HAWAII YACHT RACING ASSOCIATION

PRESCRIPTIONS TO

OFFSHORE SPECIAL REGULATIONS

Extract for Race Category 4 Monohulls

JANUARY 2002 - DECEMBER 2003

(US SAILING prescriptions in bold italics)

(HYRA prescriptions in bold underlined italics)

As amended July 2, 2002

v 3.14

Notes to the 2002 edition
Official interpretations shall take precedence over these Special Regulations and will be indexed, numbered, dated and displayed on the ISAF web site.
The use of the masculine gender shall be taken to mean either gender
Guidance notes and recommendations are in italics
Because this is an extract file not all paragraph and section numbers are present.

(SEE ADDENDUM FOR RACE CATEGORY 3 MONOHULLS AT END)

SECTION 1 - FUNDAMENTAL AND DEFINITIONS

1.01

Purpose and use

1.01.1

It is the purpose of these Special Regulations to establish uniform minimum equipment, accommodation and training standards for monohull and multihull yachts racing offshore. A Proa is excluded from these regulations.

1.01.2

These Special Regulations do not replace, but rather supplement, the requirements of governmental authority, the Racing Rules of Sailing and the rules of Class Associations and Rating Systems. The attention of owners is called to restrictions in the Rules on the location and movement of equipment.

1.01.3

These Special Regulations, adopted internationally, are strongly recommended for use by all organizers of offshore races. Race Committees may select the category deemed most suitable for the type of race to be sailed.

1.02

Owner's responsibility

1.02.1

The Safety of a yacht and her crew is the sole and inescapable responsibility of the owner, or owner's representative who must do his best to ensure that the yacht is fully found, thoroughly seaworthy and manned by an experienced crew who have undergone appropriate training and are physically fit to face bad weather. He must be satisfied as to the soundness of hull, spars, rigging, sails and all gear. He must ensure that all safety equipment is properly maintained (2.03.1) and stowed and that the crew know where it is kept and how it is to be used.

1.02.2

Neither the establishment of these Special Regulations, their use by race organizers, nor the inspection of a yacht under these Special Regulations in any way limits or reduces the complete and unlimited responsibility of the owner or owner's representative. HYRA prescribes that the term “complete and unlimited” shall not apply to local racing in Hawaii

1.02.3

Decision to race -The responsibility for a yacht's decision to participate in a race or to continue racing is hers alone - RRS Fundamental Rule 4.

1.03

Definitions, abbreviations, word usage

1.03.1

Definitions of Terms used in this document

Table 1

Age Date	Month/year of first launch
CEN	Comité Européen de Normalisation
Coaming	The term "coaming" includes the transverse after limit of the cockpit over which water would run in the event that when the yacht is floating level the cockpit is flooded or filled to overflowing.
DSC	Digital Selective Calling
EN	European Norm
EPIRB	Electronic Position-Indicating Radio Beacon
FA station	The transverse station at which the upper corner of the transom meets the sheerline.
FICO	Forum International de la Course Océanique
Foul-weather Suit	A foul weather suit is clothing designed to keep the wearer dry and may be either a jacket and trousers worn together, or a single garment comprising jacket and trousers.
GMDSS	Global Maritime Distress & Safety System
GPIRB	EPIRB, with integral GPS position-fixing
Hatch	The term hatch includes the entire hatch assembly and also the lid or cover as part of that assembly (the lid or cover itself may be described as a hatch).
IMO	International Maritime Organisation
ISAF	International Sailing Federation.
ISO	International Standard or International Organization for Standardization.
Lifeline	Wire line rigged as a guardrail around the deck
LOA	Length overall not including pulpits, bowsprits, boomkins etc.
LWL	(Length of) loaded waterline
Monohull	Yacht in which the hull depth in any section does not decrease towards the center-line.
Permanently installed	Means the item is effectively built-in by eg bolting, welding, glassing etc. and may not be removed for or during racing.
PLB	Personal Locator Beacon
Proa	Asymmetric catamaran
RRS	Racing Rules of Sailing
SAR	Search and Rescue
Series date	Month/year of first launch of the first yacht of the production series
SOLAS	Safety of Life at Sea Convention
Safety line	A tether used to connect a safety harness to a strong point
Securely fastened	Held strongly in place by a method (eg rope lashings, wing-nuts) which will safely retain the fastened object in severe conditions including a 180 degree capsize and allows for the item to be removed and replaced during racing
Static safety line	A safety line (usually shorter than a safety line carried with a harness) securely fastened at a work-station

1.03.2

The words "shall" and "must" are mandatory, and "should" and "may" are permissive.

1.03.3

The word "yacht" shall be taken as fully interchangeable with the word "boat".

SECTION 2 - APPLICATION & GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

2.01

Categories of offshore events

In many types of race, ranging from trans-oceanic sailed under adverse conditions to short-course day races sailed in protected waters, five categories are established, to provide for differences in the minimum standards of safety and accommodation required for such varying circumstances:

2.01.1

Category 0

Trans-oceanic races, including races which pass through areas in which air or sea temperatures are likely to be less than 5 degrees Celsius other than temporarily, where yachts must be completely self-sufficient for very extended periods of time, capable of withstanding heavy storms and prepared to meet serious emergencies without the expectation of outside assistance.

2.01.2

Category 1

Races of long distance and well offshore, where yachts must be completely self-sufficient for extended periods of time, capable of withstanding heavy storms and prepared to meet serious emergencies without the expectation of outside assistance.

2.01.3

Category 2

Races of extended duration along or not far removed from shorelines or in large unprotected bays or lakes, where a high degree of self-sufficiency is required of the yachts.

2.01.4

Category 3

Races across open water, most of which is relatively protected or close to shorelines, including races for small yachts.

2.01.5

Category 4

Short races, close to shore in relatively warm or protected waters normally held in daylight. HYRA prescribes that for the purposes of local racing in Hawaii, all local offshore races in Hawaii are considered to be Category 4 except those across open water such as the Molokai Race and Lahaina to Honolulu Race which are Category 3.

2.02

Inspection

A yacht may be inspected at any time. If she does not comply with these Special Regulations her entry may be rejected, or she will be liable to disqualification or such other penalty as may be prescribed by the National Authority or the Race Organizers.

2.03

General requirements

2.03.1

All equipment required by Special Regulations shall:-

a)	function properly

b)	be regularly checked, cleaned and serviced

c)	when not in use be stowed in conditions in which deterioration is minimized

d)	be readily accessible

e)	be of a type, size and capacity suitable and adequate for the intended use and size of the yacht.

2.03.2

Heavy items:

a)	ballast, ballast tanks and associated equipment shall be permanently installed

b)	heavy movable items including e.g.. batteries, stoves, gas bottles, tanks, toolboxes and anchors and chain (4.06) shall be securely fastened

c)	heavy items for which fixing is not specified in Special Regulations shall be permanently installed or securely fastened, as appropriate

2.03.3

When to show navigation lights

a)	navigation lights (3.27) shall be shown as required by the International Regulations for Preventing Collision at Sea, (Part C and Technical Annex 1). Yachts shall exhibit sidelights and a sternlight at the times required under IRPCAS for navigation lights to be shown.

SECTION 3 - STRUCTURAL FEATURES, STABILITY, FIXED EQUIPMENT

3.01

Strength of build, ballast and rig

Yachts shall be strongly built, watertight and, particularly with regard to hulls, decks and cabin trunks capable of withstanding solid water and knockdowns. They must be properly rigged and ballasted, be fully seaworthy and must meet the standards set forth herein. Shrouds shall never be disconnected.

3.02

Watertight integrity of a hull

3.02.1

A hull, including, deck, coach roof, windows, hatches and all other parts, shall form an integral, essentially watertight unit and any openings in it shall be capable of being immediately secured to maintain this integrity.

3.02.2

Centreboard and daggerboard trunks and the like shall not open into the interior of a hull except via a watertight inspection/maintenance hatch of which the opening shall be entirely above the waterline of the yacht floating level in normal trim.

3.04

Stability - monohulls

3.04.2

A yacht shall be designed and built to resist capsize.

3.04.3

A National Authority or race organizer should require compliance with a minimum stability or stability/buoyancy index. Attention is drawn to the stability index in IMS Regulation 201 and screening indices published by various national authorities.

3.04.4

ISO 12217-2 when published as an international standard (not a draft) is expected to be capable of being used as a guide to general suitability for competition in Special Regulations race categories as follows:

Table 3

ISO Category	A	B	C
SR Category	1	2-3	4

Use of a screening index does not guarantee total safety or total freedom of risk from capsize or sinking.

3.06

Exits - monohulls

Table 4

LOA	Earliest of Age or Series Date	detail
8.5 m (28 ft) and over	1/95 and after	Yachts shall have two exits. One exit shall be located forward of the foremost mast except where structural features prevent its installation.

3.08

Hatches & companionways

3.08.1

No hatch forward of the maximum beam station shall open in such a way that the lid or cover moves into the open position towards the inside of the hull (excepting ports having an area of less than 0.071m2 (110 sq in)).

3.08.2

A hatch shall be:

a)	so arranged as to be above the water when the hull is heeled 90 degrees

b)	permanently attached

c)	capable of being firmly shut immediately and remaining firmly shut in a 180 degree capsize (inversion)

3.08.3

A companionway hatch extending below the local sheerline, shall:

a)	not be permitted in a yacht with a cockpit opening aft to the sea (3.09.6)

b)	be capable of being blocked off up to the level of the local sheerline, provided that the companionway hatch shall continue to give access to the interior with the blocking devices (e.g. washboards) in place

3.08.4

A companionway hatch shall:

a)	be fitted with a strong securing arrangement which shall be operable from above and below including when the yacht is inverted

b)	have any blocking devices

i	capable of being retained in position with the hatch open or shut

ii	whether or not in position in the hatchway, secured to the yacht (e.g. by lanyard) for the duration of the race, to prevent their being lost overboard

iii	permit exit in the event of inversion

3.09

Cockpits - attention is drawn to ISO 11812

3.09.1

cockpits shall be structurally strong, self-draining quickly by gravity at all angles of heel and permanently incorporated as an integral part of the hull.

3.09.2

cockpits must be essentially watertight, that is, all openings to the hull must be capable of being strongly and rigidly secured

3.09.3

a bilge pump outlet pipe or pipes shall not be connected to a cockpit drain . See 3.09.8 for cockpit drain minimum sizes

3.09.4

A cockpit sole shall be:-

a)	in yachts first launched before 1/03 either at least 2%L above LWL (using IMS value for "L") or at least 2% LWL above LWL, or

b)	in yachts first launched on or after 1/03, at least 2% LWL above LWL

3.09.5

A bow, lateral, central or stern well shall be considered a cockpit for the purposes of 3.09

3.09.6

in cockpits opening aft to the sea structural openings aft shall be not less in area than 50% maximum cockpit depth x maximum cockpit width.

3.09.7

Cockpit volume

a)	The total volume of all cockpits below lowest coamings shall not exceed 9% L x B x FA (9% LWL x maximum beam x freeboard abreast the cockpit)

b)	in yachts with earliest of age or series date 4/92 and after, the lowest coaming shall not be aft of the FA station, and an extension of a cockpit aft of the working deck shall not be included in the calculation

c)	cockpit volume calculations for yachts with earliest of age or series date 1/03 and after shall be based on LWL, maximum beam, and freeboard abreast the cockpit

d)	The expressions L, B and FA are defined in the IMS rating rule. The values in brackets are acceptable alternatives.

3.09.8

Cockpit drains

See 3.09.1. Cockpit drain cross section total area (after allowance for screens if fitted) shall be:-

a)	in yachts with the earliest of age or series date before 1/72 - at least that of 2 x 25mm (one inch) unobstructed openings or equivalent;

b)	in yachts with the earliest of age or series date 1/72 and later - at least that of 4 x 20mm (3/4 inch) unobstructed openings or equivalent

c)	except that yachts under 8.5m (28ft) may always comply with 3.09.8 (a).

US SAILING prescribes that cockpit drains shall be accessible for cleaning.

3.10

Sea cocks or valves

Sea cocks or valves shall be permanently installed on all through-hull openings below LWL except integral deck scuppers, shaft log, speed indicators, depth finders and the like, however a means of closing such openings shall be provided.

3.11

Sheet winches

Sheet winches shall be mounted in such a way that an operator is not required to be substantially below deck.

3.12

Mast step

The heel of a keel stepped mast shall be securely fastened to the mast step or adjoining structure.

3.14

Pulpits, stanchions, lifelines - attention is drawn to ISO 15085

3.14.2

Lifelines required in Special Regulations shall be "taut".

a)	As a guide, when a deflecting force of 50 N (5.1 kgf, 11.2 lbf) is applied to a lifeline midway between supports, the lifeline should not deflect more than 50 mm.

3.14.3

The following shall be provided:

a)	a bow pulpit forward of the headstay (however on yachts under 8.5 m (28 ft) the bow pulpit may be aft of the headstay provided the forward upper rail is within 405 mm (16 in) of the headstay)

b)	a stern pulpit, or lifelines arranged as an adequate substitute, with vertical openings conforming to Table 7

c)	lifelines supported on stanchions, effectively continuous around a working deck. Lifelines may be substituted by horizontal rails in pulpits. Lifelines shall be permanently supported at intervals of not more than 2.13m (7 ft) and shall not pass outboard of supporting stanchions

d)

upper rails of pulpits at no less height above the working deck than the upper lifelines as in Table 7 and essentially the same height above the waterline as is the upper lifeline at the forward part of the cockpit . HYRA prescribes that for the purposes of local Category 3 and 4 racing in Hawaii, the stock bow pulpit on the J-boats designed for offshore sailing with asymmetrical spinnakers (i.e. J-80, J-105, etc.) will not be required to have the upper rails securely closed while racing.

e)	upper rails in bow pulpits may be openable but shall be secured shut whilst racing

f)

pulpits and stanchions shall be permanently installed. When there are sockets or studs, these shall be through-bolted, bonded or welded. The pulpit(s) and/or stanchions fitted to these shall be mechanically retained without the help of the life-lines. Without sockets or studs, pulpits and/or stanchions shall be through- bolted, bonded or welded.

g)	The bases of pulpits and stanchions shall not be further inboard from the edge of the appropriate working deck than 5% of maximum beam or 150 mm (6 in), whichever is greater.

h)	Stanchion bases shall not be situated outboard of a working deck. For the purpose of this rule a stanchion or pulpit base shall be taken to include a sleeve or socket into which a stanchion or pulpit tube is fitted but shall exclude a baseplate which carries fixings into the deck or hull.

i)	provided the complete lifeline enclosure is supported by stanchions and pulpit bases effectively within the working deck, lifeline terminals and support struts may be fixed to a hull aft of the working deck

j)	Lifelines need not be fixed to a bow pulpit if they terminate at, or pass through, adequately braced stanchions set inside and overlapping the bow pulpit, provided that the gap between the upper lifeline and the bow pulpit does not exceed 150 mm (6 in).

k)	Stanchions shall be straight and vertical except that:-

(i)	within the first 50 mm (2 in) from the deck, stanchions may be displaced horizontally (cranked) from the point at which they emerge from the deck or stanchion base by not more than 10 mm (3/8 in), and

(ii)	stanchions may be angled to not more than 10 degrees from vertical from any single point above 50 mm (2 in) from the deck.

3.14.5

Lifeline height, vertical openings, number of lifelines

HYRA prescribes that for the purposes of local racing in Hawaii, for yachts under 8.5m (28 ft.) with taut single lifelines, the height shall be no less than 14 inches above the working deck.

Table 7

LOA	earliest of age/series date	minimum requirements
under 8.5 m(28 ft)	before 1/92	taut single lifeline at a height of no less than 450 mm (18 in) above the working deck. No vertical opening shall exceed 560 mm (22 in).
under 8.5 m(28 ft)	1/92 and after	as for under 8.5 m(28 ft) above except that when an intermediate lifeline is fitted no vertical opening shall exceed 380 mm (15 in).
8.5 m (28 ft) and over	before 1/93	taut double lifelines with upper lifeline at a height of no less than 600 mm (24 in) above the working deck. No vertical opening shall exceed 560 mm (22 in)
8.5 m (28 ft)and over	1/93 and after	as for 8.5 m (28 ft) and over in table entry above, except that no vertical opening shall exceed 380 mm (15 in).
all	all	on yachts with intermediate lifelines the intermediate line shall be not less than 230 mm (9 in) above the working deck.

3.14.6

Lifeline minimum diameters, required materials, specifications

a)	Lifelines shall be stranded stainless steel wire of minimum diameter in table 8 below. Lifelines installed from 1/99 shall be uncoated and used without close-fitting sleeving.

b)

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