1           ORGANISING AUTHORITY

            The Organising Authority (OA) will be the United States Sailing Association.

2          VENUE

2.1       The venue will be the following for each event:

a.                   ABC North Quarter Final: Cottage Park YC, Winthrop, Mass.

b.                  ABC Midway Quarter Final: Larchmont YC, Larchmont,, New York

c.                   ABC South Quarter Final: TBA

d.                  ABC Semi Final: Eastport YC, Annapolis, Maryland

3          EVENT GRADING

3.1      The Quarter Final events have applied for ISAF Grade 4. The Semi Finals has applied for ISAF Grade 3.

3.2              This grading is subject to review by the ISAF Match Race Rankings Sub Committee. The  

            event may be re-graded when there is clear reason to do so.

4          PROVISIONAL PROGRAMME

4.1       The provisional program for each event is the following:

            a.         Race office at each venue will open at 0800 on the first day of each regatta.

b.         Registration at each venue will be from 0800-0900 on the first day of each regatta.

c.         Crew weighing at each venue will be from 0800-0900 on the first day of each regatta.

d.         Skippers’ briefings will be at 0900 on each race day of the regatta.

e.         Meetings with umpires will follow the skippers’ briefings.

f.          Racing days for each event are the following:

i.          ABC North Quarter Finals: June 21-22, 2008

ii.         ABC Midway Quarter Finals: May 17-18, 2008

iii.        ABC South Quarter Finals: TBA

  iv.       ABC Semi Finals: July 12-13, 2008

g.         Time of the first race each day will be 1000.

h.         Debriefs with the umpires after racing.

i.          Prize giving will be on the last day of racing as soon after racing as possible.

4.2       Unless excused by the OA, attendance at the following is mandatory:

a.         Briefings for skippers.

            b.         Regatta dinner(s), if any.

c.         Prize giving for the final skippers and crews.

5          SKIPPERS ELIGIBILITY

5.1     Eight (8) skippers will be invited to each event. Only skippers invited by the OA will be eligible to enter. Skippers interested in participating in a Quarter Finals event shall submit a resume to the OA at matchracing@optonline.net no later than April 11, 2008, indicating which of the event venues is preferred and a second choice. Resumes received after April 11, 2008 may be accepted in the discretion of the OA. Invitations will be issued after April 11, 2008. The OA will assign skippers to venues and will indicate in the invitation the venue to which a skipper is assigned.

5.2    To remain eligible, a skipper shall confirm acceptance of invitation in writing by email at matchracing@optonline.net by the date specified in the letter of invitation.

5.3      A non-refundable entry bond of US $250 shall accompany the acceptance of invitation for this to be valid: the skipper shall provide credit card information and authorize the card to be charged by the OA/host club.

5.4   All competitors shall meet the eligibility requirements of ISAF Regulation 19.2, which regulation may be found at http://www.sailing.org/tools/documents/2007IsafRegulations-[3693].pdf.  

5.5       All competitors shall obtain an ISAF Sailor ID by registering online at  

   www.sailing.org/isafsailor. Skippers shall inform the OA of their ISAF Sailor ID upon

acceptance of the invitation.

5.6              The registered skipper shall helm the boat at all times while racing, except in an  

            emergency.

6          ENTRIES

6.1       The skipper shall be entered on completion of registration, crew weighing and the payment of all fees and deposits. All payments shall be made by credit card/local currency.

6.2       Entry Fee

A non-refundable entry fee of US $250 shall be paid at registration. The entry bond shall be used for the entry fee for those skippers that otherwise complete registration.

6.3       Damage deposit

a.         An initial damage deposit of $US 500 shall be paid at registration, unless extended by the OA. This deposit is the maximum payable by the skipper as a result of any one incident.

b.         In the event of a deduction from the damage deposit as decided by the OA, it may require that the deposit be restored to its original amount before the skipper will be permitted to continue in the event.

c.         Any remaining deposit after the event will be refunded within 30 days after the event.

7          RULES

7.1      The event will be governed by the rules as defined in the RRS, including Appendix C and the Conditions for the US Match Race Championship (see www.ussailing.org/championships/adult/usmrc/). Conflicts between the Conditions and the NOR or Sailing Instructions will be resolved in favour of the NOR or Sailing Instructions as the case may be. Conflicts between the NOR and Sailing Instructions will be resolved in favour of the Sailing Instructions. This modifies RRS 63.7.

7.2      The rules for the handling of boats that will be appended to the sailing instructions will apply, and will also apply to any practice sailing and sponsor races.

7.3              A boat owner’s representative may be placed on board each boat at some events.

7.4       US Sailing Regulation 10.01(C)  provides as follows:

C.        PROHIBITED SUBSTANCES

1.         For adult US SAILING championship events, no competitor shall use, either on or off the water: marijuana or any other controlled substance (as defined in 21 U.S. Code 802) the possession of which is unlawful under 21 U.S. Code 841.

2.         For Junior and Youth events or for junior or youth competitors in any US SAILING championship, no participant or competitor shall use, either on or off the water: marijuana or any other controlled substance (as defined in 21 U.S. Code 802) the possession of which is unlawful under 21 U.S. Code 841, or alcoholic beverages (distilled spirits, wine and beer, each as defined in chapter 51 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code and intended for beverage use).

3.         An alleged breach of one of these regulations shall not be grounds for a protest. However, when the protest committee believes that a competitor may have breached one of these regulations, it shall follow the process described in racing rule 69.1, and a competitor found to have breached one of these regulations shall be excluded from the remaining races of the series and, where practicable, removed from the regatta venue and sent home. The competitor’s boat shall be disqualified from all races of the series.

8          BOATS AND SAILS

8.1       The events will be sailed in the following boats:

a.         ABC North Quarter Finals: R19 type boats.

b.         ABC Midway Quarter Finals:  Ideal 18 type boats.

c.             ABC South Quarter Finals:  TBA type boats.

d.         ABC Semi Finals: J24 type boats.

8.2       Eight (8) boats will be provided for each event.

8.3       The following sails will be provided for each boat: Mainsail, Jib, and Spinnaker.

8.4       Boats will be allocated as decided by the Race Committee.

9          CREW (INCLUDING SKIPPER)

9.1                   The number of crew (including the skipper) shall be a maximum of four (4) except for the ABC Midway Quarter Finals where the maximum number of crew (including the skipper) will be three (3). All registered crew shall sail all races.

9.2     The maximum total crew weight (excluding owner’s representatives), determined prior to racing, shall be 262.5 kg (580 lbs) when wearing at least shorts and shirts.

9.3       When a registered skipper is unable to continue in the event, the OA may authorise an

            original crew member to substitute.

9.4      When a registered crew member is unable to continue in the event the OA may authorise a  

            substitute, a temporary substitute or other adjustment.

10         EVENT FORMAT

10.1     Skippers will be seeded in each event by the OA in its discretion based upon resumes and other available information.

10.2     The intended format for these events will consist of the following stages:

            Stage 1 - a round robin

            Stage 2 - a round robin

Stage 3 – a semi final knock out of the top four finishers from the combined results of stage     1 and 2.

            Stage 4 – a final/petit final (first to win two)

10.3     The OA may change the format, terminate or eliminate any round, when conditions do not permit the completion of the intended format.

11         COURSE

11.1     The course will be windward/leeward/windward/leeward with starboard rounding,

            finishing downwind.

11.2     The course area will be determined by the OA and the race committee.

12         ADVERTISING

12.1    As boats and equipment will be supplied by the Organising Authority, ISAF Regulation 20.3.2 applies. Each boat will be required to display advertising as supplied by the OA. See http://www.sailing.org/tools/documents/2007IsafRegulations-[3693].pdf.

12.2     The Organising Authority will supply the equipment set forth in a SI appendix. ISAF  

            Regulation 20.3.2 (see http://www.sailing.org/tools/documents/2007IsafRegulations-[3693].pdf) will apply and Category C advertising as supplied by the OA is to be displayed on this equipment.

12.3     Competitors may be permitted to display advertising ashore at the venue, but this is subject  

            to individual negotiation with the Organising Authority.

12.4          Boats shall not be permitted the right to protest for breaches of any rules regarding  

            advertising (amends RRS 60.1).

13         PRIZES

13.1     Prizes for first, second, and third place at each quarter final event will be awarded. US Sailing medals will be awarded to the skippers and crew placing first, second, and third at the ABC Semi Finals.

13.2          The skippers placing first and second in each quarter final will be invited to participate in the ABC Semi Final. Available spots in the ABC Semi Final may otherwise be filled by the OA in its discretion.

13.3          The skippers placing first and second in the ABC Semi Final will be invited to the US Match Racing Championship to be sailed in Oyster Bay, New York from September 24-28, 2008. To participate in the US Match Racing Championship, those skippers must accept their invitations and register on line on the US Sailing website in accordance with the instructions in the invitation.

14         MEDIA, IMAGES AND SOUND

14.1   The OA may require television personnel and equipment (or dummies) to be carried on board while racing and may require competitors to be available for interviews. The OA shall have the right to use any images and sound recorded during the event free of any charge.

15         COACH BOATS

15.1     Coach boats will not be permitted at these regattas.

16         DISCLAIMER

16.1   All those taking part in the event do so at their own risk. The OA, the host Club, their associates and appointees accept no responsibility for any loss, damage, injury or inconvenience incurred, howsoever caused.

17         INVITATIONS

17.1     Entries will only be accepted from invited skippers. If you wish to be invited, please register your request for an invitation as soon as possible with the OA in accordance with 5.1 above.

Date of Issue: 16 March 2008

Notice of Race Version Number: Three