Volunteer Race Committee (RC) Duties

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Some years ago, we introduced this very successful procedure for volunteering for RC duties. Simply put, if you register to race, you are required to signup for RC duties.

1. Each keelboat skipper is responsible for providing three (3) volunteers and each dinghy skipper is responsible for providing two (2) volunteers. If your boat is actively racing on more than one evening you have to provide twice as many volunteers.
2. Go to nsc.ca/volunteers/racing_db/, or follow the RC Duties link using the main NSC page Volunteers button.
3. Find the month in which you'd like to volunteer by clicking on "Next Month".
4. Pick a race night and sign up your crew/volunteers. If a race night you pick is partially filled, either pick another night or spread your volunteers over a couple of nights.
5. When registering, indicate the skipper, boat name and fleet on behalf of whom you are volunteering. Otherwise we may not know which boat to credit. If you are volunteering on your own, there is no need to fill in this section.
6. Show up for race duties on the night you selected at least 1 hour before the race starts, i.e. at 5:15 p.m. for summer race nights; at 5:00 p.m. after September 1st. Meet at the race committee boat, on the lower dock, behind the club house.
7. If you race more than one night, go to step 1 and do this again. That’s it.

For those who don’t sign-up, the RC Volunteer Coordinator will contact skippers, who are actively racing, to fill the empty slots in the schedule. Skippers who fail to sign up at that point will be scored NR (Not Registered) until they fulfill their RC duty obligations, per the sailing instructions. So, beat the rush and sign up now!

Questions and Answers

Who can volunteer? Anyone can volunteer; they don’t even need to be racers! They just have to be able to perform the light duties expected of them as RC crew. Although the skipper for each boat that is registered to race is responsible for providing volunteers, the people who show up for RC duty don’t have to be the skipper or crew of that boat.

Do I need any training? No experience is necessary -- the race bosun will guide you through your duties. But for those who are interested in learning more about running races, NSC hosts RC training sessions in the spring. See the website or the Telltale for more info, or contact the Fleet Captain.

Can’t make it on your chosen or designated race night? If you can’t attend, we ask that you first try to find an alternate to fill-in for you, especially if you're cancelling shortly before your duty. Whether you're successful, or not, in finding a replacement, you should then contact the RC Volunteer Coordinator, as soon as possible. If you simply don't show up for your duty, you will be subject to a DNE (Disqualification that cannot be dropped), and you will put in jeopardy everybody else's race that evening. After all, races cannot be run without sufficient volunteers.

What happens if the RC volunteers don’t show for RC duty on race night? If RC volunteers fail to show up on time, then the race bosun will pressgang other racers to fill that RC duty. The bosun will attempt to pressgang a crew that has not yet signed up for, or completed, their RC duty, but as time is of the essence, any crew may be pressganged. It’s either that or cancel the race. If you are pressed into duty on a night on which you registered to race, you will be eligible for average points. The crew that failed to attend their scheduled duty will be protested per the sailing instructions, may be scored DNE, and will still need to fulfil their volunteer commitment.

How does RC Duty affect the scoring? Boats will be scored DNC if they do RC Duty on a night on which they normally race (i.e. they will not get average points), except in the case where they are press-ganged into duty at the last minute. So if you're concerned about your results, volunteer on a night you don’t race. If you are pressed into duty for an NSC-run race on a night you are registered to race, you will get average points, per the sailing instructions. Any boat that has not signed up for RC duty and refuses to provide volunteers when pressed may be protested per the sailing instructions, may receive a DNE, and will also still need to fulfil its volunteer commitment.

Do other volunteer duties count towards RC duty? Volunteering for scoring and protest committee for weeknight series or frostbite racing is recognized as RC duty. Scoring one series of racing is equivalent to 3 RC duties. Hearing protests on one evening counts as one RC duty. Volunteering for other Fleet or NSC activities is very much appreciated, but does not count towards RC duty.

I don’t race but I’d like to do RC duties! No problem, just go to the website and signup for as many nights as you wish. Just leave the boat name and fleet (on behalf of which you would be volunteering) blank.

How will I be contacted? When signing up for RC duty, you will be asked to provide your e-mail address(es) and phone number(s). You will be sent automatic e-mail reminders 15, 5 and 1 day(s) in advance of your duty. It is unlikely that the RC Volunteer Coordinator will have reason to contact you, but each skipper should ensure that their contact details, and specifically their email address, in the NSC Bluebook is correct. If it is not correct, please advise the NSC Database Coordinator. If your e-mail address changes after you have signed up for RC duty, you may wish to advise the RC Volunteer Coordinator.

Questions/Comments? Send an e-mail to the RC Volunteer Coordinator.

Updated 15 Mar 2012.