HONG KONG KETTLE 2014
9th to 19th October
The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club cordially invites entries from yachts for the inaugural Hong Kong Kettle 2014. This exciting
new Asian sailing event is an international offshore regatta for national teams racing under the IRC (Endorsed) rating rule (butthth
not under team racing rules). The event will be held between Thursday 9 and Sunday 19 October 2014 in Hong Kong, China.
The event is to be held within HK waters biennially and is to be the initial event in the Asian Circuit, forming part of China Coast
Race Week.

NOTICE OF RACE
1.
1.1

RULES
The Hong Kong Kettle 2014 will be governed by:
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the Racing Rules of Sailing 2013 - 2016 (RRS):
the ISAF Special Offshore Regulations;the Prescriptions of the Hong Kong Sailing Federation (HKSF);
the IRC Rules Parts A, B and C;
this Notice of Race (NoR); andthe Hong Kong Kettle 2014 Sailing Instructions (SIs).

1.2

Succeeding items in the above list will take precedence.

1.3

For the purposes of IRC Rule 21.1.5 (d) & (e) the regatta is run on consecutive days. Replacement sails may
be permitted during the regatta in exceptional circumstances with the permission of the Race Committee. A
replacement sail will only be permitted if it is of similar cloth weight, area and design.

1.4

The International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (IRPCAS), (Steering and Sailing Rules) will
apply between sunset and sunrise (as defined in the Hong Kong Kettle 2014 SIs) and will replace the rules of
RRS Part 2.

1.5

RRS 55 is changed by adding the following sentence to the rule: “However, discarding elastic or wool bands
when setting sail is permitted”.

1.6

This NoR may be modified by the Hong Kong Kettle 2014 SIs and any separate NoR and SI’s for the
Offshore race.

2.
2.1

ADVERTISING
A yacht wishing to display advertising on her hull, sails or spars shall be in possession of a valid Advertising
License, issued by her National Authority as provided in ISAF Regulation 20 – (Advertising Code).Advertising
displayed on boats and/or on crew–wear during the event shall be entirely in accordance with ISAF
Regulation 20. Skippers shall produce a copy of their boats HKSF advertising license to the Race Committee
prior to the first race in which they intend to display the advertising.

2.2

Boats may be required to display advertising chosen and supplied by the Organising Authority.

2.3

When registering, each boat may receive battle flags or bow decals. If lost they shall be replaced.
Replacements may be obtained at the regatta office. Decals shall be fixed at the bow on both sides and shallbe visible during the entire event. Battle flags shall be displayed whilst not racing or in transit to or fromracing.

3.
3.1

ELIGIBILITY, ENTRY & CHALLENGES
The Hong Kong Kettle 2014 is open to all boats of the following classes:
3.1.1 Boats with an IRC endorsed rating of between 1.020 and 1.200.
3.2.2 Teams shall be formed of two boats with IRC Endorsed certificates. Boats rated under IRC for the useof moveable and/or variable ballast, for the purposes of increased stability, are not eligible.

3.2

Challenges (which need not identify the boats) shall be lodged by the National Authority on the official form
available from RHKYC. The RHKYC shall have the discretion to accept a Challenge or Challenges from twoor three National Authorities in combination, with the intention that any such team is representative of an
identifiable region (e.g. South East Asia or a Province in China) and each boat in any such team shall be
required to meet the requirements of Nationality by reference to one of the nations comprising the team.

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3.3

Challenges shall be made on or before 18 August, 2014. Late Challenges may be accepted at the discretionof the RHKYC. Each National Authority or combination of National Authorities may enter up to four teams.

3.4

Eligible boats may enter by completing and returning the Entry Form with the entry fee and provisional crew
list to the RHKYC Sailing Office by 1800hrs on 15th September 2014. The entry fee includes berthing at the
RHKYC.

3.5

Late entries may be accepted until 1800hrs on Wednesday 1st October 2014 upon application to the Race
Committee and only upon payment of the entry fee plus an additional fee of 50% of the entry fee.

3.6

Entry fees for cancellations made before 1800hrs on 15th September 2014 will be refunded in full, whilst a
50% refund will be given for cancellations made between 15th September and 1st October 2014. There will
be no refund given for cancellations made after 1800hrs on 1st October 2014.

3.7

All boats shall be not less than 9m (TBC) overall (LOA) excluding bowsprit and/or bumpkin.

3.8

The Race Committee reserves the right to refuse an entry of any yacht or competitor or crew to the race at its
discretion.

3.9

Crew must be a minimum of 18 years of age in order to race. Crew aged 16 - 18 years will be accepted by
the Race Committee as long as a parent or legal guardian is present onboard during the race and a signed
Youth Consent Form is submitted to the RHKYC Sailing Office.

3.10 The Registration Form giving immigration and next-of-kin details of the skipper and crew shall be submitted
to the RHKYC Sailing Office on or before 1800hrs on 1st October 2014.
4.
4.1

STABILITY
IRC Boats with series date of 1995 or later will be categorised under STIX and AVS only. Boats with series
date before 1995 may be categorised under either SSSN or STIX and AVS.

4.2

All IRC boats must satisfy both the STIX / SS and AVS requirements for ISO Design Category B and musthave a minimum STIX value of 23 and AVS minimum 130-0.005 x m (where m is minimum sailing weight in
kg in compliance with the RORC Safety and Stability calculation scheme) or a minimum SSS numeral(SSSN) of 15.

5.
5.1

CLASSIFICATIONAll boats shall comply with the ISAF Offshore Special Regulations Category 3 plus the RHKYC Prescriptions.
Liferafts shall be carried onboard for all races.

5.2

Life raft(s) shall be stowed in accordance with OSR 4.20.3 (IV), except that the date shall be the series date;i.e.: Not below decks on boats with a series date of June 2001 and later. Valise packed Life rafts require anannual certificate of inspection.

6.
6.1

FEES
The entry fee will be HKD $15,000 per team. Unless otherwise instructed, the RHKYC will split this fee
equally between the two boats which form the team.

6.2

In the event that a boat is being substituted, the entry fee will be transferred to the new boat.

7.
7.1

SCHEDULEThe Regatta schedule will be as follows:
7.1.1 Thursday 9th October 2014
Registration - all boats must be at Middle Island by 0900hrs.
Skippers Briefing - for skippers and navigators at 1700hrs
Opening Party - Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, Kellett Island - 1830hrs.
7.1.2 Friday 10th October 2014
One Geometric Course, One Islands Course: First Warning Signal - 1130hrs.
th7.1.3 Saturday 11 October 2014
Three Geometric Courses: First Warning Signal - 1100hrs.
7.1.4 Sunday 12th October 2014
One Geometric Course, One Islands Course: First Warning Signal - 1130hrs
7.1.5 Monday 13th October 2014
Around The Island RaceFirst Warning Signal - 1130hrs.
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7.1.6 Wednesday 15th October 2014
One Offshore Race of not less than 225nm
Warning Signal - 1320hrs.
The above schedule of daily races is subject to change at the discretion of the Race Committee andRace Officer if the weather conditions so dictate on any day of the regatta. The Classification of the
Offshore Race will be confirmed in the Hong Kong Kettle SI’s.
7.2

The Hong Kong Kettle Trophy will be awarded at the CCRW 2014 Overall prize giving in Hong Kong at adate to be determined.

8.
8.1

MEASUREMENTS
All boats shall submit a copy of their current Endorsed IRC rating certificate either with the entry form or nolater than 1800hrs on 15th September 2014. No alteration to a boats rating will be permitted after this date
except as a result of a rating protest or to correct a rating office error. Evidence in writing must be submitted
to the Race Committee.

8.2

All boats shall have the measurements of LL and LP of the largest headsail and the SLU, SLE, SF, SHW andSPA of the largest spinnaker as stated on the endorsed IRC certificate verified by an authority acceptable to
the Race Committee. These sails shall be made available for measurement, if so requested, prior to the firstrace of the Hong Kong Kettle 2014.

8.3

IRC 22.4.2 shall apply: “The Crew Number printed on each boats certificate shall not be exceeded or thecrew weight shall not exceed 85kg multiplied by the Crew Number printed on the certificate. Boats exceeding
their IRC certificate’s Crew Number shall present their crew for weighing upon registration.

8.4

The minimum number of crew is 75% (rounded up) of the IRC Certificate’s Crew Number.

8.5

Measurement and Inspection checks will be conducted from 0900 on Saturday 27 September 2014 atthKellett Island, Hong Kong. Boats shall be ready for inspection at 0900 on Saturday 27 September 2014 withlifelines tensioned and liferafts stowed in accordance with Offshore Special Regulations.

8.6

Early measurement and inspection checks will be available for fully registered boats from 1200hrs on Friday
25th July 2014.

8.7

Inspections will also be carried out at random throughout the regatta. Inspectors may check sails, compliancewith Offshore Special Regulations, and may check/measure rated dimensions. Infringements found during
the regatta will be protested by the Race Committee.

8.8

The RHKYC reserves the right to apply official seals on certain items on each boat before racing. Sealed
items shall remain sealed for the duration of the regatta. When a seal is broken the boat shall immediately fly
an orange streamer (supplied by the RHKYC) and report the circumstances in writing to the International
Jury.

9.
9.1

MEASUREMENT PROTESTS
Measurement protests which require that the protested boat be hauled out for re-measurement shall beaccompanied by a cash deposit of HKD $5,000 toward the cost of the haul out and re-measurement.

9.2

Measurement protests which require other measurement work shall be accompanied by a cash deposit of
HKD 2,000 towards the cost of re-measurement.

9.3

Protests from competitors regarding measurement will not be accepted after the time limit for lodging protests
for Race 2. This changes RRS 60.1. Protests against measurement shall be accompanied by a clear andspecific complaint which the International Jury shall examine. Re - measurement will be carried out only on
the direction of the International Jury after they have satisfied themselves that there is adequate reason.

9.4

Upon re-measurement, if the certificate is invalidated by IRC rule 9.7 (except that IRC 9.7 is amended to read“more than 0.002” instead of “more than 0.005”) then a new certificate shall be applied to all races thereafter
and the boat shall receive a 50% place penalty in any race in the series in which her rating was incorrect.

9.5

Upon re-measurement, if the certificate is found to be valid in accordance with IRC rule 9.6 (except that IRC
9.6 is amended to read “more than 0.002” instead of “more than 0.005”) then the original certificate shall beconsidered valid for the races already sailed. An amended certificate will be issued for all races still to besailed.

9.6

Upon re-measurement, if the TCC is found to be less than the certificated figure the original certificate shallth

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remain in force for the series.
10. SAFETY
10.1 For the Offshore Race, the ISAF Special Offshore Regulations for a Category 3 race shall apply to allparticipating boats with the following modifications and additions:10.1.1 All boats are required to carry a current serviced life raft.
10.1.2 All boats are recommended to carry the following items in an emergency grab bag:2 red parachute and 2 red hand flares and cyalume type chemical light sticks, water tight hand held
EPFS GPS in at least one of the grab bags carried by each yacht, SART, EPIRB, emergency water,
Hand held water proof VHF, watertight flash light with spare batteries and bulb, thermal protective
aids or survival bags, spare sea anchor, a re-useable Marine first aid kit with waterproof dressings,
emergency snack food, signal mirror, hand held satellite phone with spare batteries (if applicable).
All crew HK ID’s, money, spare prescription drugs shall also be carried in a separate
waterproof bag within one of the boat grab bags.
10.1.3 Emergency Drinking water: At least 9 litres of bottled drinking water for emergency use shall be
provided in dedicated and sealed container(s). Bottled water is acceptable.
11. SAILOR CLASSIFICATION & NATIONALTY
11.1 The following classification requirements will apply (see RRS 79):
11.1.1 At least 75% (rounded up e.g. a crew of 10 = 8) of the crew of each boat on board in any race shallcomprise individuals who are Nationals of the country of the relevant team or individuals who havebeen since 1st September 2012 have had their principle residence in that country or individuals who
were born in that country. Proof of Nationality, residence or birth may be required. Any sailor who
helms a boat shall satisfy the Nationality requirement for that team.
11.1.2 The crew of each boat shall include no more than three Group 3 Sailors, of whom one must hold aHong Kong Identity Card. All other crew shall hold a valid Group 1 classification. Any Sailor without avalid classification will be deemed to be Group 3. Sailors requiring a classification should apply, inplenty of time, on the ISAF website: www.sailing.org/isafsailor. The Person in Charge of each boat isstrongly advised to check carefully the classification of each crewmember.
11.1.3 A Group 3 Sailor shall not helm a boat at any time while racing in the Hong Kong Kettle 2014.
12.

SAILING INSTRUCTIONSThe SIs will be available from the end of September 2014.

13.

VENUE
The Hong Kong Kettle 2014 will be sailed from the RHKYC Kellett Island and Middle Island facilities. The
location of the courses and the starts will be in the designated Hong Kong waters sailing areas as detailed in
the Hong Kong Kettle 2014 SIs.

14. COURSES
14.1 The courses for the Hong Kong Kettle 2014 will be outlined in the SIs and will include Windward/Leeward,
Geometric and Islands courses together with an Around The Island and an Offshore Race.
15. PENALTY SYSTEM
15.1 An International Jury may be appointed in accordance with RRS Appendix N. The decisions of the Jury will
be final, and will not be subject to appeal, in accordance with RRS 70.5.
15.2 Where no other penalty is provided for, the International Jury may waive any penalty, or award a lesser
penalty than disqualification, when it decides that a boat has infringed a rule, other than a rule of Part 2, andthe infringement has had no significant effect on the outcome of the race (changes RRS 64.1 (a).
15.3 Inshore races - RRS 44.1 is changed so that for rule infringements outside the Zone the penalty shall be a
One-Turn Penalty. If the boat caused injury or serious damage or gained a significant advantage in the raceor series by her breach, her penalty shall be to retire.
15.4 Offshore and Around the Island Races - RRS 44.1 will not apply. When a boat may have broken a rule of
RRS Part 2 or applicable IRPCAS rules, or RRS 31, she may accept a time penalty of 1% of her “elapsedtime”. When she may have broken a rule of Part 2 or applicable IRPCAS rule, and RRS 31 in the same
incident, she need not take the penalty for breaking RRS 31. If the boat caused injury or serious damage or
gained a significant advantage in the race or series by her breach, her penalty shall be to retire.
15.5 A boat that takes a time penalty shall act in accordance with RRS 44.3 (Scoring Penalty) except that the flag
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shall be a yellow streamer (supplied by the RHKYC) and she shall report the circumstances in writing to theRace Committee. A boat scoring OCS shall receive points equivalent to a fifty per cent place penalty(rounding 0.5 upward) on the boat’s finishing position in that race (changes RRS A4.2).
16. SCORING
16.1 Results for individual races will be established by a boat’s corrected time, calculated using the following:
16.1.1 IRC:The Time Corrector (TCC) as printed on a boats current valid IRC certificate will beapplied to its elapsed time, as follows:
Corrected Time = Elapsed Time x TCC

16.2 Weighting: points will be multiplied by the points factor applying to the race.
shall receive points for one place worse than DNF (changes RRS A 4.2).

BFD, DSQ, DNE and DGM

16.3 One race will constitute a series. A boats total score will be the total of her race scores. A team’s total scorewill be the total of all the individual scores of the boats representing the team.
16.4 A tie in overall points will be broken by the points gained in the Offshore Race, or if that fails, the Around theIsland Race. If a tie still remains the result will be determined by the lowest point scoring boats of the tied
teams in the final race.
17.

SUPPORT BOATS
Support boats shall be marked with RHKYC insignia and flags.

18. RADIO COMMUNICATIONS
18.1 All boats are required to carry a marine VHF radio with Channel 72 capability. VHF Channel 72 may be used
for radio recalls, courses to be sailed and race information. Boats are strongly recommended to havewaterproof loudspeakers by which to monitor VHF on deck or a handheld VHF radio in a waterproof bag will
be acceptable.
18.2 Offshore Race: All boats are required to carry an HF marine SSB transceiver (GMDSS/DSC preferred),capable of operation on 2182 kHz, 4125 kHz, 4060 kHz, 6215 kHz and 6230 kHz.
18.3 Offshore Race: For emergency safety communication purposes all boats are required to carry a satellite
telephone, e.g. the Marine Iridium Satellite based system.
19. PRIZES
19.1 The Hong Kong Kettle Trophy will be awarded to the team with the best points score.
19.2 The interpretation of the terms of award for all trophies and prizes will be made by the Race Committee,
whose decision is final.
19.3 Other prizes may be awarded at the discretion of the Race Committee.
20. DISCLAIMER OF LIABILTY
20.1 Yacht racing can be dangerous. The attention of owners and skipper is drawn to RRS Fundamental rule 4:"The responsibility for a boats decision to participate in a race or to continue racing is hers alone" and toSpecial Regulation 1.02 (first point) which begins "The safety of a yacht and her crew is the sole andinescapable responsibility of the Person-in-charge...”20.2 The Organising Authority (RHKYC), Race Committee, sponsor(s), employees and volunteers will not accept
any liability for material damage or personal injury or death sustained in conjunction with or prior to, during, orafter the event.
20.3 Owners and skippers are invited to co-operate closely with the Organising Authority, Race Committee and
RHKYC Sailing Office in completing the formalities of their boat entries by submission of all required
information, certificates, forms, etc. within the deadline dates quoted throughout this NoR.
20.4 It is the sole responsibility of the owners and/or skippers to comply with the deadline dates and failure to do
so in respect of any aspect will be treated as a failure to enter the Regatta, in which case, boats will not be
eligible to compete unless evidence of genuine extenuating circumstances for the lateness is accepted by
the Race Committee.
21.

INSURANCE
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21.1 All boats shall be insured with valid third-party liability insurance of the minimum cover required byGovernment (HKSAR) regulations.
22. MEDIA & IMAGE RIGHTS WAIVER
22.1 By entering this race, each boat owner (or charterer) and crew on the competing boats grant to theOrganising Authority and the Sponsor and affiliated companies at no cost the absolute right and permission
to use their names, voices, images, likenesses and biographical material, as well as representations of theirboats in any media (including television, print and internet).
22.2 There is no restriction on broadcasting from a boat to the media during racing provided that RRS 41 isalways observed.
22.3 The RHKYC reserves the right to place a camera on board each boat for media purposes.
23. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
23.1 Yachts entering from overseas, please contact Roger Eastham – RHKYC Marine Services Manager at:roger.eastham@rhkyc.org.hk, Tel: +852 2239 0308, Fax: +852 2572 5399, Mobile +852 9750 2251 for all
details regarding facilities, berthing and commissioning prior to the race and/or regatta.
23.2 For Race Management please contact Alex Johnston – RHKYC Sailing Manager at:
alex.johnston@rhkyc.org.hk Tel: +852 2239 0362, Fax: +852 2239 0364.
23.3 For Race/Regatta promotion please contact Lindsay Lyons – RHKYC Race & Regatta Promotion at:
lindsay.lyons@rhkyc.org.hk, Tel: +852 2239 0391, Fax: +852 2239 0364.
23.4 The RHKYC Sailing Office will maintain a list of potential charter boats from the nearby region.
23.5 All documents will be published on the Hong Kong Kettle 2014 website: www.hkkettle.com.

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