RTIR 12 - Cancelled Classes

Originally posted by JimC Originally posted by laser193713 Firstly, if you wanted to race a J80 in IRC there was nothing in the rules to prevent that, provided you had entered that class. Provided you complied with ORC category 4. Did every J80 in the fleet comply with those restrictions? Originally posted by Mister Nick But in that case, they should have just stopped specific types of boat Which is exactly what they did. They stopped every type of boat that didn't comply with ORC Category 4 and thus was not qualified to do a Category 4 race. That's surely what the ORC categories are for. Or do you think they should have made up their own alternate classification system? That way lies madness.

Originally posted by laser193713 Then why let them enter in the first place!? Round the Island is hardly an offshore race though!?

It's not the Fastnet but it's not an overgrown dinghy race round the cans either.
I think dayboats like Dragons have been entering and sometimes getting cancelled for many years.
Some of these fleets may have given up entering over the years due to too many cancellations?
It seems that people are expected to know the score when they enter.

Originally posted by laser193713 Then why let them enter in the first place!? Round the Island is hardly an offshore race though!?

I think you are dumbing down how much of a difficult race the RTI actually is. Just because you can see land doesn't me you can get ashore if required. I can't be bothered to trawl back through this tread and get the distances, but there is a fair old stretch along the south of the island that is pretty inhospitable to anything with a keel. Add to that tricky tides and nightmare traffic - you've got enough to keep your hands full.

Response from ISC today finally...meeting date being firmed up with the PRO and ISC organisers - admission so far is that they call the J/80 a dayboat (although it has a cabin, cushions and navlights) which has caused most the problems. Signing off.

Originally posted by gbr940   As for this stupid argument about racing v cruising - what given right does a racer ever have over a cruising boat at any time...RRS only apply to the event but on the water the ICRPAS remain enforced at all times and take precedent.

Let's get straight what some of the sportsboats were doing - this isn't about a racing yacht and a cruiser just happening to meet somewhere and the racer demanding right of way. No-one is saying that racers have any "legal" right to that. Nor would I have a problem with sportsboats who despite their race being cancelled, chose to sail round anyway, although I would expect them as presumably people who claim to be racing sailors, to make some effort - again, simply out of courtesy - to keep out of the way of those who really ARE racing. What got on my wick was the way that some of those sportsboats chose to carry out their "sail round" by starting, right on the line and at the favoured end, right on the gun, clearly impeding those who WERE racing and in fact on being asked (politely) to keep clear, just ignoring the hail. And then continuing to impede others up the subsequent beat

I see you are J/80 class secretary. Presumably then if I turn up at a major J/80 event in a 40 footer, and choose to join in the race, crossing the line at the start gun and then sailing round the course, legitmately claiming all rights under IRPCAS, you will be absolutely fine with that? Because as you say, arguments about racing versus cruising and any idea a non-racing boat might think it discourteous to deliberately get in the way of one who is racing, are "stupid". I take it then I will be able to confirm I have the class secretary's  approval for such action?

Look, I'm sorry your race got cancelled, that's always a bummer, but you may want to think about the way the sportsboats are coming across here. Apart from going on about an apology and even compensation from ISC, your colleagues who seem unable to understand either that you can't actually compete in a race if it's been cancelled, or that clipping on to avoid going overboard in big conditions is actually quite a smart thing to do, and the way the boats behaved on the day itself (to which I will add the star who after looking me in the eye for 2 or 3 minutes while coming towards us on port, on finally realising the obvious fact that he wasn't going to make it across, simply stuck his boat head to wind and stopped dead in front of us), I could fully understand the Island deciding they maybe weren't really a type of boat well suited to the event. I'm really not sure you are doing your cause much good here