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Officer Of The Day

PREPARATION

  • Weather forecasts, tide times.

  • Check Duty Man (who else is on duty with you), arrival time.

  • A day before, give an update on when a decision will be made regarding the race.

PREPARING BEFORE RACING

  • Set up course board, and risk assessment. Give an update on WhatsApp if the race is going ahead.

  • Brief Rescue Helm and Crew on course and mark laying.

  • Ensure sailors have signed the pool boat sheet, the race sign-in sheet and the whiteboard. 

START SEQUENCE

  • Safety First: count the nubmer of boats who have gone into the water to make sure it matches the number of boats on the sign-on sheet.

  • Both the OOD and time keeper must start the sequence at the same time. The OOD should press the Greenlight for the race light sequence and the timekeeper should start the sequence on the tablet at the same time. 

during the race

  • Safety first: be aware of all boats, capsizes and drifting, notify the rescue boat, count the number of boats at regular intervals.

  • Keep watch over course areas and progress of each class.

  • Monitor Changes in weather conditions, anticipated finishing. Times of rounds/complete courses, shortened courses (when?).

  • Keep rescue boat helm and timekeeper informed.

  • Race data: give the sail numbers to the timekeeper so the  lap times can be captured on the tablet. ​

SECOND RACE SEQUENCE

  • Safety first: Count the number of boats who might have returned and those continuing to race/

  • The timekeeper will tally the competitors from the last race and light sequence can be started again.

the finish

  • Finish the Race 1 and 2 in coordination with OOD both on the Racehut tablet and the racelight sequence.

  • Switch off the race lights.

after the finish

  • Safety first: Help returning boats and packing up the race hut.

  • Check all boats are accounted for.

  • Resolve all outstanding issues.

  • Complete reports on equipment defects and any shortages

  • Lock the Hut.

after the finish

  • Check the race results for any discrepencies with the timekeeper.

  • With the timekeeper, puhlish results on the cloud and WhatsApp. 

YOUR RESPONSIBILITY AS OOD

  1. Ultimately, you are responsible for the safety of those racing

  2. You have full authority to either not allow inexperienced sailors to race or cancel racing entirely. It is YOUR decision.

  3. If you are unsure about anything – ask for help.

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Fraser Embrey Photography©

OOD Guide
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