Race Officer duty description

Summary of duty

• Before the race
  Aim to arrive at 9:30am for an 11am race and by 10am at the very latest.
  Make sure that the safety crew have the safety boat launched at least an hour before the start of the race. Remind them to be available to rescue sailors from the first preparatory signal (5 minutes before the first race).
• Race box / Committee boat
  Use of the committee boat is preferred by competitors - the committee boat should be at the starboard end of the start line (as seen facing into the wind).
  Check you have radio contact with the safety crew, set up the AcuSail race box and prepare the flags.
  Draw the intended course on the board in the club house.
• Setting the course
  This can easily take 30 minutes - so start an hour before the race. You may ask the safety crew to do it, using the radio to guide them.    
• Starting the race
  Before you start the countdown, check that the safety crew are available. If you are concerned about their readiness or the conditions, postpone the start.
  The basic start sequence is Class >> Prep >> Start. View complete start sequence.  
• During the race
  Recall individual competitors over the line (single horn and X flag). Don't be afraid to use a general recall (double horn and general recall flag) if you cannot decide who was over.
  Take positions and timings each lap to reduce confusion later.
• Finishing the race
  Aim for a 45 minute race for the leaders, but adjust as necessary. At the finish if a slower boat is about to be lapped by the leading boat in that fleet finish them so they do not have to do an extra lap.
  Occasionally, it is OK for a RO to use their discretion to shorten the course on tail-enders that have become separated from the fleet, so that they dont have to do another lap. This must be in a natural gap and shouldnt include anyone actively competing for a good result in the race. If in doubt, dont do this
• Results
  Record times for all boats, even for single class racing, using the time shown on the AcuSail race timer. The Laser class will use their class race times to award extra prizes later - you dont need to do any of the maths.
  Before calculating handicap results add extra minutes for fleets that started before the last race.
  Ask for help with calculating the results if you would like it or are pressed for time. Get the Assistant Race Officer to help you as much as possible during the day.
• At the end of the day
  Ensure the AcuSail race box and radios are back on charge, that everything else is turned off and tidy, and lock up.

Thank you for helping!

AcuSail

instructions to follow.

Standard race timetable and order of race starts

Summer

1st race start     11am (1 handicap start)
2nd race start    1pm (Laser class and Solo class, General handicap)
3rd race start     2.30pm (Laser class and Solo class, General handicap)

Winter

1st race start    11am (Allcomers)
2nd race start     1pm (Allcomers)

Slow handicap includes all boats with handicaps of 1105 or higher.

See the sailing programme for the races to be run on special race days. They may have different formats.

Start sequence

Main race control flags

Last updated 20:01 on 23 March 2025