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CONDITIONS FOR THE RACES OF 1937

Category: 1937 : CHALLENGE N°16

Text of Conditions for Yacht Race

The text of the conditions which will govern the America's Cup races next Summer and which were agreed upon by the Royal Yacht Squadron and the New York Yacht Club follows:


The New York Times - December 18, 1936
:

1—Date of Races:
  The first race shall be sailed on Saturday. July 31, 1937, and the races shall be sailed on every succeeding week-day, provided however that immediately on the conclusion of each race or upon a race being called off for the day, the race committee shall inquire of each contestant whether he is willing to start the next day.
Should either contestant reply in the negative one day shall intervene before starting the next race. Sunday shall not count as such intervening day.
2—Number of Races:
  The match shall be decided by the best four out of seven races.
3—Courses:
  Races shall be started from a mark anchored nine nautical miles S. E. (Magnetic) from the Brenton Reef Light-vessel.
First Race—Fifteen nautical miles to windward or leeward and return.
Second Race—-A triangle with approximately ten nautical miles
to the side.
Third Race-Fifteen nautical miles to windward or leeward and return.
Fourth Race—A triangle with approximately ten nautical miles to the side.
Fifth Race—Fifteen nautical miles to windward or leeward and return.
Sixth Race—A triangle with approximately ten nautical miles to the side.
Seventh Race—Fifteen nautical miles to windward or leeward and return.
All races to be started to windward if in the opinion of the race committee it is possible. The compass direction of the courses to he signaled as early as possible and the tug bearing the marks to be started not less than ten minutes prior to the warning signal.
4—Signals:
  The warning signal shall be made ten minutes before the start.
Five minutes after the warning signal the preparatory signal shall be made.
Five minutes after the preparatory signal the starting signal shall be made.
The time of the starting signal shall be taken as the time of the starting of both yachts.
5—Start:
  The warning signal shall be made as nearly as practical at 11:30 A. M. No race shall be started after 1:40 P. M.
6—Postponements:
  The time of the warning signal shall not be changed except as follows:
(a) By the race committee in case of fog.
(b) By the race committee if. in their opinion, the space around the starting line is not sufficiently clear at the time appointed for the start.
(c) By the race committee if, in their opinion. the wind is so light or fickle that it is not practical to determine a windward or leeward course.
(d) If in the opinion of the Race Committee the weather shall be, at the time appointed for the start of any race, or threaten to be. of such severe character as
not to afford a reasonable opportunity of fairly testing the speed of the two yachts, the race may be postponed in the discretion of the Race Committee.
(e) By the Race Committee in case of serious accident to either yacht before the warning signal is made or of a serious injury to a person on board, which injury occurs after the yacht has left her moorings and before the warning signal.
In either event Code Flag "F" should be displayed.
7. Time Limit:
  If in any windward and leeward race neither yacht completes the course in five and a half hours or in a triangular race in five hours such race shall be re-sailed.
8. Races Resulting in a Tie:
  A race resulting in a tie shall be re-sailed.
9. New York Yacht Club Rules to Govern:
  The measurement, scantling and racing rules of the New York Yacht Club, as the same now exist, shall govern the races, except in so far as the same may be inconsistent with the provisions of this agreement.
Scantlings:
a. In the application of Lloyd's Rules for the Construction and Classification of Composite and Steel Yachts (1927) the provisions of Section 11 and 13, hereinafter quoted, shall apply, viz.:
"Where yachts are designed for racing under the International Rating Rules, the length may be measured at a height above the water line of 1.5 per cent of the length of the load water line."
"Where yachts are designed for racing under the International Rating Rules, the depth as measured above may be reduced 10 per cent."
Cabin Fittings:
b. The main cabin may be fitted and used for crew's quarters. Cabin fittings must include the following minimum fittings: One double and two single staterooms, or four single staterooms, each fitted with door, the double stateroom with two bunks and each single stateroom with one bunk, bureau, hanging locker. seat, and adequate individual skylight. Two owner's quarters toilet rooms with w.c., washbasin and door, and usual sea connections. A main cabin with adequate skylight and door at the forward end. Adequate skylight and hatch for galley and crew's quarters. Two crew's toilet rooms with doors and usual sea connections. Ice box with a capacity of not less than forty-five cubic feet, water tank, or tanks, to hold a minimum of 400 gallons. adequate facilities to berth and feed 85 per cent of the paid crew. The top of the ice box may not be below the cabin sole beams. All of such cabin fittings shall in size, number and weight be appropriate to the character of the boat.
10. Anchors and Cables:
  Each yacht shall carry an anchor weighing not less than 490 pounds and a manila cable not less than two and one-half inches in diameter or its equivalent in other rope or chain, the cable to be not less than fifty fathoms in length.
11. Mainsails:
  Mainsails shall be jibheaded and attached to the boom along the foot .
12. Masts:
  The center of gravity of the mast shall not be lower than 40 per cent of its over-all length. The weight of the mast, including fittings permanently attached, shall not be less than 5,450 pounds for a yacht with an established load water-line of seventy-five feet. This weight shall be increased at the rate of sixty pounds per foot of load water line length for any increase above seventy-five feet. At the lowest permissible position of the center of gravity of the mast the sum of the fore and aft and athwartship outside diameters of the mast shall not be less than 32.40 inches for a yacht with an established load water line plane of seventy-five feet. The sum of these diameters shall be increased at the rate of forty-five inches per foot of load water line length for any increase above seventy-five feet. Any deficiency in the sum of diameters shall be multiplied by five and added in inches to the yacht’s measurement.
The ratio of the fore and aft to the athwartship diameter shall not exceed one point four.
Any local bulging or departure from parallelism or fair taper obviously designed for the purpose of circumventing the above mast diameter limits shall be disallowed by the measurer.
Yachts launched before Jan. 1, 1936. may, however, carry existing masts which comply with the provisions of Rule 50, Section 16. l Clause H, of the Racing Rules of the New York Yacht Club.
13. Time Allowance:
  There shall be no time allowance.
14. Rating:
  Yachts shall not rate over 76 feet.
15. Selecting the Challenging Yacht:
  The challenger shall have the right to substitute another yacht for the yacht named in its challenge, provided that notice of its intention to do so shall be received by the challenged club not less than thirty days before the date of the first race and that such other yacht shall in all respects comply with the terms of these conditions and that her custom house registry be forwarded with the notice of substitution.
16. Selecting the Defending Yacht:
  At least one week before the first race the challenger shall be informed of the yacht selected to defend the cup.
17. Accidents :
  (1) In case a serious accident occurs to either yacht prior to the warning signal, she shall have such time, not exceeding in any event four weeks, as the committees representing the two clubs shall determine to be reasonable to effect repairs before being required to start, or if such accident occur after the warning signal, before being required to start in the next race; but no such allowance of time to repair shall permit of any race being sailed after Oct. 31, 1937.
(2) If either yacht shall be disabled after the warning signal through a defect in her hull or in her sails, rigging, gear, or the handling thereof, the other yacht shall continue the race.
(3) If through the fault of either yacht, the other be destroyed or so injured as to be incapable of repair in time to complete the match before the first of November, 1937, and the latter shall be free from fault, the match shall be awarded to her.
18. Disqualification:
  If either yacht be disqualified in any race, such race shall be awarded to the other yacht, whether or not she shall complete the course.
19. Represents ?ves:
  Each club shall by its committee name a representative who shall have the right to be present at all measurements and shall have not less than twenty-four hours notice thereof. Such representative shall be on board the yacht representing the other club during all races.
20. Measurement:
  All measurements, except displacement, shall be taken or checked within two weeks of the commencement of the match.
In order to establish the load water-line plane, the competing yachts shall be measured without crew and with water tanks empty, and the load water-line thereby
determined shall be the basis of the established load water-line plane.
Not less than seven days before the first race, the measurement certificates of both yachts, signed by the measurer of the New York Yacht Club, shall be filed with the secretary of the New York Yacht Club.
21. Re-Measurements and Inspections of Side Marks:
 

If either yacht in any way changes her L.W.L. or sail plan as officially taken, she must obtain a remeasurement by special appointment before the next race, and must report the alteration to the measurer and to the representatives of both clubs at the New York Yacht Club Station at Newport by 9 P. M., of the day before the race following such alteration, and must arrange with the measurer for remeasurement, and, if required. be in Brenton Cove by six (6) o’clock A. M., of the day of said race, and be at the disposition of the measurer until seven (7) A. ML, if necessary for purposes of remeasurement.
If either yacht shall take in or remove ballast or dead weight, she must notify the measurer and the representatives of the two clubs and be at the disposition of the measurer, for inspection of marks as above described.
The representatives of the two clubs shall have the right to be present at all remeasurements and inspections of marks and shall be given such notice thereof as time may permit, such notice to be delivered at the club station at Newport.
All measurements certified to by the measurer shall be final and not be subject to protest by either party.
In the event of the measurer being unable to obtain a measurement which he considers accurate before a race, a remeasurement shall be taken as soon as possible after the race.