OLD FOX RULES
Cruising events for Westhaven Yacht Club members with the ability to arrive in your boat at a rendezvous as near as possible to a given time. This calls for quite a different approach from that of racing. The Old Fox events are not races. Fast or slow, full of people or not, each boat has a chance to win and enjoy the reward of the company of other members at the venue. Each event produces a winner, and a scoring system produces the season’s winner - The Old Fox.
1. PARTICIPANTS All Westhaven Yacht Club members are participants. You do not have to enter. You are automatically entered but the scoring system penalizes those who do not arrive.
2. TO WIN AN EVENT Cross the transit line at The Old Fox venue as near as possible to the designated zero hour. Take your own time accurately and pass it to the committee boat. Check your watch to nearest second with pips on radio. Also note the relative positions of any other boats crossing at about the same time. Whoever arrives nearest to the zero hour will win.
3. TO WIN FOR THE SEASON Your arrival time at each event is translated into a score, which can include penalties or bonuses. Over the season the skipper with the lowest score wins. This person is The Old Fox.
4. OFFICER OF THE DAY & COMMITTEE BOATS The Officer of the Day and committee boats are also competitors and if for any reason they do not arrive within a reasonable time of zero hour, other competitors should make it their responsibility to get together and collect the results.
5. OLD FOX SAILING INSTRUCTIONS
6. ENGINES Yacht engines may be used to beat early morning calms and adverse tides etc without any penalty up to cut-off time specified for each event in the programme. Engines may be used at any time without penalty to clear your moorings and boat mooring area only. If yacht engines are used after the cut-off period, a penalty score is applied but by studying the scoring system you will see that sometimes it may be better to use the engine to avoid an even larger penalty by arriving too late or not at all.
7, A FAIR COURSE Contravention of 5.9 or 5.10 above, will result in a penalty score and no win allowed.8. CANCELLATIONS Events will not be held if the Met Service Auckland Marine Weather Forecast predicts persistent winds 25 knots and stronger or heavy rain during the period of the event. Note that this is so the OOD and committee boats do not feel obliged to go when everyone else, with any sense, will stay at home. If in doubt ring one of the committee members.
9. SCORING The scoring system does not effect the result of an individual event but produces the result for the season and makes it worthwhile continuing to produce the best possible time, even if you clearly cannot win an individual event.
Because The Old Fox is a social event, the scoring is designed to reward behavior which brings boats together as near as possible to the same time, while penalizing the erratic social recluse.
FINISHING TIME SCORE
(to the nearest whole min)
90 or more early or late +Score 90
1 to 89 early or late +Score actual minutes
+ 1 Score 0
DNF +Score 110
WIN BONUS
The winner is the boat that finishes nearest to zero hour
1st -20 points
2nd -15points
3rd -10 points
All others that finish -5
points
PENALTIES
Use of yacht motor after cut-off times - minimum score is 60. No win allowed if another yacht finishes under sail within 60 minutes of zero time. Sail or motor an unfair course - minimum score is 40. No win allowed
HINTS
If there is no wind a yacht may choose to “become” a launch.
Check your watch to nearest second with pips on the radio
EXAMPLES
Finish 8 minutes before zero hour and be the boat nearest zero hour.
Score = + 8
With bonus = - 30
Final score = - 22
Finish time 45 minutes after zero hour in 5th place
Score = + 45
With bonus = - 5
Final score = +40
The winner of the old Fox is the boat with the lowest score (lowest negative or if no negative lowest positive score) at the end of the season
1. PARTICIPANTS All Westhaven Yacht Club members are participants. You do not have to enter. You are automatically entered but the scoring system penalizes those who do not arrive.
2. TO WIN AN EVENT Cross the transit line at The Old Fox venue as near as possible to the designated zero hour. Take your own time accurately and pass it to the committee boat. Check your watch to nearest second with pips on radio. Also note the relative positions of any other boats crossing at about the same time. Whoever arrives nearest to the zero hour will win.
3. TO WIN FOR THE SEASON Your arrival time at each event is translated into a score, which can include penalties or bonuses. Over the season the skipper with the lowest score wins. This person is The Old Fox.
4. OFFICER OF THE DAY & COMMITTEE BOATS The Officer of the Day and committee boats are also competitors and if for any reason they do not arrive within a reasonable time of zero hour, other competitors should make it their responsibility to get together and collect the results.
5. OLD FOX SAILING INSTRUCTIONS
- Start anytime you like.
- Start from anywhere you like. Minimum 3 miles from transit line.
- Engine cut-off time is 1½ hours before zero hour. Otherwise you may use the engine to clear your mooring.
- Cross the transit line as near to published zero hour as possible and within ¼ mile of the transit marker.
- Communicate your arrival time to the OOD.
- Have a good time. Barbecue on beach after.
- GPS and Logs use is prohibited.
- Keep a fair course - you cannot sail or motor “around” within the last 3 miles to lose time.
- Launches
- At 3 miles from transit line, set and maintain your course and motor rpm.
- You may only alter your rpm and course for the safe passage of the vessel. If such a change is made you must return to the original settings as soon as the “danger” has passed.
- At 3 miles from transit line, set and maintain your sail plan area
- You may reduce your sail area for the safe passage of the vessel. If such a change is made you must retain this configuration to the transit line.
- Sails must be set and trimmed for best possible speed and efficiency towards the transit line.
6. ENGINES Yacht engines may be used to beat early morning calms and adverse tides etc without any penalty up to cut-off time specified for each event in the programme. Engines may be used at any time without penalty to clear your moorings and boat mooring area only. If yacht engines are used after the cut-off period, a penalty score is applied but by studying the scoring system you will see that sometimes it may be better to use the engine to avoid an even larger penalty by arriving too late or not at all.
7, A FAIR COURSE Contravention of 5.9 or 5.10 above, will result in a penalty score and no win allowed.8. CANCELLATIONS Events will not be held if the Met Service Auckland Marine Weather Forecast predicts persistent winds 25 knots and stronger or heavy rain during the period of the event. Note that this is so the OOD and committee boats do not feel obliged to go when everyone else, with any sense, will stay at home. If in doubt ring one of the committee members.
9. SCORING The scoring system does not effect the result of an individual event but produces the result for the season and makes it worthwhile continuing to produce the best possible time, even if you clearly cannot win an individual event.
Because The Old Fox is a social event, the scoring is designed to reward behavior which brings boats together as near as possible to the same time, while penalizing the erratic social recluse.
FINISHING TIME SCORE
(to the nearest whole min)
90 or more early or late +Score 90
1 to 89 early or late +Score actual minutes
+ 1 Score 0
DNF +Score 110
WIN BONUS
The winner is the boat that finishes nearest to zero hour
1st -20 points
2nd -15points
3rd -10 points
All others that finish -5
points
PENALTIES
Use of yacht motor after cut-off times - minimum score is 60. No win allowed if another yacht finishes under sail within 60 minutes of zero time. Sail or motor an unfair course - minimum score is 40. No win allowed
HINTS
If there is no wind a yacht may choose to “become” a launch.
Check your watch to nearest second with pips on the radio
EXAMPLES
Finish 8 minutes before zero hour and be the boat nearest zero hour.
Score = + 8
With bonus = - 30
Final score = - 22
Finish time 45 minutes after zero hour in 5th place
Score = + 45
With bonus = - 5
Final score = +40
The winner of the old Fox is the boat with the lowest score (lowest negative or if no negative lowest positive score) at the end of the season
