Running a National Championship Event
Steps to running a National Championship Regatta…
- Submit an Application to hold the event to Yachting New Zealand no later than 30 June prior to the event. Requests for dispensation, or approval of on the judging 42....requests must be made in writing to Yachting New Zealand. More below...
- Submit a Notice of Race to Yachting New Zealand at least 6 months to the event. More below...
- Submit the Sailing Instructions to Yachting New Zealand at least 3 months prior to the event. More below...
- Submit an Event Report to Yachting New Zealand within two weeks of the completion of the event. More below...
The above steps are based on YNZ Regulation 4.5.4 which can be found with other useful downloads on the Regatta Documents page
For all Clubs wanting to run a National Championship Event there are a number of steps that you must take to comply with Yachting New Zealand’s Regulation 4.5.4. The following National Event Guidelines outline how to comply. Downloads of the required documents and links to usefule resources and information are all available on the Regatta Documents webpage in the left hand menu
Organising Authorities of all major events are strongly recommended to follow these guidelines to ensure the smooth planning and running of the event. The National Event Guidelines are designed to help you with the procedures required for a National Championship. It will help you to comply with Yachting New Zealand’s Regulation 4.5.4 which covers the running and recognition of National Championships
These guidelines are not intended as a step-by-step guide to organising a regatta. For more detailed information, please refer to the ISAF Race Management Manual available from ISAF website.
If an event fully complies with Regulation 4.5.4, the winner of a Yachting New Zealand National Event will be officially recognised as a National Champion and have their name published in the Yachting New Zealand Annual Report and the winner will receive a Yachting New Zealand National Champion certificate.
Step One: Submit an Application
An Application Form to run the event must be submitted to Yachting New Zealand no later than 30th June. All dates should be published on the Calendar of Events on Yachting New Zealand’s website. Use the standard YNZ Application Form on the Regatta Documents page for this purpose.
If you wish to apply for a dispensation to deny the right of appeal (Refer to RRS 70.5) Or, seek approval for on the water judging of Rule 42 (Refer Appendix P) - then please apply in writing to the CEO of Yachting New Zealand - this can be sent via email to gerry@yachtingnz.org.nz
Preliminary Notice of Race
- It is recommended (but not compulsory) to publish a Preliminary Notice of Race in order to give advance notice to potential competitors when and where the event will take place, together with other data that they should know at an early stage.
- The Preliminary Notice of Race can be published at any time prior to the publication of the Notice of Race. (For an international or world event the criteria are stricter). Whilst no timetable is set for this, it is suggested that it be circulated one to two months before the Notice of Race is published.
- The requirements of this document are not as demanding as for the Notice of Race and do not require Yachting New Zealand approval. It is generally in the form of a poster and preferably comprises one page. It must however state when the final Notice of Race will be available.
Step Two: Submit a Notice of Race
- The Notice of Race (NOR) must be published 5 months before the event.
- Preparation of the NOR is the responsibility of the Organising Authority and must be approved by Yachting New Zealand before being published.
- The proposed NOR should reach Yachting New Zealand at least one month before the publication date (Please allow 2-3 weeks for YNZ checking).
- The NOR must be written using theYNZ Standard NOR template. Please make sure that you have the correct format and do not use a previous year’s version; it may have been superseded.
- No other format will be accepted. If you have a special requirement which you consider falls outside the scope of the standard form, please consult Yachting New Zealand before drafting any new clauses.
- A NOR forms the basis of a contract between the Organising Authority and competitors. In turn the competitors can expect the event to be run to the letter of the NOR.
- The NOR should not include anything that does not directly relate to the running of the event. Please note that car parking, social events and other such matters should be included in a separate programme.
- Organising Authorities wishing to conduct a “No Appeals” event must either appoint an International Jury in accordance with Appendix M, or obtain the prior approval of YNZ and meet all of the requirements of RRS Rule 70.5
Changes to the NOR
Any change to a NOR (once published) must be referred to Yachting New Zealand, which must approve the new version prior to publication. The new NOR should then be sent to all recipients of the first version with an explanatory note withdrawing the first NOR. Any competitor, who wishes to withdraw his entry because of the change, is entitled to a full refund.
Entry form
We strongly advise Organising Authorities to use the standard YNZ Entry Form available on the Regatta Documents page. This has a number of clauses which protect the organisers. Some of the boxes may not be appropriate to your event and should be deleted.
Step Three: Submit Sailing Instructions
- Sailing Instructions (SI) for a national event must be submitted to Yachting New Zealand 3 months prior to the event. This allows adequate time for alterations and discussion over any controversial points. (Please allow 2-3 weeks for YNZ checking.)
- The Sailing Instructions must be written using the standard YNZ Sailing Instructions template available on the regatta documents page. Please make sure that you have the correct format and do not use a previous year’s version; it may have been superseded. The intention is to provide the information in a format familiar to sailors, in the order in which they would need it, and in a language which has specific and accepted meanings.
- In compiling the Sailing Instructions please use the same wording as used in the Yachting New Zealand Racing Rules of Sailing 2005-2008, e.g. refer to “boats” not “yachts”, “flag” not “code flag”. If modifying a rule, use the same terminology as in the original rule. Any change to a rule must be noted with words such as “this modifies rule X”. Note Rule 86 outlines the rules allowed to be changed.
- If a clause needs to be included which is not catered for in the standard format, please ask for guidance from Yachting New Zealand. When introducing new ideas, there is frequently a hidden flow-on effect and the potential for ambiguity. Seeking advice on this can save embarrassing times in the protest room.
General
The NOR or SI should not include anything that does not directly relate to the running of the event. Please note that car parking, social events and other such matters should be included in a separate programme.
During the preparation of the SI, organisers should ensure the Race Officer is satisfied with its content and that he / she feels that in the circumstances of the particular event, they are capable of running the event according to the specified rules.
Pre-Event Publicity
Yachting New Zealand is happy to publish Notices of Race on its ‘Calendar’ page of the website. Follow the prompts under submit an event.
Step Four: Submit an Event Report
- Following the conclusion of a National Event the Event Report Form must be sent to Yachting New Zealand no more than two weeks after the event. This allows Yachting New Zealand to establish that the event has been run to the standards required, and the winner can be officially declared a National Champion and a certificate issued to the winner. Please use the standard YNZ Regatta Report Form available on the Regatta Docuements page.
- It is also a means of identifying and addressing any problems and any improvements noted for future occasions.