Racing Marks & Course Guide

NQYC RACE MARKS AND COURSES GUIDE 2022 (Approximate Measured Positions as at 25/6/22)
INSHORE
Mark Name	Type	Lat	Long	Notes
1 (Pier Outer Dist)	Pink Spherical Buoy	N52 12.96	W004 21.22	Can be used as ODM for pier starts/finishes
2	Flouro Orange Can with Flag	N52 13.11	W004 21.53
3	Flouro Orange Can with Flag	N52 13.28	W004 20.94
Ina	North Cardinal	N52 13.11	W004 20.64	Caution - Reef to NE/SE of mark
4	Flouro Orange Can with Flag	N52 12.84	W004 20.56	Caution - Reef to NE/SE of mark
5	Flouro Orange Can with Flag	N52 12.92	W004 21.13	Caution - isolated rocks inshore/ towards Penpolion
RNLI	Large Flat Orange Mooring Buoy	N52 12.94	W004 21.04	Warps & green bouy not considered part of mark.
OOD	Flouro Orange mark with black 'line' around centre	Various	Various	Temporary mark laid by OOD near a suitable raace mark for a beat start.
OFFSHORE
Northerly	Yellow Spherical Buoy (N)	N52 14.37	W004 22.08
Bay	Pale Pink Spherical Buoy (B)	N52 14.52	W004 19.92
Drywy	Orange Spherical Buoy (D)	N52 13.46	W004 19.92
Cwmtydu	TBN	N52 11.9	W004 24.9	Normally placed by RIB on day of race
AYC	TBN	N52.14.6	W004 16.1	AYC Start line buoy off clubhouse
Causeway, Patches, Sarn-y-Bwch, Carreg-y-Trai, Cardigan Island	Various	Various	Various	Pass to seaward

Notes and Courses

Race and Course information will normally be posted on chalkboard outside club 1 hour prior to start.
However, the final course decision will be broadcast on Ch37/12 by the OOD/Cruiser Captain approximately 10 minutes before the start. Ch 12 can be used as a back-up.
Start lines will either be set by OOD/Cruiser Capt using a small dan-type buoy and a nearby mark, or conversely, using a line off the pier head or 2 nearby marks.
If using pier head for start, the line is defined by small transit pole on the pier end and the Inshore No1/POD buoy (and not the pole-flagstaff transit)
Finish lines will normally be off the pier head, or as defined by OOD. If using a pier head finish, the line is defined as a line from the small transit pole and Inshore No1/POD mark.
The time datum for all NQYC races is GPS (UTC) time corrected to local time , although it is suggested that most race watches can be set for the 5-4-1-0 start sequence countdown which is then followed by elapsed time count up, which is equally useful - if confirmed as valid.
Courses may be shortened by OOD (or by Cruiser Captain with skipper consensus on Ch 37/12.)
All boats should take their own elapsed and GPS finish time and communicate this with the OOD/Cruiser Captain. They should also endeavour to estimate the finish times of the boat immeditaely ahead and also, the boat immediately behind.
The time limit for Round the Cans races is 4 hours - or as notified by OOD/Cruiser Captain. There is no time limit for passage races. MERS 2 hours.
Individual regattas/series may have their own Race/Course Instructions and may differ from NQYC Course Instructions.
The Ina Cardinal mark is currently a considerable distance from the Ina Reef which it is meant to mark and indeed, it may no longer be in the position marked on many nautical charts. As a result, the Ina Cardinal is no longer considered a mark of the course on all legs of all NQYC club races and may be used as a rounding mark - although the OOD may elect to include it as a mark of the course to be passed to seaward if he/she thinks fit. Whilst the OOD/ Cruiser Capt will endeavour to choose courses that minimises the risks to keel boats, it is the sole responsibility of the owner/skipper to ensure safe navigation of their vessel so as to avoid obstacles on the sea-bed at all times and in all states of tide.
All positions are approximate and marks may drift - buoys being out of position is not grounds for protest/redress.
Finish lines for passage races will defined by OOD/Cruiser Captain on the day.