Clubs organising offshore races sometimes require crew to have sufficient experience and be accepted as such. In certain cases, this is even prescribing that certain feeder races or equivalent qualification passages be undertaken. Any club requiring qualification passages accept a degree of responsibility for those.

The CYCA has recently looked at this and made changes which could be used by other clubs who employ the same practice.

The changes that the CYCA has recently decided to implement are:

1. Include a clause in Cat 1 Race NoRs regarding crew and safety requirements for qualifying passages for both crew experience and the boat;  
2. Include a clause in Cat 1 Race NoRs that boats completing a qualifying passage should have a shore contact for the duration of the passage with a frequent predetermined communication schedule. 
3. Include the above clauses in all future major race NoRs;  
4. Include an article regarding qualifying passages in the RSHYR Competitor’s Newsletters to remind people to log on/off with MR NSW, organise skeds with a shore contact and ensure crew and safety equipment requirements are met; 
5. Advise competitors that qualifying passage logs must include confirmation of logging on and off with Marine Rescue; 
6. Include a reminder about redundancy for Two-Handed crews in all major race briefings; 
7. Include a reminder regarding personal equipment functionality and testing in all upcoming major race briefings; and 
8. Include an article regarding personal equipment testing and functionality for the RSHYR Competitor’s Newsletters. 

The actual wording the CYCA has added to their notices of race is:

A boat completing a qualifying passage should meet the safety and crew qualification requirements of this Notice of Race prior to completing their qualifying passage. It is strongly recommended that a boat organise a shore contact and determine a communication schedule for the duration of the passage.

Clubs using qualification passages for crew eligibility should consider modelling these changes in their own policies and practices.

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By Glen Stanaway