2019 LOOR Racing Guide

Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide Page 69
Safety at Sea – education &
courses to help you prepare
By Graham Dougall, Race Management,
Technical and Safety Committee Chair
The Scouts’ motto of “Be Prepared” certainly applies to those participating
in offshore sailing, especially if that includes racing. One key way to help
you prepare is through formal training and education. It’s important to first
identify your needs, and second, determine the training available to meet
those needs. Are you looking to improve your general knowledge related to
offshore sailing or to obtain specific certifications or qualifications that might
be required for offshore racing or chartering?
This article discusses some of the training that provides certification in
offshore racing safety at sea, so you can determine what path you want to take.
One factor in your consideration is whether the races you want to
participate in have or will have specific training or certification requirements.
One example is the presumptive safety at sea requirements for the Chicago
Mac Race in 2019.
“Enhanced safety at sea training requirements for sailors in the 2019 edition
of the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust are
expected to be announced when the Notice of Race is issued in January 2019.”
In recent years, the World Sailing’s committees responsible for their
Offshore Special Regulations (OSRs) 1 realized the need for training and
education to increase safety at sea for offshore and long-distance races i .
World Sailing’s OSR mandate the training for some of the categories, i.e.,
0, 1, etc., while a country’s sailing organization or the organizing authority
of an event may require this for the other categories. This is what the
Chicago Yacht Club has done for their race.
Each countries’ national sailing authority has the delegation to manage and
administer World Sailing’s Offshore Personal Survival course curriculum in
their country; Sail Canada for Canada and US Sailing for USA. Providers and
instructors of the World Sailing Approved Offshore Personal Survival Training
course must be sanctioned by their MNA for compliance with OSR Training
Section 6; the course typically includes classroom and practical sessions that
cover all OSR categories of racing and certification is good for five years. Both
Sail Canada and US Sailing provide courses to achieve this certification level.
There are many other courses that cover aspects of safety at sea. These
training opportunities can provide important knowledge and are worthwhile
attending. It should be noted however that these training opportunities
1
These OSR are basis, (along with the Sail Canada’s prescriptions to them), for LOOR’s Offshore
Special Regulations, which are the LOOR safety requirements for LOOR’s races.