Shields Class Sailing Association

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Section VI

Rules Governing the National Championship Regatta

1. By-Laws Governing the National Regatta

   1. Governance

      The Regatta shall be managed by a National Championship Committee appointed by the Governing Board, including the President; the Measurer; the Award Coordinator (see duties of Secretary); a representative of the following year's and optionally a representative of the following second year's regatta; and one or more members of the host fleet. Eligibility of an entrant for the Regatta is to be ruled on by the Committee prior to the first race of the Regatta; thereafter, violations of these By-Laws are subject to protest. Regatta details may be managed by the host fleet members as a sub-committee.

   2. Entrants

      1. The term "Entrant" refers to the combination of entered boat, sails and skippers(s). All Entrants shall satisfy the entry requirements, including payment of the entry fee, established by the Committee. Any request for a waiver of any qualification requirement shall be made to the Governing Board at least seven days before the commencement of the Regatta.
      2. Qualification requirements for each entered boat:
         1. Must be a Registered Yacht as defined by By-Law Section II 2.0,
         2. Must be certified by a Fleet as conforming to the class specifications,
         3. Must have antifouling bottom paint and have followed her fleet's rules for wet or dry sailing for her ten qualifying races,
         4. Must have competed in ten or more sanctioned races in the calendar year of the Regatta, as certified by a Fleet or Fleets (this can be waived for chartered boats),
         5. Must carry only qualified sails,
         6. May be inspected as deemed appropriate by the Committee.
      3. Qualification requirements for each entered skipper(s), helmsperson and crew:

         The objectives of this provision, in conformity with the spirit of Article II of the Constitution, are to prevent the participation of Group 3 competitors as defined by World Sailing Regulation 22 Sailor Classification Code ("ringers") who participate in Shields sailing only for the Regatta and to ensure Group 1 (all others not Group 3) competitors, depending on their role, have a minimum level of experience in a Shields for the Regatta.

         Requirement		Role
         		Skipper(s)*	Helmsperson		Crew
         			Group 1	Group 3	Group 1	Group 3
         Active Member as defined in the Constitution Article IV(A)		YES	YES	YES		YES
         Competed in ten or more sanctioned races in the calendar year of the Regatta, as certified by a Fleet or Fleets	On any boat	YES	YES			YES
         	On entered boat			YES

         * Multiple skippers are allowed per yacht. There is no requirement that a skipper be a helmsperson. Skippers must be a Person in Charge per United States Sailing Association's The Racing Rules of Sailing.

      4. Qualification requirements for entered sails:
         1. Sails must have been acquired by the entrant in compliance with Section V Rule 1.0 - Basic Rules Governing Acquisition, measured by a Fleet Measurer and marked as prescribed. Each entrant must produce a Sail Inventory Card [or web site substitute if adopted by the Governing Board].
         2. All entered sails must have been used in at least ten sanctioned Shields races in the calendar year of the Regatta on the entered boat or (in the case of a chartered boat) on the boat in which at least one skipper qualified for the Regatta. The words "in a calendar year of the Regatta" do not apply to the backup spinnaker.
         3. An Entrant may use only one mainsail, one jib, and one spinnaker ("primary spinnaker"), except as provided in this section (d-4) or as otherwise permitted by the Committee for good cause.
         4. An Entrant may carry aboard while racing a second ("backup") spinnaker which may be used only if there is such serious damage to the primary spinnaker that further use might render it useless in the Regatta. On any day when the backup spinnaker is first used the Entrant must have damage to the primary spinnaker verified by the Committee on completion of the day's racing.
      5. Chartered boats:
         1. The Committee and the host fleet shall make one boat per active fleet available to be chartered (without fee) and entered by a qualifying skipper designated by his active Fleet. Such boats will be assigned to skippers at random by means of a drawing. The entered skipper may use only the qualifying sails with which he qualified.
         2. Subject to prior review and approval of the arrangement by the Class Executive Committee, a qualified skipper may borrow, charter or co-skipper a boat other that the boat on which he qualified for the Regatta. The Application to the Executive Committee shall specify the names and qualification data of the entered boat and each designated skipper, and specify what qualifying eligible sails they propose to use. Approval by the Executive Committee may be subject to whatever conditions it deems appropriate to preserve the Corinthian spirit of the event and avoid prejudice to other competitors.
         3. The Governing Board may set guidelines for the National Championship Committee as to chartered boats. These guidelines may include the following: (See Guidelines)
            1. Optional Equipment (Section IV-10.0) that is recommended
            2. Additional control line specifications (Section IV-8.0) and minimum mechanical advantages,
            3. Waived specifications of low performance impact. Waivers may be granted by majority vote of the Technical Committee as requested by the Championship Committee and apply only to a particular chartered boat for the current year’s National Regatta.

2. Rules for the National Championship Regatta

   1. Sailing Rules and Scoring

      Except as otherwise specified in this Section VI or in the Sailing Instructions, the United States Sailing Association’s The Racing Rules of Sailing (RSS) shall govern.

      1. The following Rules shall be used:
         1. RSS Appendix A, Low Point System,
         2. Alternative Penalty at the Time of an Incident (RSS Appendix V1).
      2. At the discretion of the National Championship Committee the following may be used:
         1. Arbitration (RSS Appendix T), Penalty Taken after a Race (RSS Appendix V2) or other penalty procedures,
         2. Discarding a score after a specified number of races.

   2. Crew Numbers

      Interpretation (NOR Language)

      Details of enforcement of this rule is left to the National Championship Committee. Suggested language for the NOR follows:
      
      Crew weight shall be certified as part of the signed Certificate of Compliance at registration by the skipper and shall not be subject to protest by a competitor but may be protested by the Race Committee. Crew substitutions may occur but must be certified by the skipper to be in conformance.
      
      OR
      
      Weigh-in shall occur during registration on ___________ from ________ to __________ at location __________. Weigh-in shall be in light clothing. Conforming weigh-ins shall not be subject to protest. Crew substitutions shall be weighed from ________ to __________ at location __________ each day of racing.

      The number of persons aboard a boat shall be not less than three. For crews of five or more a limit of 1000 lbs shall apply. There is no weight limit on crews of three or four persons. Each boat shall be required to carry, throughout all races, the same number of persons on board as at the start of the first race of the regatta. The Notice of Race and/or Sailing Instructions shall address the methods for enforcement of this rule.

   3. Number of Races

      There shall be not more than eight races completed (excluding any practice races). Two races completed will constitute a Regatta. No more than three races per day can be scheduled or run.

   4. Courses

      1. The courses shall be Windward-Leeward (preferred) or Windward-Leeward Triangle courses and shall be published and illustrated in the Sailing Instructions.
      2. Race length shall be three to six (preferred) nautical miles and can be shortened in accordance with the RRS. When shortening a course the race sailed must consist of at least three legs (two upwind) and the race be at least three nautical miles.
      3. The time limit to the first windward mark shall be 45 minutes and the time limit for each race shall be 120 minutes for the first finisher. A finishing window of 20 minutes for subsequent finishers shall apply. Boats not finishing within the finishing window shall be scored TLE (Time Limit Expired). TLE shall be scored points the number of finishers plus two.

   5. Race Committee Guidelines

      1. Each Shields National Championship race shall be fair and challenging. The Race Committee is expected to consider the schedule and conditions of wind, waves and weather (for the complete regatta) and as guidance should consider postponing or abandoning a race when winds exceed sustained 25 knots or are less than 4 knots. The Race Committee shall not signal conditions where no spinnaker shall be used.
      2. When setting course lengths and shortening course the following ranked priorities should be considered:
         1. Achieving two races for the regatta,
         2. Target race time of 90 minutes,
         3. Six mile courses,
         4. Three races per day.

   6. Regatta Guidelines

      The following guidelines for the Regatta are to be followed where practicable:

      1. Not held in the territory of the same Fleet in two consecutive years,
      2. Raced in open water as free as possible from headlands, shoals and obstructions,
      3. Hosted by an active Fleet that can assist with arrangements,
      4. Held during the month of August, September or October,
      5. Scheduled over three days (Friday, Saturday and Sunday preferred) and with a preceding practice day.

3. Selection of Venue for the National Championship Regatta

   1. The site of future National Championship Regatta shall be determined by a vote of the Governing Board based on proposals of those Fleets that wish to hold the event.

   2. The responsibility for arranging the Regatta including providing suitable facilities, prizes and entertainment rests with the Fleet holding the event with input from the National Championship Committee (see Section VI-1.1). The Regatta shall be self-funded (fees, sponsorship and merchandise sales) with profit or loss being borne by the local Fleet except that expenses related to perpetual awards (shipping, engraving, maintenance, insurance, etc.) shall be the responsibility of the National Association.

   3. Fleets wishing to host the National Championship Regatta shall submit a "Request for Proposal" (RFP) to the National Governing Board as soon as practicable.

   4. The National Governing Board shall accept one proposal from those submitted each year, until February 1st. Proposals not accepted shall be given time to re-submit for subsequent years. Every effort shall be made for Regatta sites to be determined at least two years ahead. Discussion of these proposals shall be given no more than 90 days consideration, at which time the Governing Board shall vote on the proposals.

   5. The National Governing Board may reopen the RFP process even after an award has been made if, in its opinion, there is sufficient reason to do so.

4. Outline for Request for Proposal

   The Organizing Committee of any local Fleet wishing to host a National Championship Regatta should provide a submission covering the following subjects:

   Venue - The waters on which the series is to be held

   Inclusion of the date proposed for the Regatta complying with class rules.

   Sailing Conditions - A brief description of the usual sailing conditions found during the month proposed for the National Championship Regatta

   Shore Facilities - A brief description of the following facilities:

   1. Suitable boat launch and hauling-out facilities/equipment.
   2. Suitable mast stepping and hauling-out facilities/equipment.
   3. Sufficient and convenient docking and/or mooring facilities.
   4. Launch boat transportation, if appropriate.
   5. Trailer park and storage.
   6. Yacht and sail measurement area.
   7. Registration area
   8. Signal mast.
   9. Skippers' meeting area.
   10. Jury and protest rooms.
   11. Official notice board.

   Sponsoring Yacht Club - If appropriate, including information about the sponsoring Yacht Club, its interest, its involvement, its facilities and its support staff.

   Race Committee and Race Committee Boat(s) - A description of the availability of a Race Committee boat and chase/marker boat(s). In addition, include a description of the Race Committee and its qualifications.

   Loaner Boats - A roster of loaner boats, their numbers and owners, including a commentary of the condition of each. The insurance coverage of these boats should be carefully described.

   Housing Accommodations - A brief description of available personal as well as commercial accommodations.

   Provisioning Accommodations - A brief description of chandlers, sail lofts, riggers, boat yards, etc.

   Financial Impact - A description of estimated participant entry fees and other costs (including fees for launching mooring and storing etc.), and any participant traveling incentives, if appropriate. In addition, local Fleet budgets for programs, activities and events such as meals, parties and other lis like trophies.

   Entertainment - A broad description of planned entertainment. In addition, any potential activities for non-racing companions is useful.

   History - A record of the dates of prior National Championship Regattas held in this venue.

5. Championship Awards

   1. Procedures

      1. Award Coordinator. The Award Coordinator shall be responsible for managing and tracking the permanent awards from storage to the championship site and their return; confirming that the permanent awards are properly engraved by the storage location responsible yacht club; and informing the Class Secretary of the recipients of all permanent trophies and individual race scoring according to a system and procedure designated by the Class Secretary and mutually agreed upon by the Award Coordinator and Secretary prior to the event.
      2. Documentation of Winners. The Class Secretary shall be responsible for the maintenance of the records of winners and individual race scoring. These records may be kept on the Class web site and delegated to the Class Webmaster.
      3. Storage and Engraving. The Shields National Championship Trophy, the Cornelius Shields Memorial Prize, and the Kap-Dun Trophy shall be engraved by and stored year-round at Larchmont Yacht Club. The Gordon L. Benjamin Memorial Newcomer Award shall be engraved by and stored year-round at Ida Lewis Yacht Club or as otherwise designated by the Ida Lewis Yacht Club. Storage of the Take-a-Bow Trophy is the responsibility of the next scheduled yacht club host of the Shields Class Nationals unless the current awardee agrees to store the trophy and make the necessary arrangements to transport it at their expense to the next venue. The inscription of the winner's name on a trophy, where applicable, shall be paid for by the Association
      4. Insurance. The Shields National Championship Trophy, the Cornelius Shields Memorial Prize, and the Kap-Dun Trophy shall be included under the insurance policy of Larchmont Yacht Club for any damage or loss incurred while stored on the premises.
      5. Shipment. The shipment of the perpetual trophies stored year-round at Larchmont Yacht Club and Ida Lewis Yacht Club, if necessary, shall be paid by the Class Association and coordinated by the Award Coordinator. When practicable, the trophies should be transported to and from the National Championship Regatta by Members competing in the regatta. Transportation of the Take-A-Bow Trophy from the current venue to the host yacht club of the next venue or the winner's location is the responsibility of the next National Championship Committee unless the most recent recipient agrees to store and arrange transportation for the next venue.
      6. Creation of New Awards. Any Fleet may propose the creation of a new award. Details of the award shall include the purpose and determination formula; description of the trophy; declaration to be read when the trophy is awarded; storage location of the trophy; if/who will engrave the trophy; and whether there shall be perpetual and/or keeper trophies. The Governing Board shall act on this proposal at least 90 days prior to the event and the trophy awarded only if approved according to the rules governing By-Laws.
      7. Elimination of Existing Awards. The elimination or repurposing of an award shall be determined by the Governing Board.

   2. Awards

      Multiple skippers are allowed per yacht and each skipper should be considered individually for the Cornelius Shields Memorial Prize, Senior Skipper Award and Junior Skipper Award. There is no requirement that a skipper be a helmsperson.

      To be presented annually at the Shields National Championship Regatta:

      Shields National Championship Trophy

      Sterling Silver Chippendale tray donated by Cornelius Shields and awarded each year to the winner of the Shields National Championship Regatta.

      James B. Moore, Jr. Memorial Prize

      In recognition of James B. Moore, Jr.'s invaluable service to the Association as President, as Founder of Fleet No. 2 and in numerous other capacities, the Long Island Sound District, consisting of Fleets Nos. 1 (Western Long Island Sound), 2 (Manhasset Bay) and 5 (Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club), instituted in 1991 a prize to be awarded each year to the crew of the winning yacht to recognize their efforts in attaining that goal. No perpetual trophy.

      Cornelius Shields Memorial Prize

      Shields half-model donated by the Western Long Island Sound Fleet No. 1 and the Larchmont Yacht Club in 1982 in memory of Cornelius Shields and awarded at the Shields National Championship Regatta to that skipper who achieves the greatest improvement in his standing from the previous Shields National Championship Regatta.

      Senior Skipper Award (Moore Trophy)

      Pewter tray donated in 1981 by James B. Moore, Jr., of the Manhasset Bay Fleet No. 2 and awarded for the best performance among the five oldest skippers in the Shields National Championship Regatta (excluding the winner of the Shields National Championship Regatta). Pewter tray missing; not replaced.

      Junior Skipper Award

      Pewter Chippendale tray donated in 1981 by James B. Moore, Jr., of the Manhasset Bay Fleet No. 2 and awarded for the best performance among the five youngest skippers in the Shields National Championship Regatta (excluding the winner of the Shields National Championship Regatta). Pewter tray missing; not replaced.

      Take A Bow Trophy

      Fully rigged bow section of a Shields Yacht mounted on a teak door. It was donate in 1985 by the Commodore and membership of Monterey Peninsula Yacht Club, and later refurbished by Brian Ladouceur, Graham Quinn and the crew of Shields No. 46, of the Buzzards Bay Fleet No. 10. It is awarded each year to an individual or individuals selected by a special committee to reward and celebrate dubious achievement during the Shields National Championship Regatta.

      This honor is awarded to the person, team or entity who has been selected by a committee of their peers whom have earned this trophy in the past. If no such committee is in attendance, the National Championship Committee may select the winner or delegate the selection to the host club's bartender(s) using any criteria they deem fit. Criteria for being selected could be but not limited to these suggestions: committing an offense that normally would be considered completely unnecessary and warrants being brought to the attention of their Shields peers; not tipping the bartenders; not buying the race committee their favorite beverage; being afraid of getting wet while racing; poking a hole in your own boat with your dinghy, etc...

      Gordon L. Benjamin Memorial Newcomer Award

      It is to be awarded to the top finishing skipper sailing in his/her first Shields Nationals as skipper. Gordon was a long time member of Fleet #9 and the 1976 Shields National Champion.

      Kap-Dun Trophy (Fleet Trophy)

      Kap-Dun Trophy - donated in 2008 by Fleet #21, Tred Avon Yacht Club, awarded to the winning fleet calculated by the fleet's top three finishers with a minimum of three boats racing in order to qualify. The three boat requirement may be changed by the Sailing Instructions. The Kap-Dun Trophy is named after the historic first name of the Tred Avon Yacht Club. On June 17, 1931, a group of men met in Oxford, MD., and voted to establish the Kap-Dun Racing Association. By July 15, they voted to change the name to the Kap-Dun Yacht Club. According to a written history by Jerry Valliant, elected as president of the club in 1931, the name Kap-Dun was first used as the name of a club established in a small building just east of the ferry dock as a swimming and canoeing club. When the sea nettles (jellyfish) arrived, they quickly changed the focus to a club which would promote sailboat racing. Thus the Kap-Dun Yacht Club was born. The club later changed to Tred Avon Yacht Club, after the name of the river the club sits upon. The name Kap-Dun comes from an old English spelling of the word Cape (point) and Dun meaning Town. The club being located on a point, near the town of Oxford.

   3. Keeper and Perpetual Trophies

      The winners championship awards shall have their names engraved on the permanent trophies and shall receive an appropriate keeper trophy provided at the expense of the Regatta Committee. The storage location of the permanent trophies are as indicated in the table. The Governing Board may allow any of the trophies to be stored with the year's winner, other temporary locations or at the venue for the National Championship Regatta.

      Trophy	Storage Location and Engraver	Keeper Trophy	Inscription on Permanent Trophy
      Shields National Championship Trophy	Larchmont Yacht Club	Yes	Skipper name(s) and date
      James B. Moore, Jr. Memorial Prize	No permanent trophy	Yes	-
      Cornelius Shields Memorial Prize	Larchmont Yacht Club	Yes	Skipper name(s) and date
      Senior Skipper Award (Moore Trophy)	Missing	Yes	-
      Junior Skipper Award	Missing	Yes	-
      Take A Bow Trophy	Next year's host Yacht Club or Award winner's home or Yacht Club	Optional	Optional
      Gordon L. Benjamin Memorial Newcomer Award	Ida Lewis Yacht Club	Yes	Skipper name(s), fleet and date
      Kap-Dun Trophy (Fleet Trophy)	Larchmont Yacht Club	Optional	Fleet, skipper names of top three finishers and date

6. Sample Sailing Instructions - National Championship Regatta

   See United States Sailing Association "The Racing Rules of Sailing" Appendix J - Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions.

7. Calculation for the Cornelius Shields Memorial Trophy

   This Trophy is to be awarded to the skipper that shows the most improvement from one National Championship Regatta to the next.

   The suggested method of calculating the score for awarding this trophy is as follows:

   Step I

   Identify the skippers that sailed in both regattas.

   Step II

   Convert the official low-point scores to high-point scores for each skipper for both years.
   High-point_Score = (Entries + 1) x (Total_Races - Discards) - (Low-point_Score.)

   Example: 1983	32
   	+1
   	33
   	x (6-1)
   	165
   Withers' Low-Point Score	-13
   Withers' High-Point Score	152

   Step III

   Determine the perfect score for both years. That is: what a boat's score would have been if it had won all of the races.
   Perfect_Score = (Entries) x (Total_Races - Discards)

   Example: 1983	32
   	x (6-1)
   Perfect Score	160

   Step IV

   Calculate for each skipper and both years a percentage of the perfect score.
   Percentage_of_Perfect = (High-point_Score) / (Perfect_Score)

   Example: 1983	152/160	Withers' High-Point Score divided by Perfect Score
   Percentage_of_Perfect	95.0%

   Step V

   Determine the improvement in percentage of perfect for each skipper prior year to current year.
   Improvement = (Current_Percentage_of_Perfect) - (Prior_Percentage_of_Perfect)

   Example: 1983	95.0%	Withers' 1983
   	-71.7%	Withers' 1982
   Withers' Improvement	23.3%

   Step VI

   Rank competitors by percentage of perfect improvement. Greatest improvement wins.

   Note: Some judgement is required in determining the winner of this trophy. The WLIS Fleet believes that the percent-of-perfect score for the base-year should be determined by races finished. The trophy should not be awarded to a skipper whose low prior year's score was because of DSQs, DNFs or DNSs.

   If a skipper has four finishes and a DNF, calculate his percent-of-perfect base score on the four races finished.

   Example: 1982 Scores
   21 - Hadley	11-16-9-37-20 (38 was Drop Race)

   To calculate adjusted base-year:
   1) Drop 37-DNF, therefore adjusted low-point score = 56
   2) Convert to high-point:	4 x (36 + 1)	148
   	- Low Point	-56
   	High Point Score	92
   3) Perfect Score		36
   	races	x 4
   		144
   4) Adjusted percent-of-perfect: 92 divided by 144 = 63.9%

   If an entrant completes less than three races in the base-year series, he should not be considered eligible for the trophy.

   All races including DSQ'S, DNF'S, and DNS'S should be included in calculating the current year's percent-of-perfect scores.

   This trophy does not have to be awarded each year if, in the opinion of the National Regatta Committee, a scoring quirk exists that makes the award illogical and inappropriate.

   Calculations of the 1982 and 1983 National Regatta scores are attached.

   An Excel spreadsheet that can be used for trophy calculations is available.

8. Past Shields Class National Champions