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At an upcoming event with a long starting line the RC wants to have three CV's. A signal boat in the middle and two others marking the port and starboard sends. Does anyone have any developed Sailing instructions for such a set up please?
Only if the three CV solution proves too difficult, an alternative method, which has been used successfully on a biennial long-distance race, that has several consecutive starts in the Solent, has been to position a RIB around the mid-point of the line. Having pinged both ends of the line the RIB patrols the middle sector of the start line using GPS as a guide. Just before each start said RIB will then turn onto the course and manœuvre to keep clear of competitors as they sail past.
Another method is to have a mid-line buoy. It is set after the signal and pin vessels are anchored, about 5 to 10m downwind of the starting line.
The SIs should be written that the buoy is "nothing" - it is not a mark of the course, nor is it a part of the starting line. It's just "there." No redress for snagging the anchor line with underwater appendages.
In the Star class we have used a system with a RC vessel in the middle and boats in each end of the line
The following wording has been used:
Quote 11.4 The starting marks will be the RC Signal boat at the center, a boat at the starboard pin end and a boat at the port pin end.
12.3 The starting line will be between staffs displaying orange flags on the starting marks, which will consist of three (3) RC boats: port end line boat, mid-line Signal boat and starboard end line boat. It will consist of two segments – one between the port end line boat and the mid-line Signal boat and the other between the starboard end line boat and the mid-line Signal boat. 12.4 image.png16.3 KB
12.5 When RRS 30.1 (I flag rule) is in effect, boats subject to this rule shall thereafter either: (b) sail from the course side across an extension of the starting line beyond either the portend line boat or starboard-end line boat to the pre-start side of the line or (b) round the mid-line Signal boat before starting, leaving it to port. This changes RRS 30.1. Unquote
The SIs should be written that the buoy is "nothing" - it is not a mark of the course, nor is it a part of the starting line. It's just "there." No redress for snagging the anchor line with underwater appendages.
This worked very well at Sunfish Worlds, where there were 100 nearly identical boats on a line 0.3 nm long.
The following wording has been used:
Quote
11.4 The starting marks will be the RC Signal boat at the center, a boat at the starboard pin end
and a boat at the port pin end.
12.3 The starting line will be between staffs displaying orange flags on the starting marks, which
will consist of three (3) RC boats: port end line boat, mid-line Signal boat and starboard end line
boat. It will consist of two segments – one between the port end line boat and the mid-line Signal
boat and the other between the starboard end line boat and the mid-line Signal boat.
12.4
12.5 When RRS 30.1 (I flag rule) is in effect, boats subject to this rule shall thereafter either:
(b) sail from the course side across an extension of the starting line beyond either the portend line boat or starboard-end line boat to the pre-start side of the line
or
(b) round the mid-line Signal boat before starting, leaving it to port. This changes RRS 30.1.
Unquote
Hope this is usefull.