Official Notice of Race

OFFICIAL NOTICE OF RACE

RACE INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS FOR KB4K 2010 CHARITY EVENT

1. EVENT

KB4K - Kiteboarding 4 Kids is a charity kiteboarding event held in Cabarete from Thursday, February 11th till Sunday, February 14th, 2010.

2. ORGANIZER

The KB4K 2010 is organized by:

Eva Knof, Organizer, Cabarete, DR, tel. 809 779-5808

Laurel Eastman, Laurel Eastman Kiteboarding School, Cabarete, DR, tel. 809 853-8466

Kee Park, Director, Kids for Charities, Wayne, New Jersey, USA, tel.  829 585-9777

3. VENUE

Racing will take place in the waters of Cabarete Beach, Dominican Republic, in front of the Ocean Dream Development at Laurel Eastman Kiteboarding School.

4. DISCIPLINES

Speed Trials, Big Air/Best Trick, and Expression Session are the disciplines scheduled for the event. 

Speed Trials Race will be scored by a series of heats to determine who is the fastest around a buoy, following a beach start.

Big Air/Best Trick discipline judging criteria will be judged based on “WOW factor” which means: the highest and the most spectacular one wins! Only successfully landed jumps will be scored. There will be a women and Men Pro Division in addition to the Amateur Division and juniors.

Paddleboard Racing will be an exhibition race and will be scored by a series of heats to determine who is the fastest around a buoy, following a beach start.

5. ELIGIBILITY & REGISTRATION

The Event is open to all.

All participants have to register for the event by online registration at www.kb4k.org, in person at Laurel Eastman Kiteboarding (LEK) prior to the event, or at the Registration Booth on each Race Day from 10 AM till 2 PM. The official entry form and liability waiver must be completed prior to racing.

The Liability Waivers will be available at the Registration Booth each Day of Race.

The Entry Fee is at no charge, but each racer must raise a minimum charitable donation of $50 US prior to racing. The charitable donations are not refundable.

The Race Committee reserves the right to refuse any entry or to exclude any competitor from the event at its sole discretion, and its decision in this regard shall be final and binding. 

6. RULES

The KB4K event will be governed by the Sailing Instructions, and by the rules as defined in The Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS), except as any of these are altered by the Sailing Instructions. 

The Notice of Race and the Instructions will be available at time of registration and posted on the Official Notice Board by 10:00 am each race day.

7. LIABILITY

Competitors take part in all races at their own risk. The Organizing Authority, or any of their officials or representatives or the sponsors, volunteers and staff are not responsible under any circumstances for any damage, loss, or injury either ashore or on the water either to persons or equipment, which may result. Participation in this event and in each race is at the sole discretion of the sailor and at his/her own risk.

8. SAFETY

It is the sole responsibility of each competitor to decide whether or not to start or to continue the race and to provide for his/her safety.

If the Judges, Race Director, Beach Marshall or Rescue Crew deems any competitor to need assistance, the competitor shall accept this assistance and shall follow the directions and instructions given by above.

Safety and fair play are the most important aspects of the competition. Unsafe riders will be disqualified. Common sense will be executed on the water. Competitors that are not sportsmanlike and don’t show courtesy to other competitors while crossing or passing during the heat, launching or otherwise will be penalized and/or disqualified from the event.

Safety leashes must be worn in such a manner that the kite depowers fully on release of the bar. Failure for it to do so will lead to competitor disqualification. 

Leeward riders have right of way, therefore windward riders should not jump when a leeward rider is close to them. When crossing paths, a windward rider should keep his kite up high while a leeward rider should keep his kite down. When riders are on opposite tacks and equally upwind, the starboard rider has right of way over the port rider. Starboard rider should cross upwind, keeping the kite high, while the port rider should cross downwind, keeping the kite low.

During a tangle or collision, the affected rider who is deemed not to be at fault and the action penalizes the rider's performance, limiting his chances of winning the heat, the affected rider's heat will be re-run.

Riders must not change course to obstruct another rider (blocking).

Riders should stay clear of the competition area when not competing. Entrants’ jumps will not be scored if landed outside the competition area. During the transition period, a competitor entering the competition area to compete has right of way over a competitor returning to shore.

9. PENALTIES AND DISQUALIFICATIONS

A competitor may be disqualified if:

* They sail or fly the kite in the competition area while the competition is going on, other than during his/her qualifying heat.
* They do not stack safely his/her equipment in the launching area to prevent it from flying away.
* They do not respect the safety rules.
* Attitude or action of the competitor during the contest are against the promotion of the image of the sport and the sponsors of the event.
* They fail to obey verbal or written instructions.

10. ASSISTANCE

Riders that end up downwind of the competition area during their heat will be allowed to make their way back to the competition area by walking upwind on the shore, either by themselves, or with assistance, without being penalized, as long as it is done safely.

While competing, a rider may get assistance to re-launch his kite only when it is out of the competition area.

The Race Committee indemnifies itself against any costs for “Search and Rescue” operations.

11. EQUIPMENT

All competitors shall bring their own equipment. The safety of the kiteboard equipment shall be the sole responsibility of each competitor, who must be ensured that the equipment is adequate to face the conditions that may arise. 

12. IDENTIFICATION

Kite color, markings and make shall be used to distinguish the riders from each other. It is each racer’s responsibility to inform the Registration Committee of his/her sail characteristics prior to leaving the shore for a race and also with each kite change.

13. OFFICIAL NOTICE BOARD (ONB)

The Official Notice Board will be displayed at the Registration Booth each race day.

All Competitors have the responsibility of checking the ONB periodically for any changes. 

The scheduled discipline and heat sequence will also be notified on the ONB at least 30 minutes before the start of the first heat. Each competitor is responsible for checking his heat number and time of start.

Any changes in the Sailing Instructions will be approved by the Race Committee and posted on the ONB

by 13:00 hrs on the day they will take effect.

All communication with the competitors will be through the Notice Board situated at the Registration Booth. Questions regarding the Sailing Instructions may be submitted in writing to the Race Committee. Questions and written responses will be posted on the ONB. 

The Official Flag Pole (OFP) will be located next to the announcer’s booth on the beach.

14. SIGNALS

The starting signals shall be: 
a). Warning signal - Red flag displayed 
b). Preparatory signal - Yellow flag displayed 
c). Starting signal - Green flag displayed 
Other Signals: 
„N” Blue/White squares - Raised to signal abandonment of a heat that is in progress 
„AP” White/Red stripes (postponement) - Raised to signal a delay before the start of a heat

Starting Signals will be displayed from shore.

15. SKIPPERS’ MEETING

A compulsory Skippers’ Meeting will be held at the Announcer’s Booth on each Race Day at 13:00 for all Divisions. 


16. COMPETITION AREA

Only competitors competing during their qualifying heats are requested to kite in the Competition Area, which will be determined by buoys.

17. LAUNCH AREA

Competitors are requested to keep and launch their kites only from the marked launch area located on the beach during the competitions. Keep this area clear of any object other than kiteboard equipment. Keep the beach shore of this area (approx. 5 meters from the sea) completely clear of any equipment - this will be considered as a safety area.

18. DIVISIONS

There will be separate prizes for Amateur Men, Amateur Women, and Junior Divisions in all three race events.

There will be a Pro Men and a Pro Women category for Glory in the Big Air/Best Trick event.

A minimum of five racers will be needed to constitute a division.

The Race Committee may constitute more divisions depending on entries received.

A Junior racer shall be under the age of 15 (Born on or after February 12th, 2005). 

19. JURY

A three-member Jury has been appointed; and their decisions will be final and cannot be appealed.

20. SCORING

A rider shall be scored while being in the designated competition area. Whether a rider is in or out of the competition area will be at the discretion of the judges.

Judges will not assign numerical values to tricks, but will have a shorthand notation for taking brief notes of the tricks performed on each tack during the heat. They will also write a short note with an explanation of their judgment. 

All judging sheets for each heat shall bear the full names or identifiable abbreviations of the judges judging the heat.

The Judges decision is final and the decisions of the judges may not be appealed.

Any requests with regard to judging should go through the Race Director and no approaches to judges are to be made during the competition period.

The Head Judge has the power to re-run a heat at his discretion, only when he has witnessed the complete heat and there is a discrepancy in the judging sheets or a tabulation error.

21. ENDURANCE RACE JUDGING GUIDELINES

Speed Trial Race will be scored will be scored by a series of heats to determine who is the fastest around a buoy, following a beach start.

A minimum of one round will be required for a valid event result. 

22. BIG AIR/BEST TRICK JUDGING GUIDELINES

Big Air/Best Trick will be scored based on Judges’ Overall Impression, which will be based on the following.

Technical Difficulty - The technical difficulty of tricks completed during the heat.

Height - Height and amplitude of the trick.


23. BIG AIR/BEST TRICK RACE HEATS AND ELIMINATION

Riders shall compete in groups of four per heat, determined by the elimination ladder and at the discretion of the Race Director.

The Big Air/Best Trick heats will be run in a single elimination format with the best 2 advancing.

Rider's names shall be entered on the elimination ladder for the elimination series at the discretion of the Race Director. 

"Byes", if any, shall be positioned so that they are allocated to the most highly ranked riders.

The duration of the heats and the transition period shall be specified by the Race Director before the start of the daily competition. If needed, this time will be modified at any time.

All heat times will be posted on the Official Notice Board 15 minutes prior to each start of race.

Flag signals and horn will be used to signal start and end of each heat as set out by the Race Committee.

The Race Director may postpone a heat before the starting signal for any reason. 

The Race Director may abandon or extend a heat after the starting signal because of insufficient wind, or for other reasons directly affecting the fairness of the competition.

24. PRIZES

Prizes will be awarded to the top three competitors with the highest marks in each division.

Riders who place in the top three in any of the disciplines are required to attend the Official Award Ceremony on Sunday evening, February 14th, 2010. The Penalty for missing the Award Ceremony will be a fine equal to their prize.

Beside the prizes to the winners in each category, there will be valuable prizes drawn at the Awards Ceremony, plus a Raffle Draw. 

25. PROTESTS

The Event will be governed by this Notice of Race and Kiteboarding Instructions and Oral and Written Instructions given by the Principle Race Officer.

There will be no protests or disputes taken into consideration during this event. The Race Director has the final say in all matters.

26. TELEVISION AND MEDIA

In registering for the event, competitors automatically grant to the Organizing Authority the right to make, use, and show from time to time at their discretion, any motion pictures, still pictures, and live, taped or filmed television and other reproductions of them, taken during the period of the event, for the said Event as defined in the Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions in which s/he participates without compensation.

27. CONDUCT

Entrants found littering or causing any other environmental damage within the precincts of the event site will be withdrawn from the prize draw at the end of the event.

Any entrant heard to be verbally or physically abusive of an official, opponent, spectator, member of the media or any other person will be disqualified from the event and/or be withdrawn from the prize draw a the end of the event. For the purpose of this rule, verbal abuse is defined as a statement directed at an official, opponent, spectator, member of the media, or any other person that implies dishonesty, or is derogatory, insulting or otherwise abusive.

Any entrant intentionally damaging event equipment will be disqualified from the event and/or be withdrawn from the prize draw at the end of the event.

Any entrant failing to conduct themselves at all times in a sportsmanlike manner and or give due regard to the authority of officials and the rights of opponents, spectators, members of the media, or other persons, will be disqualified from the event and/or be withdrawn from the prize draw at the end of the event. For the purpose of this rule, unsportsmanlike conduct is defined as any misconduct that is clearly abusive or detrimental to the sport, but does not fall within the prohibition of any specific on site offense contained in these rules.

28. RACE OFFICE

The race office during the hours of 10:00 and 15:00 on race days will be based at the Registration Booth on Cabarete Beach, in front of Ocean Dream Development. During non-race hours, the Race Office will be situated at the Laurel Eastman Kiteboarding School.