NEW!! eTally Check-In

Two touchscreen eTally check-in points will be available throughout the regatta. They are on the notice board outside the changing rooms from 2 hours before racing until eTally closes.

One is for Series A, the other for Series B.

You can check-in if you cannot eTally by phone.

To Use

• Tap the orange button.
• Start typing the first digits of your sail number. If your sail number is 5 or more digits long, you can type the last digits.
• Tap your row in the list that pops up.
• Tick the box to confirm. Submit that.
• Before racing choose Yes or (just possibly) No and Submit.
• After racing make your declaration. Hopefully OK – you started, sailed the course and finished. Perhaps DNF. Other options are available.

And that’s it. For most people it’s about 8 taps and less than 15 seconds.

If you change your mind or make a mistake, just go round again.

Important

eTally Check-In is new and experimental. This is the first time it has been used outside the lab. Things may go wrong, it may not yet be optimum but it has a lot of potential.

If the technology fails, paper signing sheets are available nearby.

Please treat the equipment with respect. It is there for the benefit of competitors and if damaged will not be replaced.

Know your Flags, Know your Colours

Electronic communication is now universal yet in the sailing world we still rely a lot on good old-fashioned flags. Perhaps that isn’t surprising given that, in our sport, we use a means of propulsion that the rest of the world abandoned as soon as there was a viable alternative!

But there are good reasons for flags – they are simple and reliable, visible and obvious. However, like icons on a computer, they are no use unless you understand what they mean. This article explains all.

In addition to the signal flags described in the Racing Rules of Sailing, Race Week uses two sets of colour-coded flags and it is important to know which colours apply to you.

Series (aka group) flags:

  Yellow   – Series  A

  Green   – Series B

  Pink   – Series C

  White   – Series D

Series flags are only ever flown from the race box. They are used in two ways

•          When flown over an L flag they mean there is a change to the SIs or other information that affects that series only. Check Notices on the Official Notice Board on the event website for details.
•          When flown on their own they mean that competitors in that series should stay ashore.

Event (aka fleet) flags:

Each event/fleet/start has a coloured flag unique within its Series. They normally bear the event number.

Event flags are primarily used as class flags for starts. So, for example, if you are sailing an RS200 (Event 7) and you see a lime green (7) flag flying from a your committee boat then you know the next start is yours.

Event flags may also be used to indicate that individual fleets are being shortened. So, if you see an S flag over jade and pink flags, it means that ILCAs and Fevas are finishing where those flags are flying. Everyone else carries on.

What colours are my flags?

You can find out in words in the Programme document and in colour on the Classes page, both on the Official Notice Board on the event website. On the Classes page, first find your entry, then you see your flag colours.

Armed with just two colours you will know which flags to look out for and what they mean.

Important: if anything said here conflicts with the Notice of Race or Sailing Instructions then the latter are deemed to be correct. 

About Sail Numbers

There can’t be much to say about them, can there? Class and sail number uniquely identify a boat, don’t they? You put the number that’s on your sail on your entry form, it appears in the entry list, it gets recorded as you cross the finish line and it appears in the results. And that’s the way it is for just about everyone, except...

Typos There are always a few, usually digits transposed, like written as 1683 when it should be 1863. Easily done but it causes chaos when working out results – what’s this new boat, what class, who’s sailing it? So please take a moment to check the entry list and correct if necessary.

Hire boats can mean that you don’t know your sail number till late on so you left it blank when you entered. Not a problem but as soon as you do know your real number, please fill it in on your entry form. No sail number = no results!

Substitutions So far we’ve been talking about ‘official’ sail numbers, the ones that appear in results. But there are occasions, hopefully rare, when, in mid regatta, you have to switch to another sail with a different number – perhaps your original was damaged on a breezy day. This is where Alternate Sail Number on the entry form comes in. Put your substitute sail number in the Alternate box. That way, when your alternate number is seen on the finish line, it is automatically mapped to your original number and you appear correctly in the results.

Not sure how to update your entry form? See Using the Online Entry Form in the Documents section of the Official Notice Board on this website.

Safe Sailing in Chichester Harbour

 

With 5000 registered dinghies and 2000 registered yachts and powerboats the Harbour can be busy! To avoid conflict it is essential to understand that all vessels have rights and there is no such rule as “power gives way to sail”. Non-racers have no obligation to avoid racers just because they are racing, and if two vessels collide both are at fault.

The Harbour Master has published a helpful guide that is recommended reading for all Race Week competitors especially visitors:

Rules of the Road in Chichester Harbour

Avoiding collisions and navigating safely. A simple guide to the collision regulations that have particular significance in harbour settings.

In addition, Chichester Harbour Federation, the organising authority for Race Week, publishes a Race Code of Conduct that applies to all racing in the Harbour.

Race Code of Conduct

Scroll down for the section that specifically applies to competitors.

A Quick Guide to the Event Website

If you are reading this you will already know that there’s a lot of stuff on the event website!

Most importantly it’s the home of the Official Notice Board (SI 3.1), viewed via its own menu, top right below the banner.

The ONB’s Documents section contains not only the Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions but also online forms for protests (not too many, please!) and results queries. Paper versions are available but please use the electronic ones if you can.

Notices to Competitors convey essential information such as amendments to the SIs and changes to the schedule of races. All competitors are emailed when a Notice is published.

To keep the ONB uncluttered, other stuff is on the Information Board, top left. Here you can find photo galleries, the results archive, Contact Us, this blog and lots more.

Last, and far from least, we acknowledge the generosity of our sponsors and our many dedicated volunteers.

Chichester Harbour Race Week 2022 Wednesday 17th August Race Report

Wednesday’s weather forecasts suggested that racing was unlikely to be straightforward with thunderstorms and lightening on the agenda. The rain appeared in the morning and the Race Team hoped as the rain started to abate that Hayling’s micro-climate might prevail. Series A and B committee boats set themselves up on the winner bank on 045° but as the sun tried to break through the wind dropped and backed with a starboard hand course finally set on 010°. Despite this the wind continued to back to 340° and finally dropped away to below 3 and half knots after 4 fleets on Series A had been started, and the flood tide had carried them towards the windward mark. 

At this point the Race Officer decided that abandonment and restart for those classes was the right decision as the wind swung around to the south-east. With it came a rain squall and loss of visibility so racing for both Series A and B was abandoned for the day.

Series C was more fortunate as the squall failed to reach them although the wind direction turned their course through 180°. The second race was sailed after a reset although the wind continued to be fickle in both direction and strength.

Series D for the Elites started today out in Hayling Bay East and suffered the same vagaries of wind in both direction and strength. Fortunately their course was sufficiently south of the harbour entrance to avoid the squall and they were also able to complete their second race after a course reset. 

Robert Macdonald

Chichester Harbour Race Week 2022 – Tuesday Race Report

Tuesday started with a gloomy overcast sky and rain, yes the wet stuff we had forgotten existed, and which actually appeared as forecast, but as competitors started rigging, the rain out. The forecast on most of the renowned weather models (we are sure they all use the same underlying data) was for a 10 knot Southerly from about midday onwards.  

 

After yesterday’s annoying shift late during the start sequence the nervous race officers for Series A & B decided to keep the fleet ashore for a short time.  As CHRW regulars will understand it’s impossible to alter 2 courses (Series A and B have to move in unison) once the first few starts are away. After 20 mins or so the wind seemed settled at 120 so both Series A & B fleets was released and the race was on.  The start line for Lady ‘G’ (Series A) was in the vicinity of Channel buoy, the windward mark near John Davies and the gybe mark near SW Pilsey.  A good sized course for the wind strength so 2 rounds were set for all classes.

As the race progressed the predicted shift to the south happened but thankfully gradually.

The leading Fireballs, Simon Kings/Jono Looe and Nathan and Joanne Rushin, were neck a neck approaching the finish line with Kings on starboard and Rushins on port but the Rushins made a bad tack which let Simon and Jono through for their second win.

In the Fast handicap, the Flying 15 sailed by Nick Peters and Guy McBride always looked well placed and indeed took the win on corrected time.

In the intriguing battle of the classes (Hadron H2, DZero and RS Aero 9) it Was David Valentine from Emsworth Slipper home first in his Devoti DZero.

There were different faces at the front of the Finn fleet today with Richard Sharp  today’s winner.  I think this fleets results will go down to the wire this year.

It was interesting to see the well sailed RS800 of Frances and Tom Partington edge out the RS400 of Steve and Sarah Cockerill today. Andrew Gould in his Musto skiff once again came 3rd on corrected time. Josh Stokes and Gregan Bergmann-Smith once again dominated the 29er’s with a comfortable victory.  

In the RS200 now up to 40 boats is was once again the brother and sister team of Tom and Charlie Darling taking another good win from Aidan and Ella Mitchell .

It’s great to see so many family teams entered and at the front end of most of the 2 person fleets.

 

On Series C the third race started on time with 8-10 knots SE wind, and very close racing in the Tera fleet, with places 2 – 4 changing throughout the race. The course was shortened to 3 laps due to time and wind swinging to the south. The Oppies had their best start so far with all boats across the start line within 5 seconds of the gun. An incredibly close finish between 5813 and 6629 with 5813 just managing to snatch the lead 5 seconds before the finish.

On Race 4 the course was adjusted to accommodate the southerly breeze. One Oppie capsized, one boat was repaired mid race with both sailors showing maturity and resilience. The Tera’s race proved very competitive with close racing but with the Tera Pro 1225, Harry Slight, (ESC) still managing his 4^th successive win. 

 

Greg Wells & Robert Macdonald.