2013 Three Bridge Fiasco Registration Open

[Jan Brewer]

Hi,

As Race Deck Chair and PRO for the 3BF this next year, unless someone would like to step up and relieve me of the PRO position, I was gonna chime in here with a few words and luckily Bob J. has offered up some wonderful responses and questions. Of course, my first question was asked and then addressed again with the "evidence" issue covered. Thank you and maybe golf needs to be suggested at the skippers' meeting as an alternative. Bad blood? Isn't that reserved for the offending boats and the protest committee? Not boat to boat, right? Bottom line, it is a pain in the butt to file a protest; however, lots can be done before the hearing to resolve the issue so . . . case in point last year two protests were filed within a very short time after the finish and those were resolved with 2 phone calls with the offending boats dropping out so . . . great discussion, thanks.

[Philpott]

"This is not my idea - those are the rules under which we race. If it causes "bad blood" then the offending skipper should consider golf or something." Bob J.

Perhaps a bit of time at the Skippers meeting can be spent on the anatomy of a protest: different ways to notify an offending boat, the timely filing of a protest and ways to protest (via radio, raising a red flag, in writing within 48 hours of the end of the race, etc). Maybe we can encourage skippers to keep radios turned on during the race, too.

[BobJ]

Okay, we had our meeting and worked out a simplified Restricted Area Enforcement Protocol:

Attachment 275

.

[Jim Z]

Have the starting times been posted yet?

[BobJ]

Here you go - page 2:

http://www.sfbaysss.org/2013/PDF/201...structions.pdf

.

[Jim Z]

Thanks very much BobJ.
Appreciate the update and the link!

[Philpott]

I suggested this last year but Max declined. See how a change in leadership just cuts through all the red tape?

Attachment 275

.[/QUOTE]

[Ursus]

Perhaps a bit of time at the Skippers meeting can be spent on the anatomy of a protest: different ways to notify an offending boat, the timely filing of a protest and ways to protest (via radio, raising a red flag, in writing within 48 hours of the end of the race, etc). Maybe we can encourage skippers to keep radios turned on during the race, too.

I haven't been in a protest room in a long time, so please correct me if I am wrong.

To protest another yacht for area violations at 3BF a participant would need to:

1. Be prepared to show up at a protest hearing at an undisclosed location and time
2. While racing, identify the other yacht, which is probably far away (in the restricted area) and may not have a unique sail number
3. While racing, find a witness which has observed and memorized the same violation and is prepared to attend a protest hearing at an undisclosed location and time
4. Notify RC within an hour of finishing (easy)
5. Submit the written protest within 48h (again easy)

Additionally, in a reverse pursuit race, the faster half of the fleet don't have a motivation to protest the boats they are meeting on the course; they will finish before the boats they are overtaking...

No wonder there are no protests for RA violations @ 3BF...

[BobJ]

Potentially yes, most or all of that. But using your point numbers:

1. Last year a couple of these violations got resolved quickly without a hearing, but the protests were made. The location and time for a hearing should be published however.
2. Look at this a bit differently. You see a boat gaining an advantage (current perhaps) by going well inside the restricted area. You probably know who it is or it wouldn't be bugging you. If the boat is so far away you can't see who it is, you aren't the one who should be protesting them - someone closer should be doing it.
3. I think all boats monitoring the race channel (69) and you making a radio announcement of your protest largely solves this. That may not be sufficient announcement to the offending boat under the RRS (does anyone know?) but it should alert a couple of witnesses of the protest, should that prove necessary.

On your last (un-numbered) point, I recognize your boat presents unique challenges for following the on-the-water portion of these steps. (Where do you keep an unfurled protest flag?) But for most of us, especially in this race, we have ample opportunity to locate our protest flag, press it a bit, tie it to the backstay, look at it awhile . . . )

I think the plan is to distribute a protest "cheat sheet" at the skippers' meeting so we're all reminded how to do this. I suggested it also have blank spaces to insert sail numbers! This should provide some additional deterrent but again - (1) be willing to file a protest, (2) the R/C can't do it for you, and (3) this is part of sailboat racing and does not need to be a big onerous deal.

[SSSForumAdmin]

Just as a reminder, Three Bridge Fiasco registration is currently open and up to 292 the last time I checked. There are still a couple days to get registered. The deadline is tomorrow after the skipper's meeting. Make sure to get your payment for single race entry or membership in by the deadline.

In response to the thread regarding protests, I am keeping my red flag handy this year and expect to see some boats inside the bay bridge restricted areas and inside the long warf restricted area. I doubt it will ever get to a formal protest room but do expect that some regular SSS people that didn't bother before will be protesting this year.

Hopefully, the trophy meeting will be for trophies this year and we can leave the protests to be dealt with by the race committee after the race.

Stay safe everybody and I'll see you out there on Saturday.

Matt