J World’ s Thursday Night Racing – Sponsored by Quantum Sails is governed by the Racing Rules of Sailing.  The purpose of the racing rules is to ensure safe and fair racing.  The value is that we all play by the same rules, which makes racing more fun.

The Racing Rules of Sailing

Every four years the racing rules are refreshed – and the new rules for 2017-2020 will be in force this season.  The rule book is made available both by World Sailing and US Sailing.  If you are a US Sailing member you can request one for free or download a free app.  You can also go to World Sailing’s site and download the rules and more.

Other Important Rules

There are other important rule considerations too.  There are several documents that contain rules everyone must follow.  The first is the Notice Of Race.  The Notice of Race (NOR) has information that sailors need to plan for a regatta.  You can find the Thursday Night Racing NOR at the online notice board.  The Sailing Instructions (SI’s) are written directions that describe how a regatta will be conducted.  You can find the Thursday Night Racing SI’s at the online notice board.  Finally, the class rules govern each individual class.  While on Thursday’s we don’t inspect boats for class rules compliance we hope that you sail within the spirit of your class rules.  Thursday’s are an opportunity to practice at a high level so practice like you are going to play.

Rule Compliance and Enforcement

Sailing is a self policing sport.  The rules are enforced by the sailor’s themselves.  One of the most important rules is that when you break a rule you take a penalty.  You don’t need a referee or even a fellow competitor to tell you that you broke a rule; nor do they need to tell you that you broke a rule in order to take a penalty.  It is important to remember that by participating in a race, each competitor agrees to be governed by rules.

Fair Sailing, Good Manners, Sportsmanship

Racing sailor must compete in accordance with recognized principles of fair play.  They must not commit any conduct that is a breach of ood manners, a breach of good seamanship or unethical.

Sailing Green

Sailors are encouraged to minimize their impact on the environment.  There is a specific rule that prohibits putting trash in the water.  Trash is anything you would throw away at home – including food items (e.g. apple cores.)

J World is welcoming folks who would like to gain experience on our Thursday Night Racing Race Management Team to join us this season onboard the J World race committee boat.  No previous experience is necessary to make a huge contribution to the best weeknight one design racing taking place in the country.  Maybe even the GALAXY!

The race management team is made up of lots of people, so there is something for everyone who is interested.  No one person can run the whole thing (all though we’ve tried) and it takes a great team to make something as important as Thursday Night Racing in Annapolis happen for the J/22, J/24, J/70 and J/80 classes happen with the quality we expect each week.

Here is an outline of some of the volunteers needed each week to make J World’s Thursday Night Racing – Sponsored by Quantum Sails happen.

Mark Setter – The mark setter is responsible for operating a small powerboat while positioning and possibly relocating marks of the race course.  They may also be responsible for communicating changes to the course and even recording finishes on a shortened course.

Wind Reader – The wind reader is responsible for observing, tracking and recording changes in the wind direction and velocity and making suggestions about course axis and course lengths.  This information is relayed to the principle race officer (PRO) who will make the final decisions about course configurations.

Spotter/Recorder – Identifies and records all boats starting and finishing, including competitors who do not start or complete the race.

Signaller – The signaller is responsible for flags and other visual signals from the race committee to the competitors.  An exciting position; the signaller raises and lowers class flags, individual and general recall flags and more.

Line Sighter – Sights starting and finishing lines to track boats that are over early, returning to the start and finishing.

Timer – The timer is the “heartbeat” of the race management team.  The timer calls the time sequence aloud so the start and finish can be properly run.

Scorer – The scorer takes the recorded finishes made by the Spotter/Recorder and tabulates points and finishing times.

Sounder – The sounder is in charge of sound signals including our electronic “ollie” as well as horns and whistles in the event that there is a failure of the “ollie.”

Committee Boat Operator – The committee boat operator plays a crucial role in preparing, outfitting and operating the RC boat.  The CBO ensures that the RC is on station at the correct location and manages the boat while the other members of the race management team are focused on their important roles.

Principle Race Officer – The PRO is the chief executive of the race management team.  Makes the major decisions about the management of each race night.

If you would like to join us for Thursday Night Racing as volunteer, please contact us at 410-280-2040.  If you would like to learn more about the roles of race management teams you can check out these resources:

Join the Race Committee Team

US Sailing’s Materials for Race Officers