1. RULES: All "Go For The Gold" regatta races will be governed by US Sailing The Racing Rules for Sailing 2005-2008, except as otherwise provided in these instructions.

2. NOTICE TO COMPETITORS: The Skipper's Meeting will be at the Gold Country Yacht Club (GCYC) clubhouse at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 7. Written copies of official notices will be posted on the regatta bulletin board and be available to participants at the GCYC clubhouse. Changes to the schedule of races will be made by 8:00 pm on the day before it will take effect.

3. CHANGES TO SAILING INSTRUCTIONS: The Race Committee (RC) may revise the sailing instructions each day. Revisions will be in writing and posted on the regatta notice bulletin board at the GCYC clubhouse at least 1 hour before the first warning.

4. YACHT CHECK-IN: Yachts intending to race in the regatta are required to sail within hail of the RC and declare their intention to race each day. Yachts shall have a sail number on each side of the mainsail or the yacht will not be scored. If possible, a yacht retiring from a race should inform the RC.

5. SCHEDULE OF RACES AND STARTING TIME: Races will begin at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Fleet designations (A, B, C, D, E, etc.) and starting sequences will be posted on the regatta bulletin board at the GCYC clubhouse on Saturday morning.

6. RESTRICTED AREAS: In accordance with US Sailing Rule 22, after finishing, yachts shall keep clear of the Finish line and yachts racing. Obstruction of finishing yachts shall be cause for protest. The Start and Finish lines are restricted, except to Start or Finish.

7. NUMBER OF RACES: Three concurrent races are scheduled for Saturday June 7th and two concurrent races are scheduled for Sunday, June 8th with all races being counted. The Race Committee may shorten, abandon or cancel races due to time limits, weather or other hazardous situations. Cancellation of a race shall be at the sole discretion of the Race Committee.

8. RACING AREA: Illustration A shows the location of racing areas. The buoy-marked swim areas and hazards are considered obstructions and are to be avoided.

9. THE COURSES: The diagrams in Illustration B show the courses (A, B, C & D) and the approximate length of each course. No later than the Warning signal (5 minutes before a Fleet's start), the RC will display the Course letter on the starting board on the stern of the RC boat along with the first windward mark number for the current starting fleet. Double letters signify twice around the posted course (i.e., AA, BB, CC, & DD).

10. MARKS: Marks are large orange inflatable balls numbered 1 through 8 incrementing clockwise, starting at the dam (south of the RC boat). Special yellow tetrahedral-shaped marks will be used for dinghy and junior Classes desiring shorter courses.

11. TIME LIMIT: All Classes have a 90 minutes time limit for the first yacht in Class to finish. All other yachts have 30 minutes to complete racing after the first in Class has finished. Exception: Open classes have a 2 hours time limit to complete racing, ignoring the first in Class to finish. One yacht sailing the course in accordance with US Sailing Rule 35 and finishing within the prescribed time limit, shall make the race valid for all other yachts. When no yacht finishes within the prescribed time limit, the race shall be abandoned. Yachts finishing 30 minutes after the first in Class to finish or after 2 hours in Open Classes will be scored DNF. This changes Appendix A4.1

12. THE START: Races will be started by using Rule 26 with the Warning signal (Class Flag A, B, C, etc.) given 5 minutes before the starting signal. There will be a one minute interval between the start of one class and the warning for the next class to allow all starters to clear the starting area. The Start line is defined as an imaginary line between the orange pole on the Race Committee boat and the orange flag on the starting pin buoy to PORT of the Race Committee boat. Rule 30.1 shall be in effect with the "I" Flag used for the Preparatory signal ("round an end rule" - no dip starts). The area between the start line and the first mark is off-limits during the one minute prior to the start. The START/FINISH line is RESTRICTED during a race. A boat crossing the start or finish lines other than starting or finishing shall be DISQUALIFIED.

13. THE START LIMIT AREA: The area directly behind the Start line (marked by a "Limit Buoy" approximately 150' behind the center of the start line and extended a 'reasonable distance' parallel to the Start line) is restricted to only those boats currently in their starting sequence (Class flag currently flying). A boat starting later than 5 minutes after her starting signal will be scored DNS (did not start). This changes rule A4.1. The START and FINISH lines are RESTRICTED during a race.

14. THE FINISH: The Finish line is defined as an imaginary line between the orange pole on the Race Committee boat and the orange flag on the starting pin buoy to PORT of the Race Committee boat. The START/FINISH line is RESTRICTED during a race. A boat crossing the start or finish lines other than starting or finishing shall be DISQUALIFIED.

15. SHORTENED COURSES: The Race Committee may shorten courses at their discretion. If the course is shortened with the "S" flag, an official Race Committee boat near a mark will display flag "S" and yachts shall cross the new finishing line between the Race Committee boat displaying flag "S" and the nearest mark. If the course is shortened with the "F" flag, the Race Committee boat will display flag "F" and yachts shall round the mark nearest the Race Committee boat displaying flag "F" and go directly to the finish line, finishing from the direction of the last mark rounded.

16. PROTESTS: Rule 61 shall apply. Protest flags and hails of protested yacht within a reasonable time are expected (Exception: dinghy classes not carrying protest flags). Protesting yachts shall inform the Race Committee of a pending protest at their first opportunity. A written protest must be filed on forms provided by the RC and submitted to the RC within 45 minutes of the docking of the RC boat (a signal will be sounded to begin the time limit, another signal when the submission time limit has expired). A Protest Committee will be assigned by the RC and the sailing authority, Gold Country Yacht Club. Protests will be posted on the regatta bulletin board at the GCYC clubhouse and heard within 30 minutes of the filing deadline. Skippers are responsible for checking the protest bulletin board. A guideline of 10 minutes for each party to present their case is allowed.

17. APPEALS: For the purpose of scoring and awarding prizes, the decision of the Protest Committee will be used in the presentation of trophies at the awards ceremony. Appeals shall conform to Rule 70.

18. SCORING: The Low Point Scoring System in accordance with US Sailing Appendix A4.1 will apply. The score for each yacht will be the sum of her race scores with the lowest overall score winning the "Go For The Gold" class championship. Open Keel will use modified PHRF (SoCal), Open Centerboard will use Portsmouth (D-PN) and all other classes will be scored boat-for-boat.

19. TIES: Unbroken ties shall be resolved in accordance with Appendix A8.

20. SPECIAL ALLOWANCES: Yachts rendering assistance in the spirit of US Sailing Rule 1.1 may receive redress. A yacht that renders assistance (tows another distressed yacht to shore, helps a capsized yacht, etc.) before a start may return to the starting line and start after her official start time. The RC will record the actual start time and that time will be used to calculate her elapsed time. A yacht that renders assistance during a race shall be given Redress Points equal to the average of her points in all the races completed on that race day. The yacht need not finish the race during which she rendered assistance. This changes Appendix A4.1. It is the discretion of the RC to decide whether to allow the assisting yacht these privileges.

21. TROPHIES: Trophies will be awarded at the end of the last race on Sunday June 8th, at the GCYC clubhouse as soon as the total scores are tabulated and any pending protest hearings are completed. The number of awards will be determined by the number of yachts participating in each class.

DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY: Competitors participate in the "Go For The Gold" Regatta entirely at their own risk. See Rule 4, Decision to Race. GCYC, as the organizing authority, will not accept any liability for material damage or personal injury or death sustained in conjunction with or prior to, during, or after the races.

(Updated March 18, 2008 -jml)