Elephant Race Notice of Race

Rio Grande Sailing Club
Race to the Elephant, May 30, 2009
Sponsored by Lago del Rico, Inc.

NOTICE OF RACE

1 RULES AND SAILING INSTRUCTIONS
The Race to the Elephant will be governed by the rules as defined in the Racing Rules of Sailing 2009-2012 (RRS).

Sailing instructions will be available during the registration period.

2 ELIGIBILITY, ENTRY, AND FEES
Entry is open to all sailboats. Boats may enter by sending a representative to attend the captains’ meeting, sign the registration sheet and liability release, and pay the $15 registration fee. The fee will include one breakfast on Saturday, trophies, and overnight boat moorage at the DamSite Marina.

Boats will compete in the following groups:
Racer (racing-type boats with D-PN 84 or lower)
Cruiser (D-PN 84 or higher or cruising-type boats as assigned by the race committee)
Dinghy (under 20’ hull length with no cabin and no fixed keel)
Multihull (catamaran or trimaran)

3 SCHEDULE
The race is scheduled for Saturday, May 30. 2009. Sunday, May 30, is reserved as a lay day in case of bad weather. Breakfast will be served from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. at the DamSite Restaurant at the south end of Elephant Butte Lake State Park. Registration is 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. and the captains’ meeting will be held from 10:00 to 10:30 a.m.
The scheduled time of the warning signal for the first starting group is 12:00 noon.
The dinner and awards ceremony (with door prizes) will be held Saturday evening.

4 COURSE
After the start near the Rock Canyon Marina, the race will proceed by way of these marks:

Round navigation mark 9A (between Rattlesnake Island and Marina del Sur), leaving it to port.

Round the Elephant, leaving it to port (circle it going counter-clockwise).

Finish between the northwest corner of the DamSite Marina and a yellow inflatable buoy

The Race Committee may shorten the course at any mark by displaying an S flag (blue square on white rectangle) and finishing boats between the flag and the mark.

5 SCORING
Scoring will follow the low-point system in the Racing Rules of Sailing, Appendix A, except:
No throw-outs will be given.
One completed race will constitute a regatta.
Boats will be scored on Portsmouth handicap (D-PN) without wind range modifiers. This changes Appendix A of the RRS.

6 PRIZES
The name of the overall winner will be inscirbed upon a permanent trophy.

The first-place boat in each group will receive a take-home trophy.

Additional awards may be given at the discretion of the race committee.

7 DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY AND INSURANCE
Competitors participate in the race entirely at their own risk. See rule 4, Decision to Race. The Rio Grande Sailing Club, Lago Rico, Inc., and their officers, employees, and volunteers, will not accept any liability for material damage or personal injury or death sustained in conjunction with or prior to, during, or after the race. Each participating boat shall be insured with valid third-party liability insurance sufficient to meet New Mexico State Parks requirements.

8 FURTHER INFORMATION
For further information please contact
Larry Jessee, Race Committee Chair, 915 577 0456, ljessee44@hotmail.com
Pat Byrnes, Commodore, 505 265 6741, rgsc@zianet.com

Rio Grande Sailing Club
Race to the Elephant, May 30, 2009
Sponsored by Lago del Rico, Inc.