Race Committee Instructions
The Race Committee shall assemble at the
Committee Boat in sufficient
time for the scheduled race time.
Click here to view the instructions
for running the Committee and Safety boats.
The optimum crew is three adults – but
two can do it easily.
Sunday races: half-hour
warning at 1:00 pm, START at 1:30 pm
No races started after 4:00 pm.
Wednesday evening: half-hour warning at 6:00 pm, Start at 6:30 pm
Prepare motor boats for launching.
Check battery, gas in tanks and safety
equipment. Load Race Committee Equipment
and Supplies (Race Marks, Flag
Box and Course Boards, Horn, Scoring
Sheets). If gas is needed be certain
to follow instructions as to mixing
of oil and gas! Be certain that no one is
smoking around the area while gassing
boats.
Set the Marks of the course (triangle,
windward-leeward, gold cup modified),
so that the marks are rounded to Port.
Set the Marks in open water (but out of
the channel) where the wind is
unobstructed. The Windward Mark should
be directly upwind from the starting
line. The Starting Line should be square
(perpendicular) to the wind. It is
common practice to set the Starting Line
in (roughly) the middle of the
Windward Leg of the course. This allows
the use of the same Marks and
Committee Boat placement for both Starting
and Finishing Lines.
The length of the Starting Line should
be equal to one boat length for each
boat of the starting fleet. The
Starting Line must be in place prior to the
displaying of the Blue Warning Signal.
We use the 5 minute timing sequence:
Click here for a printable
version of the 5 minute flag/horn sequence
Flags
are the Official Signals!
Sounds are for calling attention
to the flags and are not official.
Start the 2nd and 3rd races as soon
as practical after the last boat finished
the preceding race. It is not necessary
to start with the 30 min. flag.
You may go directly to the Blue
Warning Signal.
Upon completion of the final race,
pick up all Marks. Note any Protests and
sign Race Score Sheets. Place the
sheets in the envelope attached to the
door inside the Race Committee Closet.
Store all flag boxes, Course Boards,
Motor Boat Keys and Radios in the
closet.
Additional advice for running an
effective race committee:
Please print out and use this when you have Race Committee duty.
1. Enlist an assistant.
Races go more smoothly with four hands on board
the committee
boat rather than two.
2. Set the marks shortly before
race time as best one can. Winds on the
river tend to
be shifty, so leave the marks alone and start the first race
without delay.
The goal is to set the windward mark and then position
the committee
boat and the starting pin so that the course to the mark
is square, i.e.
neither port or starboard tack is favored. However when
winds shift,
chasing the wind usually only results in delaying the start of
racing.
3. Observe the new flag sequence
and flag colors. Flag instructions are under
the plastic table
cover on the boat.
4. Judge the wind and the course.
When the course is large and the wind
questionable
or light, it may be better to go one time around, not twice.
5. Do NOT set marks close to the
Illinois shore. Set marks no closer than
2/3 of the way from
the red nun channel markers to the shore.
The same holds true
on the Missouri side when the wind is from the south.
CARE AND FEEDING OF THE COMMITTEE BOAT MOTOR
Click here to view the instructions for running the Committee and Safety boats.