The Organising Authority for an event assumes the responsibility for all aspects of the organising and running of an offshore event and must select a race category.

Australian Sailing has published a Safety Information Notice at https://www.sailingresources.org.au/safety/safety-notices/ to provide guidance and advice on what a club needs to consider when selecting a race category. The Safety Information Notice explores issues such as the course, level of self-sufficiency required of the boats, and what external rescue resources are available.

Any given race involves a combination of some or all of the above elements, and maybe more, and a club needs to then integrate them into an overall assessment that results in the choice of the race category.