Cruiser racing: yachts and equipment 

Many organisers of offshore races wish to include in their specific event rules a requirement that competing boats must carry certain items of safety equipment.

How far offshore you decide to sail will be influenced by a number of factors including: the type of boat, weather, safety gear, boat equipment and the experience or limitations of the skipper and the crew.

Many organisers of offshore races wish to include in their specific event rules a requirement that competing boats must carry certain items of safety equipment.

Equipment

To specify the minimum equipment and level of experience on board boats during a race, organisers often refer to the ISAF Offshore Special Regulations (OSR).The OSR defines the level of equipment required and these levels will be dependent on how far offshore the boat will be sailing as part of the race and what support structures will be in place during a race. Organisers can also adopt supplementary requirements for vessels and crews as they see fit depending on the geographical area and conditions.

A club organising local racing may specify their own equipment requirements based on the risk involved. For instance racing on a large inland lake or in an estuary may not require the same complement of safety gear as a race of the same distance but from an exposed sea port.

ISAF Offshore Special Regulations

To promote a level playing field within international offshore yacht racing, the Offshore Special Regulations were established and they are administered by the ISAF (International Sailing Federation) under guidance from the Offshore Special Regulations Committee.

The OSR accept that one set of regulations does not fit all so they split races into six different categories of event.

• Category 0
  Trans-oceanic races, including races which pass through areas in which air or sea temperatures are likely to be less than 5 degrees Celsius. Yachts must be completely self-sufficient for extended periods of time, capable of withstanding heavy storms and prepared to meet serious emergencies without the expectation of outside assistance.
• Category 1
  Races of long distance, well offshore, where yachts must be completely self-sufficient for extended periods of time, capable of withstanding heavy storms and prepared to meet serious emergencies without the expectation of outside assistance. 
• Category 2
  Races of extended duration along or not far removed from shorelines or in large unprotected bays or lakes, where a high degree of self-sufficiency is required of the yachts.
• Category 3
  Races across open water, most of which is relatively protected or close to shorelines.
• Category 4
  Short races, close to shore in relatively warm or protected waters normally held in daylight.
• Category 5 - for inshore racing
  Short races, close to shore in relatively warm and protected waters where adequate shelter and/or effective rescue is available all along the course, held in daylight only. 
• Category 6 - for inshore racing
  Where the races are short in duration and close to a single manned shore base, in relatively warm and protected waters, in daylight and good visibility. The boats may not be self-sufficient, can be observed by race organisers at all times where safety/rescue boats are available all along the course.

The ISAF Offshore Special Regulations for each category can be viewed on the ISAF website.

National Interpretations

A country will use the OSR as guidance and may overlay its own interpretation of the regulations to best adapt the rules for that country. The NoR and SIs often state the exact requirements for the boats or state which OSR category applies.

Words by Simon & Vicky Jinks, RYA Instructors