Guide: How to Organise Racing Duties at Welsh Harp Sailing Club

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This guide explains how racing duties are allocated for Saturday and Tuesday club racing at Welsh Harp Sailing Club. It sets out who is eligible for duties, the competencies required, and how balanced, safe and effective weekly duty teams are formed, in line with the Sailing Instructions and the club’s Guidance for Race Officers and Safety Teams.

1. Separate Rotas for Saturday and Tuesday

Saturday and Tuesday racing duties are organised independently.

Each race day normally requires:

• Officer of the Day (OOD) + Assistant
• Safety Boat 1 + Assistant
• Safety Boat 2 + Assistant
• (Saturday only) Tea Duty

The precise level of safety cover required on any day remains subject to conditions and the judgement of the OOD in consultation with the Sailing Captain, as set out in the Safety Guidance.

2. When Duties Are Allocated

Duties are allocated by series (typically around 12 race days over a three-month period), usually around three weeks before the start of the series.

When preparing a rota, it is important to:

• Confirm the start and end dates of the series
• Identify any dates when club racing will not take place (e.g. A-Days or special events)

Duties for A-Days and other events are generally allocated separately and are not normally swappable via Dutyman.

3. Who Is Included in the Duty Pool

To ensure fairness and shared responsibility:

• Previous series race results are reviewed to include all sailors who participated, even once or twice
• New, returning or occasional racers are added to the duty pool
• Volunteers who wish to learn race management or safety skills may be included, including non-racers and non-sailors where appropriate

Approximately one month before a new series, messages are sent to gather:

• Availability and dates unavailable
• Preferred teammates
• Preference for safety or race-officer roles
• Any limitations or constraints
• Expressions of interest from non-racers

Note: Requests for specific roles or pairings are taken into account where possible, but cannot be guaranteed. Safe operation, appropriate competence and balanced teams always take priority.

4. Competencies and Suitability for Each Role

Officer of the Day (OOD) / Race Officer (RO)

The OOD is usually a more experienced sailor with a good understanding of:

• Local conditions at the Welsh Harp
• Fleet behaviour and relative abilities
• Course setting and race management
• How to manage a race safely

The OOD is responsible for coordinating race management and safety, and for making decisions to postpone, shorten or abandon racing where required for safety or fairness, in accordance with the Sailing Instructions and Safety Guidance.

Assistant OOD / RO

Often a less experienced sailor or a reliable and enthusiastic volunteer. In the GP14 fleet, this is frequently the regular sailing partner of the Race Officer. The role provides an opportunity to learn race management skills.

Safety Boat Crews

Each safety boat must carry two able people, with at least one competent rescuer on board.

A competent rescuer is normally defined as someone with one or more of the following:

• RYA Safety Boat qualification plus practical experience
• RYA Powerboat Level 2 plus substantial on-water experience and good dinghy knowledge
• Equivalent demonstrated competence through proven powerboat handling and rescue experience

The second crew member may be less experienced, provided they are paired with a competent rescuer. The overall balance of each boat should take into account physical capability, experience and prevailing conditions.

5. Duties as a Training and Development Opportunity

Where it does not compromise safety or race delivery, duties are used to support skill development and progression. This includes:

• Pairing new volunteers with experienced powerboat drivers to introduce basic skills
• Supporting recently qualified Powerboat Level 2 holders to build confidence through further experience
• Pairing newly qualified Safety Boat drivers with experienced rescue drivers

This approach supports a clear progression from beginner to fully competent safety-boat crew.

6. General Allocation Principles

• Aim for approximately one duty per eligible person per series
• GP14 sailors are normally paired with their usual helm/crew partner
• More experienced sailors are generally allocated Race Officer roles
• Overall balance and safety take precedence over individual preferences

7. Balancing Each Week’s Team

Each weekly duty team typically includes:

• Two Laser sailors from different parts of the fleet
• Two GP14 pairs, spread across different fleet positions

This helps ensure balanced experience levels, fairness across fleets, and robust safety cover.

8. Safety Cover 2 and Sailing Opportunities

Safety Cover 2 is not always required, depending on conditions and participation levels. Where Safety Cover 2 is not needed, those allocated may still be able to sail.

To ensure fairness, Safety Cover 2 duties are rotated between different pairings across each series so that any opportunity to sail is shared evenly.

9. Saturday Tea Duties

A record is maintained of tea duties completed.

For each new series, tea duty is allocated to those who have gone the longest without doing one, ensuring fair rotation. This typically equates to approximately one tea duty per member per year.

10. Additional Support and Contingency Cover

Those not allocated a duty in a particular series may still be asked to assist if required, for example due to illness, last-minute unavailability or unexpected gaps. This flexibility helps ensure that racing can be run safely and smoothly.

11. Producing and Sharing the Duty Roster

The duty roster is prepared in the club’s standard Excel format by the Sailing Captain (or finalised with their agreement).

Once complete, it is shared so that duties can be entered into Dutyman. This ensures:

• Accurate logging of duties
• Clear communication to all involved
• Transparency and consistency across the club

12. Swapping Duties

Once published, individuals may swap duties using Dutyman.

Swaps should normally be like-for-like, so that the overall experience and competence level of the team is maintained.

The rostered OOD and the Sailing Captain are responsible for monitoring swaps and ensuring that each race day continues to have appropriate competence and safety cover.