Race Equipment Checklist

Race Equipment Checklist

Equipment for hosting a sailboat regatta in inland or coastal waters for the race committee signal boat, mark set boats, and other support boats; personal equipment for the principal race officer, r.c. mark/support boat captains, and r.c. crew.

Race equipment is organized into the categories of (1) boat requirements, (2) navigation, communications, and time keeping, (3) race course and signaling, (4) paperwork, and (5) personal.

The full, original list also contains columns for the timer, scorer, protest committee chair, and competitors; this list can be extended as needed.

Race Equipment …………………………………………	Sig. boat	Mark boat	Sppt. boat	PRO	Capt.	Crew
Boat – State/USCG req.: PFDs, throwable PFD (Lifesling, cushions, vests)	Y	Y	Y
paddle, bailer, bilge pump, tow/heaving line	Y	Y	Y
whistle/horn (bell), (flares in USCG waters, check date, additional gear as required for offshore/international regattas)	Y	Y	Y
fire extinguisher (flame arrestor)	Y	Y	Y
cert. of num. (HIN plate, reg’n, placards)	Y	Y	Y
navigation lights, flashlight, spotlight	Nite	Nite	Nite
Mechanical – key/combo, motor, oil, fuel, cooling water intake	Y	Y	Y
spare prop, prop wrench (cotter pins, parts)	Y	Y	Y
spark plug, fuel bulb/line, impeller, fuses	Y	Y	Y
Tools; pliers, screwdrivers, plug wrench, utility knife, tension gauge, multi-tools, jumper. cables, other	Y	Y	Y
Deck – boat hook, dock lines, fenders, padding	Y	Y	Y			O
Utility – duct tape, electrical ties & tape, Velcro/cable ties, small line	Y	Y	Y			O*
Convenience – bimini/hard top, staff/rod holders, ice chest/ fridge, storage, ventilation, bottle opener, blankets, lights, trash container, paper towels, cleaning supplies	O	O	O
Safety – First aid kit, boarding ladder, rescue system, emerg. signals, radar reflector, wood plugs, EPIRB, MOM, strobe	Y Y*	Y Y*	Y Y*
Ground tackle – anchor, rode (chain/ fiber), bag, snubber, spare anchor, shackles, safety wire	Y	Y	Y
Navigation, Communication, Time keeping
Navigation – chart (water resistant), (tide/current tables, light lists, Notices to Mariners)	Y O	Y O	O O
Binoculars (range finder, night scope, sextant, tables, optics, cleaning wipes/solution)	O	O	O
GPS (electronic charts, plotter, batteries)	Y	Y	O
Anenometer/hand-held wind meter, tell tales, line sighting vane, incense, lighter, sighting lines	Y	Y	O
Compass, hand bearing compass	Y	Y	Y
Course calculator, protractor, nav. tools (drawing compass, parallel rules, pencils)	O	O
Spotlight, flashlight, vision-saving lt.	Y	Y	Y
Communications – VHF (fixed/hand-held) (SSB/WX/ham), charger/ batteries, emergency contact lists/ procedures	Y	Y	Y
Cell phone, list of cell phone #s (charger/batts.)	O	O	O	Y
Time – watch, stopwatch, timer, GPS time	Y	Y		Y	Y

More… Gear for the Race Course and Signaling

Race Equipment ……………………………………………	Sig. boat	Mark boat	Sppt. boat	PRO	Capt.	Crew
Race Gear – Marks, Visual & Sound Signals
Marks, govt. marks or rigid or inflatable “drop” marks	O	Y	O
rode, anchors, shackles/clips, spare line & gear	O	Y	O
pumps, inflators, valves, patch kits	O	Y	O
ribbons, numbers, sponsor signs or different colored marks	O	O	O
Visual Signals – RC flag, orange line flag	Y
support boat/club flag, opt. blue finish station flag	O	Y	O
class flags (specialty or yellow, red, blue)	Y	O		O
race management flags (starts, recalls, alts, other) [AP, 1s, 2s, P, I, Z, Bk, X, M, C, S, N, A, H, Y, num, etc]	Y	O		Y
limited set race flags [M, C, S, AP, N, A, H, g, r]		Y	O
specialty flags (match racing, special flags)	O	O	O
full set of signal flags	Y	O	O	O
flagstaffs, holders, signal halyards, short staffs	Y	Y	O	O
course board, erasable markers, eraser, magnetic #s/letters	Y	O
protest flag	O	O	O	O
Sound signals – air horns, extra canisters	Y	Y	O
whistle, lanyard, hand-pump or mouth-oper. horn, bull horn/PA	Y	O	O
gun (if used), blank shells, cleaning kit, ear plugs	Y	O

More… Paperwork, References

Race Equipment ………………………………………………	Sig. boat	Mark boat	Sppt boat	PRO.	Capt..	Crew
Paperwork – Notice of Race, Sailing Instructions, chart/signals from SIs	Y Y Y	Y Y Y	O O O	Y Y Y	Y Y Y	O O O
entry forms, entry lists by sail no.	Y	Y	O	Y	O	O
flag decoder (in RRS)	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	O
Racing Rules of Sailing	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	O
Join the Race Cmte. Team	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	O
Race Mgmt. Handbook	O	O	O	Y	O
Judge’s Handbook				O
ISAF Casebook				O
Safety, Rescue, and Support	Y	Y	Y	O	O
RC forms – check-in, RC actions, protest time, protests				Y
RC – starts/finishes, scorer worksheet, handicap ratings, class rules, Championship Conditions	Y	O	O	Y
RC – mark rounding/finish, wind readings	Y	Y	O	Y
RC – timer’s worksheet	Y			O
pencils, sharpener, pens, highlighters, rubber bands, clipboards, Wet Notes, Zip-lock bags	Y	Y	O	Y	O
calculator, scoring program, laptop computer	Y*	O		O

Personal gear…

Race Equipment ………………………………………………	Sig. boat	Mark boat	Sppt boat	PRO.	Capt..	Crew
Personal – Rx meds, OTC seasick remedies, pain meds.	O	O	O	O	O	O
sunscreen (aloe vera gel)	Y	Y	O	O	Y	O
sunglasses, hat/cap, retainer, insect repellant, lip balm				Y	Y	O
personal PFD, whistle, light, safety gear				Y	O	O
electronics (cell phone, VHF, GPS, wind meter, batteries, wx radio)				Y	O	O
spare eyeglasses/lenses, binoculars, cleaner/sol’n				O	O	O
clothing (layers, wind/rain/foul wx gear)	O	O	O	Y	Y	Y
sailing gloves (work, dinghy, cold-weather gloves)				Y	Y	Y
shoes, boat, gripping, non-marking				Y	Y	Y
beverages, coolers	Y	Y	Y	O	O	O
food, snacks (thermos, insulated carrier/box)	Y	Y	Y	O	O	O
tools, rigging/Swiss army knife, multi-tool, sail repair, kits	O	O	O	Y	Y	O

Notes:

Y Required or expected

O Optional (may depend on circumstances or special cases; special equip. reqts. for night time, ocean racing)

Nite Nighttime or reduced visibility

XX Restricted or Prohibited (restriction on outside help for competitors, local regulations, club rules, handicap rules)

Signal Boat – Race Committee Signal Boat, which starts races

Mark Boat – Boats used to set and move pin buoy, windward, leeward, and reach marks, gates, and offsets. May also serve as a finish boat and may signal or repeat signals for shortened or changed courses. May also serve as safety or patrol boats.

Support Boat – All other boats used by the race committee, including safety and rescue boats, patrol boats, shuttle/messenger boats, transfer boats, press and sponsor boats.

PRO – Principal race officer, in charge of all on-the-water aspects of the regatta, including setting courses, buoys, and starting lines; deciding whether to start, postpone, abandon, or re-start a race; responsible for all on-water personnel (mark & support boat captains and crews, timer, scorer, line sighters, signalers and sounders, recorders); work with Organizing Authority, event chair, protest committee chair, judges, and race management consultant.

Boat Captains – direct RC boats and crews under the direction of the PRO; responsible for operation, maintenance, and safety

Boat Crew – boat operators, mark setters, signalers/sounders, timer, scorer, line sighters, transfer boat crew, first aid/rescue personnel, photographers, videographers, reporters, mark rounding recorders, finish and start recorders, on-water judges or umpires, radio relayers and announcers; work under direction of PRO and boat captains (except judges/umpires)

PC Chair – Protest committee chair; directs protest committee hearings and procedures.

Caveats…

This list does not cover shore-based regatta equipment and furnishings; i.e., announcement board, signals ashore, berthing, hospitality, lodging, directional signs, registration procedures and forms, sponsor/vendor fulfillment, press facilities, public viewing arrangements, programs, signs, etc. Personal toiletries, camping gear, etc., are also not covered here.

Also omitted here, but not to be forgotten on shore, are trophies, ribbons, awards, goody bags, door prizes, raffle prizes, etc.

Some equipment is assumed to come on boats furnished to the race committee or to competitors. Other equipment is brought by competitors, and some equipment is restricted or prohibited by regatta rules, class rules, or applicable laws. For example, class or regatta rules may restrict electronic compasses, along with VHF radio and cell phone use or possession. On the other hand, offshore regattas may require extensive equipment.