OOD Guidance: Dinghies
Dinghies
Most races are run from the race box on the pier end using a start line defined by the transit poles but a few times each year we run races using a committee boat in Queensferry bay with a start line laid for those races. Registration, timings and safety considerations are the same for both but course choices will differ.
Detailed instructions for race signals are found in the Sailing Instructions.
Before the race
Dinghies should register for a race by adding their boats to the race entry sheets left in the clubhouse foyer. There is a clipboard with a number of sheets ready for use in the office.
The rib rota is on the website in the detail for the day's event. Check the rib driver has arrived and have a chat about conditions and expectations for the day's races.
Check with Forth Navigation (01324-498584) a few hours before the races for scheduled river traffic as nothing spoils a good race more than the unexpected arrival of a bulk carrier. www.vesselfinder.com can be quite useful for keeping tabs on river traffic.
Safety
The OOD should consider the wind strength and sea state before racing.
A couple of days before the races, gather weather forecasts and judge if racing will be possible. If winds are above 25kn, expect to cancel racing, if above 20kn then consider cancelling, however, if forecast are not consistent wait until they are before making a decision. The same applies to forecasts of no wind, although local conditions often do bring breezes.
Share your thoughts on the Whatsapp group and canvass opinions, this will help make the decision. If you do decide not to race, announce that on Whatsapp and also let the rib driver and crew know about it, and if appropriate the Beamer driver too.
If conditions on the day are not as forecast or the decision prior to the race was to decide on the day, then consult the competitors who do attend hoping to race before making any decision - which is usually by consensus. As before, if the rib driver an crew are not already present, let them know as soon as possible.
Timing
In planning Saturday races, the goal is to start at 13:00, run 3 races and finish around 15:30. If tides are low at 13:00 we delay the start to 14:00 and just run 2 races with the same target finish time. Each race has a long time limit of 1hr 15 mins but that is not a target race time, its a limit to ensure a race will finish. Aim for races around 40 minutes each but a mix of shorter and longer races is fine.
While it is courteous to wait for most boats to be present in the start area at the start time, if you are waiting on just one or two who are late while most are there, then proceed with the race start.
Monitor the weather conditions, both sea-state and wind and keep in contact with the rib on conditions. If they deteriorate, be prepared to shorten the current race and abandon if necessary.
Courses
There are a few considerations in selecting courses:
- Aim for average lap courses that allow 2 or 3 laps. If this means you need to use a course including the roving mark, ask the RIB crew to lay it.
- Longer courses mean more time waiting between races for boats to finish, so if you want to use a 3 mile course, select it for the last race that day.
- Look at the tide round the west breakwater, if its a problem (fast tide, light winds) use a course that includes the west roving mark rather than mark Y. Some shorter courses are duplicated to allow this with Rw substituting for Y
- Courses with both Y and G will make it hard for the RIB crew to monitor the race so use them in relatively benign conditions.
- If you use K2, K3 or K4, ask the rib crew to go have a look at the sea state first as it can be quite evil around there in wind over tide conditions.
- Mark S is a long way west, so courses that use it have been paired with using the green mark as a roving mark on the east. Use S in good conditions.
When using courses on the days in Queensferry bay, lay a start line that gives an upwind start to a windward mark and improvise courses using the club marks. This in the past has included windward leeward courses between the pier start mark F and mark Z and triangles using marks in the bay and others on the N side. The same advice on timing and monitoring sea-state and wind applies.
Last updated 2:33pm on 24 April 2024