 minsRaise ‘H’
One sound signal.
4 minsRaise ‘P’
One sound signal.
1 minDrop ‘P’
One sound signal.
0 min↓↑Drop ‘H’
One sound signal.
On each ‘fleet’ start↓↑Drop ‘H’
One sound signal
Raise ‘H’ again for each fleet participating.

During the Race

The race officer/assistant needs to keep an eye on the fleet: to ensure that the boats follow the correct course, and to keep track of each boat’s progress. It is a good idea to mark the boat’s position after each lap as well as indicating that they have completed a lap. For the normal Handicap races, please ALWAYS mark a boat as completing their last lap – as well as noting their time, as the number of laps is needed for calculating average lap times, when appropriate, for the slower boats.

Finishing the Race – Handicap

The finish of the Handicap races is either after the set number of laps, or after raising the Shorten Course flag.

If the end time of the race is approaching, and the lead boat will not complete the set number of laps then use the shorten course flag as the lead boat approaches the buoy before the finish line (normally the last buoy of the course) and make two sound signals.
A boat then finishes when any part of the boat, in its normal position, crosses the finishing line One Sound Signal

If the start and finish lines are the same, then it is possible to finish all boats that finish behind the lead boat. However, to be fair, if the lead boat is half way through lapping a group of similarly paced boats then all boats in the group should be allowed to continue, so that they are all finished in the same lap.

Finishing the Race – Pursuit

There are no set laps and no finishing line for the pursuit. As the race time for the slowest fleet reaches 1 hour, note the position of the boats on the water.

  • At 1 hour, make One Long Sound Signal to indicate the end of the race.
    At this point the boats SHOULD continue to sail and SHOULD NOT over-take.
  • Confirm the position of the boats on the water and this is their race finishing positions.
  • Make One Sound Signal to indicate that boats may return to the pontoon/slip.
  • Confirm the position of the boats on the water and this is their race finishing positions.

If you are unsure of the position of two boats (perhaps because they are on a beat and on different tacks) then you may wait until they either cross or they reach the next buoy, to determine their positions, before sounding the final signal.