2026 ROUND THE COUNTY RACE
NOTICE OF RACE
1. RULES
1.1 The regatta will be
governed by the rules as defined in The Racing Rules of Sailing.
1.3 Rule 56.2 is
changed to:
(a) A Traffic Separation Scheme
(TSS) shall be understood to mean an area shown on a nautical
chart.
(b) A boat shall not impede, or present a threat of impeding,
the safe passage of a power-driven vessel in a TSS traffic
lane.
(c) If a commercial, government, or naval power-driven vessel
in a traffic lane makes five short and rapid blasts on her
whistle (a danger signal, see IRPCAS rule 34(d)) and the boat
causing the danger signal can be identified, then the boat is
subject to protest under rule 56.2(b).
(d) If an official complaint/action is lodged against a boat
by a commercial, government, or naval power-driven vessel, by
a pilot, by vessel traffic service (VTS), or by other local
government authority, it shall be presumed that the boat has
broken rule 56.2(b).
(e) The race committee will cooperate with and provide
relevant information to VTS and other governmental authorities
regarding investigations of boats impeding a power-driven
vessel.
1.4 In case of conflict
between the Notice of Race and the Sailing Instructions, the
Sailing Instructions will take precedence.
1.5 RRS 44.3 (Scoring
Penalty) will not apply.
2. SAILING INSTRUCTIONS
2.1 The sailing
instructions will be available no later than November 3, 2026 on
the
roundthecounty.com
website.
3. ELIGIBILITY AND ENTRY
3.1 The regatta is open
to sailboats meeting the following requirements:
(a) Boats must have a speed
equivalent to a PHRF-NW rating of 180 or faster.
(b) Monohull boats must have an ORC, PHRF-NW, or a PHRF-BC
certificate.
(c) Multihull boats must have a PHRF-NW certificate.
3.2 PHRF-BC boats must
submit their current certificate to
racedirector@roundthecounty.com
for rating adjustment (to normalize against similar boats'
PHRF-NW rating) at least five days before registering. The race
director's decision on PHRF-BC ratings is final and not subject
to redress.
3.3 The event is
limited to 120 boats. Additional entries will be placed on a
waiting list.
3.4 To be eligible,
each boat shall:
(a) Have third-party liability
insurance with minimum coverage of $500,000 applicable for
sailboat racing.
(b) Meet the US Sailing Safety Equipment Requirements as
specified in NOR 4.
(c) Have all crew members sign the online liability waiver
before racing.
4. SAFETY REQUIREMENTS
4.1 Boats shall comply
with the 2025-2026 US Sailing Safety Equipment Requirements:
Base Requirements
(Nearshore):
• Monohulls:
2026
US Sailing Monohull SER Nearshore
• Multihulls:
2026
US Sailing Multihull SER Nearshore
Full Coastal Documents (for reference):
• Monohulls:
2026
US Sailing Monohull SER Coastal
• Multihulls:
2026
US Sailing Multihull SER Coastal
Nearshore is required plus the following additional
requirements from the Coastal SERs:
For Monohulls:
(a) SER 2.4.2 - Lifeline
stanchion bases shall be within the working deck
(b) SER 2.4.4 - Lifelines shall be uncoated stainless steel
wire or Dyneema, and shall be taut
(c) SER 2.7.2 - A mechanical means of propulsion is required
(d) SER 3 - All crew shall wear life jackets with lights,
whistles, and tethers after dusk
(e) SER 3.2.1 - Jacklines shall be installed after dusk
(f) SER 3.7.1 - A Life-Sling or equivalent is required
For Multihulls:
(a) SER 2.7.1 - A mechanical
means of propulsion is required
(b) SER 3.1.2.1 - Life jackets shall include a knife for
cutting trampolines (in addition to SER 3.1.2 requirements)
(c) SER 3.7.1 - A Life-Sling or equivalent is required
4.2 Each boat shall
have two marine VHF radios aboard, including one fixed-mount and
one handheld kept above decks.
4.3 Each boat shall
have a chartplotter with GPS showing boat position and capable
of displaying range/bearing lines. The charting software must
also display the relevant Vessel Traffic Lanes on the course
(see 1.3(a)).
4.4 The chartplotter must be
equipped with AIS reception capability and be able to display
AIS transmissions from commercial vessels and indicate the
Closest Point of Approach (CPA) of other vessels. Internet-based
AIS displays do not satisfy this requirement and shall not be
used as a substitute for a local AIS receiver. Internet AIS data
may be delayed or incomplete.
4.5 If a mobile device
is used as the primary charting device on the boat the user must
be aware that a cell phone’s position indication may be
inaccurate. When using a phone or tablet for navigation,
competitors shall enable Location Services and grant the
charting app access to the device’s precise location. Users
shall understand the app’s position-accuracy indication and
confirm that adequate accuracy is being reported before relying
on it. Location-setting guidance:
Apple
iPhone/iPad |
Android
4.6 [DP] Each boat
shall display her sail number on lifelines or freeboard facing
the race committee when approaching and crossing finish lines.
Character size shall match RRS Appendix G1.2 requirements for
sail numbers.
4.7 VTS Monitoring and
Commercial Vessel Avoidance:
(a) If the CPA with any commercial
vessel becomes less than 1/2 nautical mile and the time to CPA
is less than 10 minutes, the participating boat shall exit the
Vessel Traffic Lane by the safest and fastest means possible,
while maintaining a proper lookout and ensuring safety.
(b) Whenever transiting an active Vessel Traffic Lane, a
dedicated crew member shall monitor:
• The
chartplotter for AIS information and CPA alerts, and
• A marine VHF radio actively scanning the following
channels:
- Channel 5A — Seattle Traffic including Rosario Strait
and the San Juan Islands
- Channel 11 — Victoria Traffic, including Haro
Strait and Boundary Pass
- Channel 13 — Bridge-to-Bridge (ship-to-ship
communications)
- Channel 16 — International distress, safety, and
hailing
(c) Boats must comply with all applicable U.S. and Canadian
VTS regulations and shall avoid impeding the passage of
commercial vessels at all times.
5. DIVISIONS AND HANDICAPS
5.1 There will be three
fleets in the race: ORC monohull, PHRF monohull, and PHRF
multihull. Each fleet may contain multiple divisions. The
final division breaks will be published in the Sailing
Instructions. Boats with ORC and PHRF certificates can enter
simultaneously in both monohull fleets.
5.2 The ORC Monohull and PHRF Monohull fleets will be
divided into divisions, with a target of 10–15 boats in each
division. Final division assignments will be published in the
Sailing Instructions.
5.3 Rating certificates
must meet the following requirements:
(a) PHRF certificates must be valid
for 2026 and must be updated no later than October 17, 2026.
(b) ORC certificates must be valid for 2026. Test certificates
may be used for registration but must be replaced with
official certificates no later than October 17, 2026.
(c) Boats that do not have at least one confirmed valid rating
certificate prior to October 17, 2026 may be swapped with a
boat on the waiting list.
5.4 Water ballast may
be used by boats rated accordingly. This changes RRS 51.
5.5 There will be a one kind division if at least 7 boats
of the same manufacturer and model are entered. A one kind
boat would need a PHRF or ORC certificate (or both) in order to
participate in the overall scoring for a fleet.
6. REGISTRATION AND FEES
6.1 Online registration
opens September 7, 2026 and will be done via a skippers online
account app. Account links will be sent to all boats that have
raced in recent years. Please save that link. For those who need
to create an account there will be a link posted on the RTC
website.
6.2 Entry fees (USD):
| Boat Length |
Entry Fee |
| Under 30' |
$120 |
| 30' - 39' |
$150 |
| 40' and over |
$180 |
6.3 The person
registering must be the owner, skipper, or designated boat
manager.
6.4 No entries or
changes will be accepted after November 3, 2026.
6.5 No refunds will be
provided for cancellations after October 17, 2026 unless the
event is cancelled by race organizers.
7. SCHEDULE
7.1 Schedule of events:
| Day |
Date |
Time |
Event |
| Friday |
November 6
|
1900 |
Skippers' Meeting at OIYC clubhouse |
| Saturday |
November 7
|
0835 |
First warning signal |
| Sunday |
November 8
|
0835 |
First warning signal |
8. VENUE
8.1 The racing area
encompasses the waters of San Juan County, Washington.
8.2 Saturday's leg will
finish near Roche Harbor, San Juan Island.
8.3 Sunday's leg will
finish at Lydia Shoal, Orcas Island.
9. COURSES
9.1 The race will
proceed clockwise around San Juan County.
9.2 Full course
descriptions will be provided in the sailing instructions.
10. SCORING
10.1 Scoring will be
based on combined corrected times over both days using:
(a) Time-on-distance for PHRF
divisions
(b) ORC boats will be scored using ORC 5 band time-on-time
multipliers based on the average wind speed over the course
for each day. The race committee will determine which wind
speed band applies to ORC divisions for each leg based on
actual conditions.
10.2 There will be
separate overall scoring for PHRF monohulls and ORC monohulls,
plus divisional scoring.
10.3 The Low Point
System of Appendix A will not apply. Boats will be ranked by
cumulative corrected time.
10.4 Halfway time reporting is required and shall be
done by the crew using the skippers account manager online app
in a manner stipulated by the Sailing Instructions.
11. SUPPORT BOATS
11.1 [DP] Support boats
may not assist or signal any competitor in any way except for
safety purposes.
12. BERTHING
12.1 [DP] Boats shall
not be hauled out between the start of racing on Saturday and
finishing on Sunday without written permission from the race
committee.
13. DATA PROTECTION
13.1 By participating
in this event, competitors grant to the organizing authority and
its sponsors the right in perpetuity to make, use, and show any
videos, photos, and live, taped, or filmed television of or
relating to the event, including photographs taken on the race
course and photographs of the competitor's boat or crew uploaded
through the skippers account portal.
14. RISK STATEMENT
14.1 RRS 3 states: 'The
responsibility for a boat's decision to participate in a race or
to continue to race is hers alone.' By participating in this
event each competitor agrees and acknowledges that sailing is a
potentially dangerous activity with inherent risks. These risks
include strong winds and rough seas, sudden changes in weather,
failure of equipment, boat handling errors, poor seamanship by
other boats, loss of balance on an unstable platform and fatigue
resulting in increased risk of injury. Inherent in the sport of
sailing is the risk of permanent, catastrophic injury or death
by drowning, trauma, hypothermia or other causes.
15. PRIZES
15.1 Trophies will be
awarded for:
(a) 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in each
fleet/division
(b) Overall PHRF monohull
(c) Overall ORC monohull
15.2 Trophies will be
presented at the Sunday awards dinner.
16. FURTHER INFORMATION
16.1 For further
information please contact:
