US Sailing propposed requirements - feedback by 9-23-13

[tolachi]

They aren't giving us much time to give our opinions here:


US Sailing proposed requirements- feedback by 9-23-13
Here are US Sailing proposed requirements. Thoughts on ocean (20 nm) vs coastal (within 20 nm) vs BAMA DHF .
The Farallones are 20 nm from nearest shore point (Reyes, Dux)

http://www.sfbama.org/2013/dhf/BAMA_T007854300si.pdf

September 9, 2013
US Sailing Proposes US Safety Equipment Requirements

A goal of US Sailing’s Safety at Sea Committee has been to overhaul the Offshore Special Regulations (OSR) so that they become more popular for race organizers, and more understandable to owners and boat inspectors. Based on some excellent initial work by the Northern California Ocean Racing Council in 2012, a task force has been working on a simplified list of equipment and boat characteristics that will serve the needs of the majority of coastal and offshore racers.
The key differences between the proposed US Safety Equipment Requirements (USSER) and the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) OSRs are as follows:
1. The requirements are easier for yacht owners and pre-race inspectors to understand.
2. The requirements are self-contained and do not refer to external documents.
3. The number of categories has been reduced from seven to three: Near Shore, Coastal, and Ocean. Race organizations can then add or delete gear requirements based on the nature of their individual races.
4. The requirements are more specific about certain pieces of gear that lacked definition in the OSRs.
5. The OSRs contained both recommendations and requirements which proved confusing to users, and which increased the size of the document. The recommendations have been removed from the new version.
6. The requirements are far more compact, and can easily be included in their entirety in a Notice of Race or on a yacht club website.
US Sailing wants your input on the proposed requirements. You can download a spreadsheet with the new requirements and instructions on how to provide input. Please return the spreadsheet by email with your comments and feedback to equipment_feedback@ussailing.org before September 23, 2013.
The spreadsheet
Click here: http://offshore.ussailing.org/Assets...ept+4+2013.xls

[El Capitan]

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[K38Bob]

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Try this>
http://offshore.ussailing.org/Assets...ept+4+2013.xls

September 9, 2013
US Sailing Proposes US Safety Equipment Requirements

A goal of US Sailing’s Safety at Sea Committee has been to overhaul the Offshore Special Regulations (OSR) so that they become more popular for race organizers, and more understandable to owners and boat inspectors. Based on some excellent initial work by the Northern California Ocean Racing Council in 2012, a task force has been working on a simplified list of equipment and boat characteristics that will serve the needs of the majority of coastal and offshore racers.

The key differences between the proposed US Safety Equipment Requirements (USSER) and the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) OSRs are as follows:

1. The requirements are easier for yacht owners and pre-race inspectors to understand.
2. The requirements are self-contained and do not refer to external documents.
3. The number of categories has been reduced from seven to three: Near Shore, Coastal, and Ocean. Race organizations can then add or delete gear requirements based on the nature of their individual races.
4. The requirements are more specific about certain pieces of gear that lacked definition in the OSRs.
5. The OSRs contained both recommendations and requirements which proved confusing to users, and which increased the size of the document. The recommendations have been removed from the new version.
6. The requirements are far more compact, and can easily be included in their entirety in a Notice of Race or on a yacht club website.

US Sailing wants your input on the proposed requirements. You can download a spreadsheet with the new requirements and instructions on how to provide input. Please return the spreadsheet by email with your comments and feedback to equipment_feedback@ussailing.org before September 23, 2013.

[Andy Newell]

Please provide your feedback, we all should.

Members of the Norcal ORC are engaged in this process and are lobbying as individuals now and later after we get together we may lobby as a group as well.

Please rest assured that this is a long process. Nobody is suggesting that US Sailing is going to force their new list on anybody at any time, and certainly not soon. We are in the 'provide input' phase now. Later the input from around the country will be compiled and changes will likely come from the input. Then the USS SAS committee votes on it and maybe changes it some more or rejects it altogether, or sends it back for more work.

Only after all that happens and it is approved and published by USS there is a possibility that local organizing authorities may choose to adopt these new rules, and may make local changes in the process.

Long term OYRA has a desire to adopt a national standard if one is created that meets our specific needs.

OYRA has already begun planning for the 2014 season and our plan is to stick with the NCORC list for 2014.