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2010 - 2011 Policies

All: The VYBA policies were overhauled this year and that is part of the reason they are late. Please keep them for reference and if there are any questions, contact Jabbo Gordon or a board member.

2010-2011 VYBA Policies for Parents and Sailors (11/16/10):

1. Mission statement: To teach beginning sailing and to provide continuing education in sailing and racing techniques, always stressing safety, seamanship and sportsmanship to reduce boating accidents and to increase boating enjoyment.
2. Background:
   1. This relatively small, grass roots sailing program does not subscribe to the theory that bigger is better. We strive for quality more than quantity.
   2. Our normal fleet is 12 in our Ernest Green Fleet, 12 in the Red, White and Blue Fleet and 12 in the Portsmouth Division. We do not have more girls than boys, but VYBA usually has a bigger percentage of females than other clubs.
   3. VYBA is family oriented and thus, parental involvement is expected and needed. Volunteer help is essential for our program’s success. On the other hand, please do not hesitate to contact our coaches or any board member with comments, concerns or suggestions. Your input is important to us. Our administrator is Jabbo Gordon and the VYBA phone number is 468-1719. VYBA’s e-mail address is veniceyouthboating@verizon.net.
3. Boats:
   1. The association provides International Optimist Dinghies (IOD’s, better known as Optis) for instruction by US Sailing certified instructors. They are assigned according to experience with newer sailors using the older boats for classes and participation in VYBA sanctioned regattas in Florida.
   2. No VYBA owned boats can be used for individual practices without a VYBA coach, but families have the option of buying their own Optis.
   3. Sailors can compete in Optis until Dec. 31 of the year that they become 15. At that time, they must provide their own boat, but it must have a Portsmouth Handicap rating – such as a Laser, Sunfish or 420 – to compete in VYBA’s series races that are held during the year.
   4. VYBA is not responsible for privately owned boats, their sails or equipment. Including spars or dollies. When a sailor buys a boat, whether it is an Opti or a Portsmouth Division vessel, that skipper must maintain and repair it.
   5. Sailors are responsible for transporting their owned boats to VYBA events and regattas. However, VYBA has storage racks that are available for any sailor’s boat, from Opti to Laser.
4. Attendance: There are approximately 50 scheduled sessions each year. These include out-of-town regattas, which are usually two-day events. Sailors are expected to attend at least 25 sessions, be on time and stay to the end of the class.
   1. Repeated late arrivals and late pickups may result in extra work for the sailor.
   2. Coaches should be notified by phone or e-mail by the sailor or a parent if the skipper will be absent because of illness, school work or a family conflict.
   3. Absences – excused or unexcused (no notification) – are computed into weekly series race scoring.
5. Schedule:
   1. VYBA has sessions almost every Saturday, rain or shine, hot or cold. Unless a hurricane is near, sailors should plan on coming. No parental phone calls are necessary. Sailors will go out when it is only raining, but will not when there is any lightning (see below under “Safety”). Coaches may take sailors out later than usual or come in early if the temperature is below 50 degrees.
   2. Green fleet hours are from 8 a.m. to 12 noon. The RWB fleet hours are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Portsmouth Division sailors sail from1 to 5 p.m.
   3. No one is allowed to return to shore early without the coach’s knowledge. Those who become sick or are injured should be escorted back. If a sailor has a scheduling conflict, he or she must make prior arrangements with the coach and have a parent on shore when he or she arrives to help stow the boat and sail. In addition, early departures may affect series race scores that day.
   4. Sailors whose parents are consistently late in picking up their children may be given some chores to perform around the Pram Shed while waiting.
   5. Opti sailors have the opportunity to sail in the afternoons also if at least four tell their coach when they arrive in the morning, so a coach can be retained.
   6. On occasional days when there is no school scheduled, coaches will have “optional sailing” which runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. At least six must sign-up.
   7. Coaches provide these extra practice sessions for the benefit of all sailors.
6. Safety: This is VYBA’s top priority.
   1. Life jackets and whistles: Coast Guard-approved life jackets must be worn at all times when a sailor is out on the water. A whistle must be attached.
   2. Shoes: Because of the shallow waters and oyster beds in the area, close-toed shoes must be worn at all times while on land and on the water. Bare feet, flip-flops or open toed sandals are not allowed. Clogs are acceptable.
   3. Each sailor should have enough water to stay hydrated, especially on hot days.
   4. Failure to comply with the first three items will result in a scoring penalty.
   5. Additionally, sailors should wear proper clothing during cold days. If a skipper is not dressed for the weather, he or she will not be allowed to sail.
   6. A complete change of clothes, properly marked and in a bag or backpack should be on hand in case a sailor capsizes or gets wet from rain.
   7. VYBA has a lightning detector and sailors shall come off the water when lightning strikes within three to eight miles, according to the detector.
   8. Periodically, coaches will take VYBA sailors out in the Gulf of Mexico, but only if there are two coach boats, or one coach and a parent with a boat.
7. Fees: These are 2010-11 fees, which are subject to change each year.
   1. Opti sailors using VYBA boats, $650; Opti sailors who own boats, $400.
   2. Portsmouth sailors, $500.
   3. Venice High school sailors, $400
   4. Storage costs are $125 outside and $225 inside for VYBA members and affiliated organizations (VYC and Venice Women’s Sailing Squadron.)
   5. Checks must be made payable to the Venice Youth Boating Association by Sep. 1. (The date is not applicable this year, but it is given for future years).
8. Behavior: A good attitude and a sincere effort are expected. As a member of the team, all sailors are required to become role models to motivate, encourage and help other sailors. Negative comments, belittling remarks or ridicule towards anyone is out of order. Rowdiness and inappropriate language is not acceptable. Coaches will issue warnings and call parents if necessary.
9. Equipment:
   1. As mentioned before, a rigged boat assigned to a sailor is on loan from VYBA and may not be borrowed by another sailor without a coach’s permission.
   2. Sailors are responsible for their assigned boats and they must do all that they can to avoid crashing into other boats or the docks. Every precaution to protect and maintain equipment against damage or loss is mandatory.
   3. An Opti may be taken to an approved regatta, with the approval of the coach. Parents must be responsible for the transportation and pay for any damage that might occur. A boat check-out form must be completed before and afterwards.
   4. Parents are responsible for providing personal items such as water bottles, sunscreen, sunglasses and hat as well as PFD’s (mentioned earlier). Certain items should have some sort of identification mark where possible.
   5. Personal items shall be stowed in available cubbies when ashore. Sailors shall not take or borrow another sailors’ personal items, without permission.
   6. However, sailors should take their items home. Items that are left adrift or left in the cubbies after class shall be placed in VYBA’s Lost and Found box and taken to Goodwill Industries on the South Trail, usually once a month.
10. Memberships:
    1. US Sailing – Membership in US Sailing, the national governing body for the sport, is required for some regattas, such as any Junior Olympics event.
    2. USODA – Every Opti sailor is urged to join the United States Optimist Dinghy Association. You will receive “Optinews”, the class’ periodical.
11. Parent participation:
    1. Parents are expected to expected to participate in various activities such as regattas (in or out of town), communications, publicity, fund raising and special events such as the annual dinner and Scout Week.
    2. All parents and grandparents are invited to be a Parent of the Day and go out on a safety boat. They have the opportunity of watching their sailor race while being an extra set of ears and eyes for the coaches. You are not expected to correct anything, but are encouraged to notify the coach of any rule infractions, either of sailing rules or improper behavior.
    3. For those who have trailer hitches, there is always a need to pull the 12-boat trailer, the nine-boat trailer or a Whaler trailer to an out of town regatta. If no one volunteers, participation in that regatta may be cancelled.
    4. VYBA has liability insurance coverage for those who pull trailers. On the other hand, that policy prohibits any coach from transporting any sailors.
12. Regattas:
    1. VYBA has designated six annual regattas as “key”, meaning that there is no sailing in Venice those days or weekends. The association provides the boat transportation and coaches for those events.They are the Labor Day Regatta in Sarasota, the River Romp Regatta in Fort Myers, the Thanksgiving Regatta in Tampa, the Leukemia Cup Regatta in Punta Gorda, our own Jabbo Gordon Regatta in Englewood and the Sailfest Regatta in Sarasota.
    2. Officials post a Notice of Race and a sign-up sheet a few weeks before a scheduled regatta. Sailors sign up, but a parent must initial to confirm the obligation. Our deadline is normally two weeks before the event so that we can make arrangements for transporting the boats to the regatta. However, if a discount deadline is earlier than our deadline, the earlier date will take precedent. Most regatta hosts penalize late registrations by tacking on an additional fee, but the deadline dates vary according to the site.
    3. Loading the boat trailer (s) is usually performed on the Saturday before a regatta. If your sailor cannot be there, please make arrangements for his or her boat and equipment to be loaded, or it may not arrive at the regatta site. Unloading the trailer normally takes place the Saturday after the regatta.
    4. Priority for transporting boats is: a) club Optis, b) privately owned Optis, c) Lasers. If both trailers are used, the nine-boat can accommodate both classes.
    5. Because there are many other regattas available, sailors may register for them also. VYBA encourages its sailors to attend other events, but those skippers are responsible for their own transportation. However, if more than half of a fleet wants to attend a regatta, VYBA will provide transportation and coaches, but there will be still be sailing in Venice.
    6. Parents are responsible for registering for a` regatta, including the cost, and they should register their sailor as a member of VYBA, not VYC, even if they happen to be a Venice Yacht Club member. Any lodging and meals not provided at the regatta is the parents’ responsibility although some venues provide some meals. Our coaches want their sailors to arrive no later than one hour before the skipper’s meeting to rig their boats and be properly prepared.
    7. Coaches assume responsibility of the sailors from leaving shore to returning. Parents are responsible for unloading and loading the trailer as well as their child’s behavior on the shore. Don’t drop off your child and leave.
    8. No parent can go on a coach boat unless invited by a coach. However, parents who own their own powerboats may bring them for a better view of the event.
    9. VYBA also hosts three regattas on Roberts Bay. They are the Crow’s Nest Regatta, the Jim Pique Memorial Regatta and the David Swett Memorial Regatta, which are for out sailors only They are all-day (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and are free, but sailors should plan to bring their lunch unless told otherwise.
13. Series race scoring
    1. On most Saturdays, VYBA conducts series race. There are about 10 for each season of the year for the Green Fleet, the RWB and the Portsmouth Division. When a high school regatta is scheduled during the school year, there is no Portsmouth racing. In the summer, the Green and RWB fleets race as one.
    2. VYBA uses the low point scoring system which uses a boat’s finishing place as her race score. If a coach has more than one race on a Saturday, each score is recorded and the day’s standings are determined by a final total.
    3. If a sailor’s boat becomes inoperative and is not the fault of the skipper, that skipper shall receive “breakdown points”, which is an average of scores earned during other sessions in Venice for that particular series.
    4. If a sailor attends a regatta elsewhere, that sailor receives “regatta points” which is also an average of scores. However, the skipper must participate in that regatta either by sailing or being an active member of a team.
    5. How a sailor finishes in any regatta has no bearing on any seasonal series.
    6. If a skipper is present, but sails for another fleet, he or she shall receive a DNS in his or her division. Sailors coming in early shall receive DNS points.
    7. An excused absence is worth number of boats that day plus two points.
    8. An unexcused absence is worth number of boats that day plus six points.
    9. A sailor must be here at least half of the races to be eligible for an award.
14. Awards
    1. VYBA will present awards to top sailors in each category after each season. The number of trophies is determined by how many are in each division, but it is usually a third. Thus, a big fleet may “go deeper” than the other two.
    2. Certain regattas may reward only the top three sailors in each fleet because that is the number of trophies provided by the sponsoring organization.
    3. Our association also provides three annual trophies to the top skipper in each fleet, based on a total of series rankings during the Fall, Winter and Spring.
       1. Mark and Caren Rom Trophy -- Ernest Green Fleet.
       2. Smith Barney Low Point Perpetual Trophy – Red, White and Blue Fleet
       3. Morgan Stanley Portsmouth Trophy – Portsmouth Division
    4. In addition, there are two awards for special sailors during the year.
       1. Sidney C. Schroeder Sportsmanship Award – for sportsmanship.
       2. Louise Swift Memorial Award – to the VYBA sailor who best exemplifies his or her commitment, loyalty and perseverance.