Register for PITCH

1. RULES
1.1. The regatta will be governed by The Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS), the prescriptions of the U.S. Sailing Association, and the U.S. Sailing Safety Equipment Requirements for “Nearshore,“ except as changed by this Notice of Race and by the Sailing Instructions.
1.2. Boats must meet at least one of the following three requirements:

1.2.1. Boats having a speed equivalent to a PHRF rating of 1 or slower must have a current PHRF-NW certificate.
1.2.2. Boats having a speed equivalent to a PHRF rating of 0 or faster must have a current ORC certificate.
1.2.3. Boats sailing in an authorized one-design division without a PHRF or ORC certificate must be a member of a recognized one-design class association racing.
1.3. Each competitor is to fly the official green 2021 Party Circuit sponsor flag from their backstay. Flags will be available for pickup Friday evening and at the Skippers’ Meeting. [DP]

2. SAFETY

2.1. Competitors are encouraged to wear Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs) at all times. The Race Committee (RC), at its discretion, may elect to invoke RRS Rule 40. Wet suits and dry suits are not PFDs.
2.2. The race committee reserves the right to cancel or postpone racing due to unsafe conditions. However, the fact that the race committee has not canceled a race, nor the fact that other boats are still racing, should not be interpreted to mean that conditions are necessarily safe for all vessels. It is the responsibility of the individual yacht to decide when conditions are unsafe for their vessel and to take appropriate safety measures.

3. REGISTRATION

3.1. Eligible boats may enter by paying the entry fee and completing the Official Entry Form available online at pitch.byc.org.
3.2. Entry fee includes Skipper’s Race Packet, moorage from Friday through Monday, and Friday evening BBQ and beverages for skipper and crew.

3.2.1. Registration fee is $85 USD by August 27, 2021 3.2.2. Late registration fee is $130 after August 27, 2021

4. SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

4.1. Friday

1600—Registration opens at BYC clubhouse 1700—Free BBQ and refreshments 1930—Mandatory Skippers’ Meeting

4.2. Saturday

1100—First warning signal
1600—BYC lounge will open. Happy hour (no-host bar) and dinner to follow. Dinner tickets are available for advance purchase at $15 per person. A limited number of tickets may be available at the door.

4.3. Sunday

1100—First warning signal
1500—No warning signal shall be made after 1500 hours 1700—Awards (time will vary depending on protest hearings)

5. CLASSES

5.1. Classes and class breaks will be assigned based upon the number of entries received.
5.2. All multihulls will be grouped into a separate class.
5.3. PHRF class assignments will be provided at the Skippers’ Meeting.
5.4. A minimum of four (4) entries are required to form a one-design class.
5.5. The race committee (RC) may combine two or more classes into a single start.

6. AWARDS

6.1. There will be up to three awards per class.
6.2. The Kelly O’Neil Cup will be awarded to the top scoring Yacht Club Team.

6.2.1. Yacht Club Teams will be comprised of three yachts from a participating yacht club. Teams must be registered with BYC by 2100 hours on Friday.
6.2.2. Yacht clubs may have more than one team; however, no boat may be on more than one team.
6.2.3. The award is based on the combined overall scores of the team members. Each Yacht’s scores are weighted by number of yachts in its class and number of races sailed by its class.
6.3. At the discretion of the OA, an overall performance award may be made at the end of the regatta.

7. NOTICES TO COMPETITORS

7.1. A mandatory Skippers’ Meeting will be held at 1930 hours on Friday. At least one person from each registered boat must attend. [DP]
7.2. Sailing Instructions (SIs) will be posted online at pitch.byc.org prior to the event.
7.3. Any amendments to the SIs, class breaks, streamer requirements and any other relevant information will be announced at the Skippers’ Meeting and posted on the Official Notice Board (ONB), which is located inside adjacent on the lower level entrance to the BYC Clubhouse. The RC will make a reasonable attempt to post communications online at pitch.byc.org.
7.4. Signals made ashore will be flown from the flagpole in front of the BYC Clubhouse.

8. RACING AREA AND COURSES

8.1. The regatta shall take place on Bellingham Bay and surrounding waters.
8.2. Courses to be sailed will be short to mid-distance races around set bouys, fixed marks or geographic features.

9. SCORING

9.1. The regatta will be scored using RRS Appendix A; PHRF fleets will be scored Time on Time formula.
9.2. Each boat’s series score will be the sum of her scores for all races. If 5 or more races are completed, a boat’s worst score will be excluded. This changes RRS A2.1.
9.3. A minimum of one race will constitute a series.

10. MOORAGE AND ARRIVAL

10.1. Moorage will be available at no charge to registered boats. The OA will try to accommodate tenders in the same mooring area whenever possible.
10.2. A greeting boat may be on station to assist with moorage instructions. If no boat is available, hail the BYC on VHF channel 72 for moorage assignment.

11. LIABILITY AND INSURANCE

11.1. Competitors participate in the regatta entirely at their own risk. See RRS Rule 3, Decision to Race.
11.2. The OA will not accept any liability for material damage, personal injury or death sustained in conjunction with, prior to, during, or after the regatta.
11.3. Each participating boat shall be insured with valid third-party liability insurance with a minimum coverage of $300,000 per event or the equivalent.

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