Notice of Race

Photo courtesy of Tim Sutherland

Third Dennis Conner International Yacht Club Challenge
Notice of Race 2008

Name of Event: The name of the event shall be the "Dennis Conner International Yacht Club Challenge."

Objective of Event: The objective of the Dennis Conner International Yacht Club Challenge is to bring together yacht clubs from around the world to create international goodwill through friendly competition.

Entries: This is an invitational regatta. Formal invitations to participate will be issued by a Selection Committee.

Yacht clubs from around the world are invited to register their interest in participating by completing an Expression of Interest. The Selection Committee will review interested yacht clubs and issue formal invitations on the basis of geographic location and order of response.

The goal of the Selection Committee will be to get representation from around the world and to limit entries to one or two per country based on size.

The goal is to also share this experience with different clubs from around the world. After participating, a club will be invited back in three or four years so that other clubs can enjoy the opportunity in the meantime.

The following yacht clubs which have already expressed interest or have been accepted.

Schedule of Events: The Dennis Conner International Yacht Club Challenge will be held August 22-25, 2007. The preliminary schedule is as follows:

Tuesday, August 19, 2008
1000-1700 - Welcoming & registration of teams
Practice sailing by previous appointment
Motorboat rides to have a champagne toast in front of the Statue of Liberty.
1800-2000 Welcoming Reception & Dinner on the Honorable William Wall, the floating clubhouse in the harbor. Please catch launch at 1715 or 1745.

Wednesday, August 20, 208
0900-1000 - Final registration of teams
1045 - Skippers Meeting
1200 - Practice Race followed by Race 1 & 2.
1830 - Friendship Dinner for all sailors

Thursday, August 21, 2008
1200 - Race 3
1500 - Race 4
1830 - Dinner & Regatta Party on Clubhouse in Harbor

Friday, August 22, 2008
1200 - Race 5
1500 - Race 6
1800-2300 - To Be Announced

Saturday, August 23, 2008
1100 - Race 7
1300 - Race 8
1600 - Awards Ceremony at docks after sailing
2000-2400 - Champagne Celebration of International Goodwill

Rules: The regatta will be raced according to the International Racing Rules of Sailing as adopted by US Sailing. A panel of judges will oversee the regatta and all decisions of the judges will be final.

Yachts & Equipment: This regatta will be raced on identical J/24 sailboats provided by the Manhattan Sailing Club. The club will provide all sails, sheets and other racing equipment. Teams must use the equipment provided. No additional boat equipment may be brought aboard by any teams. Teams will race a boat once and then switch to another boat. More information about the racing fleet.

Crew: This is an amateur competition designed to bring sailors from outside the United States to visit New York City. Unlimited crew addition, subtraction or substitution regardless of weight is allowed during the regatta as long as crew rules are not violated.

Following are the crew rules:

No more than 6 total people may sail on a boat.
No less than 4 total people may sail on a boat.
Yacht clubs must be represented by amateur crews who are not paid to participate in this event.
At least 2 members of each crew must be members for one year or more of the yacht club they represent.
At least 3 members of each crew must permanently reside in the country of the yacht club they represent and must travel from that country to New York City for this regatta.

In addition to the yacht club crew, 1 Local Representative will sail aboard each boat. The Local Rep will stay with each boat while racing teams rotate. The Local Rep will provide local knowledge, operational knowledge of boat equipment and a VHF radio to communicate with the Race Committee. The Local Rep will also serve as an impartial judge and help determine possible rule infractions.

Spectators: All races will be run in the vicinity of the harbor clubhouse. Spectators are invited to watch the races from the clubhouse. The clubhouse can hold up to 149 people. Transportation to and from the clubhouse is provided by launch service.

Photo: Races start and finish at the floating clubhouse in the harbor. Spectators can watch the competition form this location.

Yacht Clubs may also arrange for their own private spectator yachts. Any yacht wishing to dock at North Cove during the regatta should make reservations well in advance at www.TheNorthCove.com. There are also other marinas in New York Harbor where private spectator boats can dock.

Racing Area: Races will be held in New York Harbor. The scenery is spectacular with the the skyline of Manhattan on one side and the Statue of Liberty on the other. The start and finish of all races will be from the harbor clubhouse which is permanently anchored north of Ellis Island in Upper New York Bay. More details about the race area.

Courses: Courses will be windward-leeward whenever possible. Inflatable marks will be set by Race Committee. Because the starting location is fixed, races may start in any direction, including upwind or downwind.

Entry Fee: There is a $500 entry fee which will be used towards the acquisition of a perpetual trophy to be awarded to the winning team.

Damage Deposit: There is a $1,000 damage deposit which will be refunded to teams at the end of the regatta unless your team causes damage to one of the J/24 sailboats.

Scoring: The Low Point Scoring System will be used with each yacht assigned points equivalent to their finishing position. If 5 or more races are completed, each team may discard one race.

Prizes: Regatta prizes will be awarded to the top team. In addition, International Goodwill Prizes will be awarded to all teams in the regatta.

Special Awards: Each team should bring a symbolic (and humorous) gift or trophy to give to the team which finishes directly behind them in the overall standings. These gifts or trophies will be awarded at the Prize Giving.