Sundowner Challenge Series

Thursday Evenings 

Official Notice Board

Sundowners Class Captain: Roy Pine sundownerscaptain@hisc.co.uk

This series of challenges has two objectives:

1) Provide a proportional re-introduction of competitive cruiser sailing to HISC following the Covid-19 lockdown.

2) Provide interest to boats that are not interested in the complexity and ‘hurly-burly’ of contested yacht racing.

The series of challenges are timed runs over several Thursday evenings around a simple course set around HISC, normally in Hayling Bay, featuring a short beat to windward or two and a couple of reaches and a run, as conditions allow.

You start when you like (within a generous time window) and record your own start and finish times.

This is NOT yacht racing and the challenge uses Collision Regs plus a mandatory ‘give way’ to any boats formally racing, regardless of col regs ‘rights’. Ensigns shall be worn for the duration of the challenge.

Your recorded start and finish times should be submitted to HISC. A handicap ‘time correction factor’ (based on the RYA’s NHC system) will be applied to even the playing field and a set of results made available to all participants.

It is envisaged that the challenge will take around one hour to complete.

Entry

The Sparkes Trophy & Nab Cup is open to all monohull cruisers, which must be equipped to at least ORC Special Regulations Category 4.1.

Entry - Registration of yacht shall be via text or phone to Guy McBride 07765 897002. Giving class of vessel, mobile telephone number and email address. Entry will be confirmed by inclusion in ‘HISC Sundowner’ WhatsApp group where each week’s challenge will be published.

Ferry - HISC will provide a ferry service to the moorings between 17:00 and 21:00.

Decision to sail - This is entirely the responsibility of the skipper. Particularly bearing in mind the RYA advice at this time ‘Be considerate, be conservative’ We are going to be lightly crewed with no safety cover.

If in doubt, DO NOT LEAVE THE MOORING.

Event Documents

Detailed Rules  

Rules of Sailing - The challenge is to be undertaken entirely under Col Regs with the additional burden of allowing any boats formally racing right of way.

Start Time - Challengers will pass the nominated start mark between 18:00 and 19:30.

Crew Eligibility - As per government and RYA guidelines. From 17th May, this means limiting the number of people below decks to 6 persons. On deck, there are, effectively, no restrictions.

Use of Engine - No engines to be used from the start to finish times.

The Start Mark - Shall be published via ‘HISC Sundowner’ WhatsApp group. It is likely to be either ‘CHI’ or ‘SANDY’ race mark. This mark to passed within 10m of either side.

The course - Shall be published via ‘HISC Sundowner’ WhatsApp group. The course may be amended before, or during, the challenge via the nominated 'Challenge Organizer' via VHF.

Remember to monitor CH37A (M1) for last minute changes from 17:00 onwards.

Sailing Instructions - TBA

The course is likely to use the following marks in Hayling Bay:

• CHI
• HARD
• RIZZI
• WE
• SPARKES
• WEST POLE
• SANDY

An example course may be:

CHI – START
HARD (S)
SPARKES (S)
CHI (S)
HARD (S)
CHI – FINISH

(P) = leave to Port
(S) = Leave to Starboard
The start and finish marks may be left to either side.

The Finish Mark - Shall be published via ‘HISC Sundowner’ WhatsApp group. It is likely to be either ‘CHI’ or ‘SANDY’ race mark. This mark to passed within 10m of either side.

Submission of timings

Using ‘GPS time’, corrected for BST for both the start mark and the finish mark. These timings to be submitted to the ‘HISC Sundowner’ WhatsApp group by 0900 on the following Friday morning in the form:

Yacht Name

Start Time

Finish time

Finish time can be ‘RETIRED’ if the course is not sailed successfully.

IMPORTANT - This is NOT a race. You may NOT claim any sort of privilege from other water users.

Sail conservatively, do not put yourself or others at risk. Assume that you are entirely self sufficient and stay within your envelope.

Let’s have some fun!!

Results - TBA