SPYC Racing FAQ
Q: What do DNS and DNF mean?
A: DNS stands for did not start; DNF stands for did not finish.
Q: How are DNS/DNF scored?
A: The score in either case is equal to the number of boats that checked-in with the Race Committee + 1, unless 3 or fewer boats checked-in, in which case + 2;
Q: How are rankings calculated for a race?
A: Rankings are based on corrected time, the time it took to complete the race after PHRF handicaps are applied. First place is awarded to the boat with the lowest corrected time. In the event of a tie, boats with the same corrected time will share the position in the standings/will be awarded the same points for that race.
Q: What does X mean in the standings?
A: The worst (highest) score in a series is excluded when summing points, the X indicates that race was excluded. (The value in parens to the right of the X indicates what the score for that race would’ve been, if not excluded.)
Q: How are series rankings calculated?
A: The scores for each boat for all races in the series (except for the one that’s excluded) are totaled, the boat with the lowest points total is ranked first. If 2 or more boat’s totals are equal then number of finishes is used as a tie breaker. If a tie still exist it is resolved according to the Racing Riles of Sailing (section A8.) (Ties will not be resolved until the end of the series, and then only or 1st, 2nd and 3rd places.)
Q: How do I decipher the mark names in the course descriptions?
A: First, all mark names are suffixed with either ‘P’ (for port) or ‘S’ (for starboard) which indicates the side of your boat on which to leave the mark. All courses (except East Wind Courses) begin with mark ‘W’ (for windward) the orange tetrahedron set by the race committee directly upwind of the start line. All courses end at an imaginary line between the yacht club clubhouse and one of the Brisbane Marina channel entrance day markers (E1 is the green one, and E2 is the red one.) All other mark names begin with a number, and refer to a San Bruno Shoal Channel marker. 1 and 2 are about 1.5 nm southeast of Hunters Point, 4 is about 1.9 nm due east of Brisbane channel entrance and 6 is about 3 nm southeast of Brisbane channel entrance.
Q: Do the course numbers mean anything?
A: Course numbers indicate which channel markers are included and the order in which they must be rounded. (Courses prefixed with ‘E –‘ are used when the wind is blowing from an easterly direction. For these courses the start line is crossed from west to east, and no windward tetrahedron mark is set.) Example: course ‘42’ specifies that you sail from the start line to the windward mark, leaving it on your starboard side (round anti-clockwise.) Then sail to channel marker 4, leaving it on your port side (round clockwise.) Then sail to channel marker 2, leaving it on your port side (round clockwise.) Then finish by passing Brisbane channel entrance marker #2, between it and the clubhouse, leaving it on your port side.