At out club if you want to race in the club race you have to sign on - then after the race you have to sign off within 30 mins of the last boat.

As a result if you fancy a bit of practice after the race you don't get to sign off in time and end up with a DSQ.

Most of the MPS fleet often stay out and now we end up with a a DSQ's ... it's not that easy to come in after the race and then sign off and go back out.

It is good for the ROD to know who's entered to they can track numbers so signing on makes sense but the signing off bit just seems like a way to make people come off the water ...

If you havn't signed off they don't think there is a saftey issue and go looking they just DSQ you ...

I'd be interested to hear what other clubs do for club racing ...

Rick

At clubs I've known use this system, it was nothing to do with safety. You are signing to say you complied with RRS. If you didn't do your turns on the water, it provides another opportunity to do the decent thing and retire, simply by not signing off.

We sign on for racing and thats it. If you retire it's usually obvious enough for the OD to pick up on it. The club is all about enjoying sailing and whilst the racing is deadly serious on the water and to a pretty high standard, the club's approach is relaxed and all the better for it.

I'd put forward an amendment if I were you Rick. Club sailing is all about having fun and you shouldn't suffer because you went out for a blast afterwards.

Thanks for the input guys - we usually have a land based start so signing off with the ROD is not an option.

I like the sign in then only sign off if you retire ...

Sailing committee tommorrow night so I value the input ...

Rick

Les,

Have you read the sheets recently ?

You only need sign on ONCE for the whole series, after that you are automatically signed on, you just need to S/o for retired etc.

The sheets say something like "sign below for retured".

REALLY???

ooops I'd better read up on it again ! 

Sure I got a Dns last time I forgot to sign on ?

Perhaps I better check too.... 

It helps you remember when you go to championships which require it. I've never forgotten personally (yet) but I was crew at a championship where the helm forgot to sign off. Rather frustrating.

Feels like it with 300+ boats on it

I think Les is right and Simon (Scoopy do) is wrong. You have to sign on each day for each race

Simon - perhaps that's why you never seem to finish - even when you stay upright!!

Feels like it in the 49er some days !!!! 

Hi Rick,

Sorry I’m a bit late coming to this, I assume you’re talking about WYC. I agree that making people sign off within 30 minutes seems to be a way of getting them off the water, not the best way to encourage people to improve their sailing skills. I could see a safety justification for signing on and off but if the only consequence of not signing off is to be DSQ’d then that argument goes out of the window, anyway if one is signing on/off for safety reasons then there should be a similar provision for non racers who don’t have the benefit of rescue boats and/or a fleet of boats around them.

Most other clubs I’ve sailed at have a system where you sign on to say you are going to race. If you wish to retire you either contact the ROD, getting a rescue boat to radio in (or see him in the bar afterwards), or you write RTD (or DNS) on the signing in sheet, you don’t need to sign to say you have completed the race correctly as if you haven’t retired then that is taken as read. You could put a time limit on retirements, if you retire after 30 minutes you won’t even be classed as a starter but race results aren’t produced by hand these days so even if the ROD has done the results taking one finisher out and shuffling every one else up a place isn’t a hardship and doesn’t even need to be done on the day.

Having been DSQ’d at Whitstable a few times in the past because I was enjoying my sailing I had a look at the 2006 club rules and could only find rule 2.1 which is a requirement to sign on–  

2.1 …… Entrants shall complete the Declaration (signing on) sheet at the WYC course board on the veranda railing before going afloat to race.

So any 30 minute time limit must be a later amendment which I would hope will make it easier to change.

Good spot, I will bring this to the attentin of the sailing committee.

Rick

PS - Who are you?

At Carsington we only sign off.  But there's no time limit short of the club closing..

Means you can decide to race or not once you're out on the water.  The sign on is passing the start line.

Many's the time when I've been out for a blast, inadvertenly passed the finish line and gotten a hoot for finishing .... presume they later notice I never passed the start line!

Seems to work tho.  Guess our race officers are harder worked than most .... more reason for sticking to safety boat duties!

Having read tough the whole of this post, thought that I’ll post what happens at Restronguet sailing club down in Cornwall. We sail in the Carrick Roads and sometime Falmouth Bay, both places known sea fog in certain weather conditions. If you race you have to sign on and sign off when you come back in, the shore based duty officer makes sure of that.  

If you retire, you must notify (that means telling) someone in the race duty group, i.e. one of the rescue boats, the committee boat (on start/finish line) or get the shore officer to radio the committee boat. Common sense really.  Or you get what happens to our duty group this year.

One of the RS800 broke a kite halyard and decided to go and get it fixed, however, they had launched their boat from a different slip that was not at the club and went back there. In their rush to get it fixed before the 2^nd race, they had forgotten to tell anyone in the duty group! Let’s just say that we had to delay the start of the next race, while 2 of the 3 rescue boats went to look for them. Big place the Carrick roads. They were found and it was radio back in after one of the other 800 remembered and said ‘oh I think they broke something and have gone to Falmouth!’ The rescue boats had already asked if anyone had seen them!!!!

So at some clubs it might seem strange to make you do the signing on or off bit, but it gets you in to best practice for when you visit some of the sea clubs for opens, because it is there for a reason.   

If action is taken when someone dosn't sign off then it serves a purpose. Sounds like your system worked even though it was a false alarm.

If all that happens is you get DSQ and everyone goes home seems a bit pointless.

regards,

Rick

i think this is sort of related to this topic:

how much of your life should you sign away before you can go club racing?

should it be open meeting style "if you die its your fault" or is it enough just to let people know your out?