DN NA Class

IDNIYRA Notice of Race
2011 North American Championship Regatta
January 30, 2011 – February 4, 2011
(immediately following Gold Cup)

Organizing  Authority:  International DN Ice Yacht Racing Association
Host: North American Western Region

1.   Rules:
All races will be governed by the Racing Rules of the National Iceboat Authority; the By-Laws of the IDNIYRA as stated in the sections ‘IDNIYRA Regattas B) North American Championship Regatta,’ ‘Racing Rules,’ and ‘Official Specifications of the DN Ice Yacht’; the Notice of Race, including any amendments to the Notice of Race, (except as any of these are altered by the sailing instructions) and the Sailing Instructions.  The Sailing Instructions can be modified at the Skippers Meeting and by notice posted on the official notice board.

2.    Eligibility:
All DN class yachts meeting the requirements of the Official Specifications and whose skippers meet the requirements of the By-Laws of the IDNIYRA as stated in the section ‘IDNIYRA Regattas’ are eligible to enter and race in the championship.

3.   Site Information and Posting:
A.   The primary site is the North American Western Region
B.   Site and Headquarters Information will be available on the Official Regatta Hotline
608-204-9876, extension 4.
C.   Site and Headquarters Information will be duplicated on the DNAmerica.org website in the Class Announcements section.  In the event of conflicts, the posting on the DNAmerica site shall take precedent.

4.   Entry, Deadline, and Fee:
A.   The official entry may be submitted and signed or may be accomplished on line as described in the amendment to the Notice of Race.  A registration form may be found in the Runner Tracks, may be downloaded from the DNAmerica site.
B.   The early entry fee is $60 US if paid by PayPal or postmarked by December 31, 2010 and late entry fee $120 US if paid by PayPal or postmarked January 1, 2011 or later.  Entrants traveling from Europe are exempt from paying late fees.

5.   Schedule of Events:
The North American Championships will be held at the conclusion of the DN Gold Cup World Championships.
December 31, 2010    deadline for early entry fee
January 1, 2011   late entry fee goes into effect
January 23, 2011, 9:00 PM CST   Site information initial posting   
February 2, 2011 5:00 – 8:00 PM  or evening following last race of the Gold Cup.   Final registration and check-in for all competitors at the site headquarters as posted   
Day following final registration    9:00 AM   Skipper’s meeting at launch site
    10:15 AM    First race

6.   Sailing instructions will be available at final registration and check in.
7.   Yachts with two-piece masts or mast sticks shall notify the measurement committee prior to the close of registration to have mast approved and officially sealed prior to the first race for the duration of the regatta.
8.   Prizes shall be awarded in accordance with the IDNIYRA By-Laws.

Safety and Legal Disclaimers.  For all the reasons listed on this notice, everyone on the ice is responsible for their own self, racers, observers, volunteers, everybody.  Ice boat races occur often in weather conditions that are not safe for those not properly dressed. Ice is slippery often. Long periods of standing around in the cold can be dangerous.  Either that or something else sometimes makes people do foolish things not good for their own safety.

Iceboat racing involves people trying to make little wood and fiberglass boxes attain high speed, sometimes at the margins of control, on a frozen lake.  During a race, as many as 50 of these little boxes are criss-crossing on an up-wind and down-wind course, converging at marks.  The only way collisions are avoided is by alert observation of the other boats and strict observance to some basic right-of-way rules.  Even then, there is always the potential for a loss of control, or some slight lack of appropriate diligence, improper observation of the rules, or a mistaken input or lack or steering ability.  These basic right-of-way rules don’t even really apply except during racing, but the savy will usually follow them at all times anyway.

For the unfamiliar, the rules can be summarized as follows.  Note there are substantial differences form sailing rules on soft water!  This is a novice summary, not a legal-language re-do of the NIA rules:
1.   Don’t hit anybody or anything with your boat
2.   Especially don’t hit any body or any boat not sailing, including fishermen, motor vehicles, skaters, or especially the race committee
3.   If you are off the wind (reaching or down wind), you have to avoid any boat sailing on the wind (close hauled) regardless of their tack or your tack.
4.   If two boats are both on the wind, or two boats are both off the wind, then the one with the wind coming from the left side of his boat has to avoid the other. (starboard tack has right of way over port tack)
5.   If two boats are on the same tack and converging,
      a.   If on the wind, the windward boat has to give way to the leeward boat.
      b.   If off the wind, the leeward boat has to give way to the windward boat.
6.   If overtaking a boat, don’t hit it, give him room to go where he wants.  He doesn’t have to avoid you.
7.   You cannot force a boat into a hazard; give him room if he needs it.
8.   There are no special rules at marks, read those above, and follow them there, too.

The thickness and strength of the ice is checked by inspection of relatively tiny areas compared to the total ice area.  There are almost certainly hazards rendering some of the ice unsafe to walk on or sail over or both.  Despite a sincere effort on the part of the organizer to keep these areas either off the racing area, or at least mark and notify participants of the known hazardous areas, some one is not going to get all the information necessary to avoid all the hazards and some of the hazards will not be known. It is often the case that some known hazards exist between the set up areas and racing areas.  Hazards include (among other things) cracks, thin ice, ridges, ice chunks, debris on the ice, airplanes, snow mobiles, very rough ice, two layers of ice with water between them (shell ice), plants, gravel, rocks, open holes, gas holes, spring holes, fishing holes, sturgeon holes big enough for refrigerators, and irate locals (?-holes).  Avoiding them or passing them carefully is well advised.

This icy surface is notorious for unexpectedly changing at times and locations unknown, for skimming over formerly open water into ice thicknesses insufficient to sustain the weight of a boat or pedestrian, for forming cracks and new ridges, and for opening areas of open water where ice formerly was solid.  This is a partial list of hazards.  Clearly, no one but you can decide if you want to take these known risks to go out there.  Some of us just can’t resist, but you make your own call.

[changed] January 30, 2011 – FEBRUARY 5, 2011



3.   Site Information and Postings:
[changed]
 B.   Site and Headquarters Information will be available on the Official Regatta Hotline
608-204-9876, extension 5


5.   Schedule of Events:
[changed]
December 31, 2010    deadline for early entry fee
January 1, 2011   late entry fee goes into effect
January 23, 2011, 9:00 PM CST   Site information initial posting   

Day after completion of Gold Cup
            1100   First Race (Bronze Qualifying Race, or as announced)
   Subsequent Days   1030   First Race

[Added]
The North American Championship Regatta will begin the day after completion of the World Championship at the same site if possible (site and available days in accordance with the by-laws)