A Notice of Race may be amended by the SYC General Notice of Race. To the extent the SYC General Notice of Race conflicts with a Notice of Race, the Notice of Race takes precedence.

1. Racing Rules
   The races will be governed by the “rules” as defined in the Racing Rules of Sailing (“RRS”).
2. Alterations of Racing Rules

2.1  RRS 51 “Moving Ballast” is amended by adding: “A yacht rated by PHRF Northwest in consideration of water ballast will be allowed to use water ballast as rated.”

2.2  RRS 64 “Penalties and Exoneration” is amended by adding:  “For a violation of PIYA Safety Requirements, the protest committee may impose a penalty less than disqualification.”

2.3  RRS 31.2 is amended by adding:  “Yachts which cause damage to the race committee boat while on station shall be subject to protest by the race committee and shall be liable for any damages.”

3. Eligibility and Entry

3.1  To enter an event, entrants must register by entry form or online and pay appropriate fees by the registration deadline. Registration after the deadline may be accepted at the discretion of the race organizers and may require an additional late fee.

3.2  All yacht owners racing under PHRF Northwest classes must belong to PHRF Northwest and have current and valid rating certificates. It is the responsibility of the entrants to ensure that the correct rating for their yacht is listed in the PHRF Northwest yacht roster or supplement by 1200 hours on the Tuesday preceding a scheduled race. Boats racing without a PHRF certificate will not be scored. No entry fees will be refunded.

4. Safety and Responsibility

4.1  Occasionally sailboat racing has resulted in injury or loss of life. All competitors in SYC events participate at their own risk. It is the responsibility of each skipper to inform their crew of the risks of sailboat racing, to make sure they understand and accept those risks, to decide whether their crew is competent and adequate for the event, and to decide whether to start or continue in a race.

4.2  It is recommended that all competitors wear PFD’s while on the water.

4.3  Yachts must comply with the current Pacific Internal Yachting Association (PIYA) Category standards specified in the Notice of Race as defined in the PIYA Special Regulations Governing Minimum Equipment and Accommodation Standards. A list of these requirements is available from SYC, other PIYA member yacht clubs, and the PIYA web site at www.ussailing.net/piya.

4.4  The Race Committee may direct any yacht to proceed to a location for inspection of compliance with PIYA Category Safety Standards. Yachts so directed shall proceed directly to the inspection location and shall cooperate with the race officer conducting the inspection. Inspection results will be reported to the race committee. Yachts not in compliance with the requirements shall be subject to protest.

4.5  Yachts must be operated in accordance with the Puget Sound Sailboat Safety Regulations, as available in the SYC Race Book.

4.6  Yachts must be operated in accordance with the current USCG Traffic Separation Scheme Regulations. Yachts are required to monitor VHF.       

4.7  The race committee may use a course patrol vessel to assist commercial vessels in their passage through the racing area. Yachts not complying with the Puget Sound Sailboat Safety Regulations may be protested by the race committee.

5. Time

5.1  The official race time shall be the local time, either Pacific Standard Time or Pacific Daylight Time. In case of disagreement, the race committee clock shall govern.

5.2  Time limits indicated in the Notice of Race are the maximum allowable time from each yacht’s starting signal to her finish time. Yachts that do not finish within their time limit will be scored DNF.

6. Identification

A yacht wishing to use sails with numbers different from her own must notify the SYC Sailing Director by the registration deadline.

7. Changes in Rating

A change in a yacht’s rating will take effect on the day it is recorded by the rating agency. Changes are not retroactive. When a yacht's rating changes between races that are part of a series, the yacht shall remain in the same class in which she started the series for the remaining races in the series.

8. Scoring

Races will be scored using RRS Appendix A4 Low Point System.

A yacht’s score in a series shall be the total of her race scores, except that a yacht’s worst score will be excluded if seven or more races are completed in the series. This amends RRS Appendix A2.

A yacht that did not start (DNC, DNS, OCS), did not finish (DNF), retired after finishing (RAF), or is disqualified (DSQ, DNE, DGM, BFD) will be scored the number of finishers plus one.  This amends RRS Appendix A4.2 and A9.

9. Sailing Instructions

Sailing Instructions will be available by the Thursday before the race on the SYC web site at www.seattleyachtclub.org or, if not available on the web site, on the notice board at the SYC Portage Bay clubhouse lower entrance.