Notice of Race

Spring Regatta 2026

Incorporating the ORC Sportboat Championships

NOTICE OF RACE

Dates: 23 (Registration) to 27 September 2026
Organizing Authority (OA): False Bay Yacht Club (FBYC)
Venue: Simon’s Town, Western Cape, South Africa
Website: https://www.fbycspringregatta.co.za/

The notation ‘[NP]’ in a rule means that a boat may not protest another boat for breaking that rule. This changes RRS 60.1(a). The notation ‘[DP]’ means that the penalty for a breach of that rule may, at the discretion of the protest committee, be less than disqualification.

1 RULES
1.1 The event is governed by the rules as defined in The Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS).
1.2 The latest version of the following rules will also apply:
1.2.1 IMS Rules.
1.2.2 ORC Rating Systems Rules.
1.2.3 ORC Class and Sportboat Class Rules.
1.2.4 [DP] World Sailing Offshore Special Regulations (OSR) APPENDIX B 
1.3 Under RRS 87, ORC Rule 206 is changed include the following:
1.3.1 [DP] All sails detailed on the boat’s ORC certificate shall have the measurement stamp with all required measurements clearly readable.
1.3.2 (DP) Each boat shall select sails to be used at the event up to the maximum numbers as defined in ORC Rule 206.1.
1.3.3 (DP) Sails damaged during the event may be repaired. Sails beyond repair may be replaced with permission of the technical committee.
1.4 Under OSR APPENDIX B, Section 5 is deleted and the following is inserted:
“5.01 A personal flotation device which shall:
a) be equipped with a whistle,
b) be clearly marked with the boat’s or wearer’s name,
c) if inflatable, regularly checked for air retention,
d) be SAMSA approved.”
1.5 In addition, boats shall have a marine VHF transceiver capable of transmitting and receiving on channels 6 and 16. Boats should have an adequate propulsion system or support boat for towing.
1.6 For Double Handed entries (DHCL certificate), Life Jackets, as defined in para 1.4 above, shall be worn while a boat is racing, except when the crew is below deck.
1.7 Automatic and wind-vane devices for steering may be used only if a boat is entered using her DHCL certificate.
1.8 Minimum crew weight, as defined in ORC Rules 102.3 and 200.1(b), shall apply to all boats entered in the Sportboat class.
1.9 RRS 52 is changed to allow the use of powered winches, provided this is declared on the boat’s ORC certificate.
1.10 Rule 44.1 is changed so that the Two-Turns Penalty is replaced by the One-Turn Penalty.
1.11 All competitors shall be members of SA Sailing (SAS) and of a yacht club affiliated to, and in good standing with SAS (or their equivalent in case of non-South Africans) and legally permitted to compete. Proof of such membership shall be presented at registration.

2 SAILING INSTRUCTIONS
2.1 Sailing Instructions will be available for each entrant upon completion of registration formalities (it may be posted earlier) and will be posted on the online Official Notice Board (ONB) and race website. Printed copies can be obtained from the Race Secretary.

3 COMMUNICATIONS
3.1 The online Official Notice Board (ONB) will be the “Intasure Spring Regatta Official Notice Board 2026” WhatsApp Group. Entrants can register at: https://chat.whatsapp.com/Jg4klg4dAFZ5knnMRfHzNd?s=sw&p=a&mlu=4&amv=2
3.2 Communication with competitors will be through the online ONB on WhatsApp. Each boat shall have at least one device connected to the internet with WhatsApp installed. On the water, the race committee may make additional courtesy broadcasts to competitors on VHF radio CH 6, advising of time signals and other relevant race information.
3.3 [DP] RRS 41(c) is changed as follows: 
3.3.1 A boat shall not receive help from any outside source, except help in the form of information, which is freely available to all boats, whether by payment of a fee or not. However, this shall not include interpretation of information gathered by advice from any source not on the boat specific to the boat and her situation.
3.3.2 By way of an example and interpretation, downloading charts, weather and/or tidal GRIB files from subscription services, or having such information passed to the boat in its pure form, is permitted but receiving information which is the result of interpretation from outside of the boat is not permitted.

4 ELIGIBILITY AND ENTRY
4.1 The event is open to all boats with a valid 2026 ORC (a) CLUB (spinnaker) certificate for the Racing Classes, and (b) CLUB (spinnaker), NSCL or DHCL certificate for the Coastal Classes.
4.2 Eligible boats may enter by submitting the official entry documentation to the Race Secretary, together with the required entry fees, by 17:00 on Wednesday 16 September 2026. The entry documentation consists of:
4.2.1 Entry Form.
4.2.2 Crew List.
4.2.3 ORC Certificate entered under.
4.2.4 Proof of Payment.
4.2.5 Copy of COF or Club equivalent.
4.3 Late Entries may be accepted up to 16:00 on Monday 21 September 2026.
4.4 The regatta will include a dedicated ORC Sportboat Class in the Racing Fleet which will be scored as a separate Class (with divisions) in parallel to either Classes A or C (depending on a boat’s APH rating) of the racing fleet. Thus, they would be scored in both Class A or C AND in the Sportboat Class. A Sportboat shall be endorsed as “Sportboat” on her ORC certificate, comply with the Appendix B of the OSR, and shall be within class limits defined as follows:
4.4.1 Length overall LOA (m): 6.00 – 9.15 
4.4.2 Displacement in measurement trim DSPM (kg): < 2000 
4.4.3 Displacement / Length Ratio   DSPM / LSM0^3: < 6.66  
4.5 The fleets will be divided into classes according to ORC APH TOD, or the criteria in paragraph 4.4.1-4.4.3 for the Sportboat Class Divisions, as extracted from the certificate submitted by an entrant.
4.6 Classes are defined as follows: 
4.6.1 Racing Fleet:
Class A: CLUB APH TOD < 565 s/NM
Class B: CLUB APH TOD >= 565.0 and < 640 s/NM
Class C: CLUB APH TOD >= 640 s/NM
4.6.2 Coastal Fleet:
Class D: CLUB, NSCL or DHCL APH TOD < 640.0 s/NM
Class E: CLUB, NSCL or DHCL APH TOD >= 640.0 s/NM
4.6.3 Sports Boat Class: 
ORC Sportboat Class divisions are defined as follows: 

By way of an example and interpretation, an Avanti26, and Pacer27 will all be in Sportboat Div A and Racing fleet Class A whilst a L26 will be in Sportboat Div B and Racing fleet Class C. From the aforesaid, it follows that a Sportboat Div A boat will start with the Racing Fleet Class A boats and a Sportboat Div B boat will start with the Racing Fleet Class C boats.
4.6.4 Classes may be combined at the discretion of the OA and final class lists will be published on the ONB by 17:00 on 23 September 2026.

5 FEES
5.1 The entry fees (not refundable) are structured as follows:
5.1.1 Entry Fee: R500 per boat and R300 per crew member.
5.1.2 A 50% discount will apply to entries received by 16 September 2026.
5.1.3 Failure to pay all fees prior to 16h00 on Monday 21 September 2026, will result in the affected yacht being scored as “Did Not Compete” until the required payments are made. This changes rule A10 (DNC).
5.2 Entries will not be considered valid until all entry and crew fees have been paid in full to the False Bay Yacht Club bank account. The account details are:
Standard Bank (Branch Number: 036009)
Account Number: 072066547 (current account)
Reference: SR2026 “Boat Name”

6 ADVERTISING
6.1 Boats may be required to display advertising chosen and supplied by the Organizing Authority, per World Sailing Regulation 20, Advertising Code.

7 SCHEDULE
7.1 Dates of the regatta: 23 (Registration), 24, 25, 26, and 27 September 2026.
7.2 Schedule of Events & Racing:
7.2.1 Wednesday, 23 September 2026:
Registration and Measurement: 12h00 – 18h00
7.2.2 Thursday, 24 September 2026:
Racing Fleet: Compulsory for all classes. (Warning signals from 09h55).
Coastal Fleet: Compulsory for all classes. (Warning signals from 09h55).
7.2.3 Friday, 25 September 2026: (“Dash for Cash” Race)
Racing Fleet: Not scored as part of the regatta, therefore not compulsory except for the Sportboat Class. (Warning signals from 14h55). 
Coastal Fleet: Not scored as part of the regatta, therefore not compulsory. (Warning signals from 14h55).
7.2.4 Saturday, 26 September 2026:
Racing Fleet: Compulsory for all classes. (Warning signals from 09h55).
7.2.5 Sunday, 27 September 2026:
Racing Fleet: Compulsory for all classes. (Warning signals from 09h55).
No warning signal will be made after 14h30.
Prize Giving: 18h00 or as soon as possible thereafter.

8 MEASUREMENT AND CERTIFICATES
8.1 Each boat shall produce a valid ORC International or Club (including NSCL and DHCL as applicable) rating certificate.
8.2 Deadline: The deadline for the submission of valid ORC certificates is at 17:00 on Friday, 18 September 2026. This clause does not nullify an entrant’s rights under RRS Rule 78.2.
8.3 The Race Committee reserves the right to extend the certificate deadline at its sole discretion.

9 VENUE
9.1 The regatta will be hosted at False Bay Yacht Club, King George Way, Simon’s Town.
9.2 The general racing area will be offshore in Simon’s Bay, and the greater False Bay area.

10 THE COURSES
10.1 Definition of Courses:
10.1.1 Inshore courses, incorporating Windward/Leeward (WL) or All Purpose (AP), will be approximately 1 to 1.5 hours with laid marks. An AP Course would be of any geometry other than pure WL and may incorporate shapes such as a triangle, square or trapezoid.
10.1.2 Coastal courses, incorporating Medium Distance (MD), will be approximately 3-6 hours for the slowest boat and use a combination of laid and fixed marks. Note: A Coastal Course should not be confused with “Coastal Fleet”. A Racing Fleet entrant could be required to sail a Coastal Course e.g. on Friday.
10.1.3 Definitions may be changed depending on the weather conditions.
10.2 Courses to be sailed by Fleet:
10.2.1 Racing Fleet Classes A, B and C (including the Sportboat Class): 
10.2.1.1 Inshore Courses: Courses shall be Windward/Leeward (WL) or All Purpose (AP) with laid marks.
10.2.1.2 Coastal Courses: A combination of laid and fixed marks will make up Medium Distance (MD) courses. (Friday only.)
10.2.2 Coastal Fleet Classes D and E: 
10.2.2.1 Coastal Courses: A combination of laid and fixed marks will make up Medium Distance (MD) courses.
10.3 Daily Course Allocations: 
The following course allocations may be implemented but could change at the discretion of the Race Committee:
10.3.1 Racing Fleet:
10.3.1.1 Thursday: 1x WL; 1x AP
10.3.1.2 Friday: 1x MD incorporating “Dash for Cash”. (Compulsory for only the Sportboat Class.)
10.3.1.3 Saturday: 1x WL; 1x AP
10.3.1.4 Sunday: 1x WL; 1x AP
10.3.2 Coastal Fleet:
10.3.2.1 1x MD Course on each day including “Dash for Cash” on Friday. (Not compulsory.)
10.4 Detailed course and mark descriptions will be provided in the Sailing Instructions (SI).
10.5 The final decision on the nature of the courses and the number of races on a day will remain with the Race Committee and will not be cause for redress. Final course changes will be communicated via the ONB.

11 PENALTY SYSTEM
11.1 RRS 44.1, as modified by par 1.10 above, applies.

12 SCORING
12.1 The Low Point System of RRS Appendix A will apply.
12.2 The ORC Triple Number TOT Scoring System will be used unless conditions force a “step down” to Single Number TOT. Windward/Leeward and All Purpose models will be utilised as appropriate. Rating information will be drawn from the official ORC website at 17:00 on 18 September 2026 and embargoed. The Race committee reserves the right to extend this date as indicated in para 8.3 above.
12.3 Race results will be determined by corrected times which are calculated by multiplying the Elapsed times by the TOT Rating extracted from the Triple Number matrix on a boat’s ORC certificate. True wind speeds, for the determination of the applicable Triple Number, will be provided by the Race Officer using methods as deemed applicable. The Race Committee’s decision on the True wind speeds, will be final and no request for redress on these grounds will be entertained. 
12.4 As outlined in Section 4.4, the ORC Sportboat class results will be extracted and scored as a distinct class, in parallel to the racing fleet results in which they will also be included in the appropriate racing class (A, B or C).
12.5 Seven races are scheduled for the Racing Fleet and Four races for the Coastal Fleet. Three races would constitute a regatta for the Racing Fleet, and one race constitutes a regatta for the Coastal Fleet.
12.6 Race scores will be multiplied with the scoring coefficient of 2.0 for the Coastal race on Friday. This race will count towards the overall series score only for the Sportboat Class.
12.7 A boat’s series score shall be the total of her race scores excluding her worst score as follows:
12.7.1 Friday’s Coastal Race (Dash for Cash) will not count towards a boat’s series score unless the boat is sailing in the Sportboat class. Thus, a Sportboat will have her Friday’s race score count towards her Sportboat series result but not towards her racing fleet series result.
12.7.2 When 4 or fewer inshore races have been completed, a boat’s series score will be the total of her race scores
12.7.3 When 5 or more inshore races have been completed, a boat’s series score will be the total of her race scores excluding her worst inshore race score.
12.7.4 Coastal races shall not be excluded.
12.8 RRS 90.3(e) shall apply.

13 BERTHING AND MOORINGS
13.1 Free moorings at False Bay Yacht Club will be provided for all entered visiting boats from 18 September to 4 October 2026. Berthing allocations must be booked by the FBYC Sailing Office and confirmed with the STMC Manager prior to arrival and will be allocated on a “first come, first served basis” to boats already entered (with proof of payment of entry fees). 
13.2 Any vessel arriving before or staying after the dates as per 13.1 above will be liable for the standard STMC marina visitor rates. Competitors are urged to vacate their mooring on or before Sunday 4th October 2026.

14 HAUL-OUT RESTRICTIONS
14.1 [DP] Keelboats shall not be hauled out during the regatta except with, and according to the terms of prior written permission of the Race Committee.

15 RISK STATEMENT / DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY
15.1 RRS 3 states: ‘The responsibility for a boat’s decision to participate in a race or to continue to race is hers alone.’ 
15.2 By participating in this event each competitor agrees and acknowledges that sailing is a potentially dangerous activity with inherent risks and accepts that the Organising Authority, False Bay Yacht Club, sponsors, including STP Intasure, and their respective representatives, accept no liability for material damage, personal injury, or death sustained in conjunction with or prior to, during, or after the regatta.

16 INSURANCE
16.1 Each participating boat shall be insured with valid third-party liability insurance with adequate cover (R10 million minimum) for racing purposes.

17 PRIZES
17.1 Prizes will be given to the overall winners in each designated Class and Division, including specific prizes for the ORC Sports Boat Class Divisions.

18 FURTHER INFORMATION
18.1 For further information please contact:
FBYC Race Secretary: sailing@fbyc.co.za
Phone: (021) 786 1703
Website: www.fbyc.co.za