THE RATING RULE

Management of the rule is provided by a Chief Measurer and Chief Technical Officer currently a role held by Bastien Pouthier along with a team of measurers located throughout the Caribbean region.

The intent of this Association is to handicap fairly the broad variety of monohull, multihull and classic yachts which race within the Caribbean region.

Four Rules are currently being managed.

• The Main Monohull Rule deals with racing yachts, both cruisers or purely racers, with a competitive edge.
• The Multihull Rule deals with multihulls, cruisers or racers, foils (straight, C, L or T) or not.
• The Classic Rule deals with traditionally built and rigged monohulls.
• The Simplified Rule deals with yachts who want to take part in an event without the hassle of a full measurement and without the competitive edge. A variable rating system has been developed to use with the Simplified Rule.

Each Rule will compute a Rating (time correction factor) for each yacht which is intended to be representative of its true speed potential.

In order to establish a rating for each boat, a rating system and review process is in place. Each year at the end of the regatta season the measurers meet to discuss performance of the rule throughout the season and talk about issues, anomalies and proposals for improvements to the rule. Each year those improvements and changes are then agreed upon and the work done by a programmer who is employed as needed to do the necessary work on the database calculation.

THE MEASURERS ROLE

The measurers input into this process is on a voluntary basis.

Any regatta, who must be a member of the CSA, using the CSA Rule may, in consultation with the CSA Chief Measurer, appoint and bear the cost of a CSA Measurer as Regatta Measurer (RM) whose duties shall include:

1. a) Advise the Organising Authority and Race Committee on class assignment.
2. b) Review ratings of all entered boats and notify the owner, organisers and the Protest Committee of any errors found.
3. c) Be the “authority responsible” referred to in RRS 64.3 and perform any services required under that RRS from such an authority, provided that the CM has issued the necessary permission for the Regatta Measurer to perform this role.
4. d) Correct errors found as permitted under the CSA Rule and as agreed by the Race, Protest or Technical Committees.
5. e) Prepare and submit a detailed Measurer’s Report on the regatta.
6. f) Any other duties requested by the Organisers that are appropriate to be done by a Regatta Measurer.

The cost of the measurer to the Organizing Authority is to provide for accommodation, travel costs and daily subsistence costs.

BOAT MEASUREMENT & PRODUCING A RATING

The Classic and Simplified Rules are self-declared rules and therefore the boat owner or his representative must provide the required details to the measurer.

The main and multihull rules are an in the water measurement rule which must be completed by an approved measurer. This measurer can be one of the many measurers around the region or the regatta measurer. The boat details and measurements are then input into the database and a program runs a thorough a long list of logic and formulaes to issue a Time Correction Factor or tcf. The measurer, Chief Technical Officer and Chief Measurer then review the measurements and issue a certificate once payments to both measurer and the CSA have been confirmed. It takes experience as a measurer and racer to understand the details of the measurement system.

The fees received by the measurer are to cover his/her time in completing the necessary tasks.  The fees paid to the CSA directly are used to pay for programming and server fees to ensure the database is functional along with costs necessary to support measurers meetings and also promotion of the rule and the CSA.

Membership fees create a small amount of revenue for the CSA overall which along with boat measurement fees allow the organization to sustain the rule as well as support sailing development around the region.

Click here to review the Measurement Fees.

CSA RATING RULES

The CSA has four rules in use: the CSA Main Rule (Monohull), the CSA Multihull Rule, the CSA Simplified Rule and the CSA Classic Rule .

The MAIN RULE

The CSA Main Rule requires an “in the water” measurement.  All measurements used can be taken while the boat is afloat.

To get a rating:

1. Use the linkto fill in the form to request a measurement and pay: LINK: https://v9r.047.myftpupload.com/apply-for-measurement/
2. A measurer will be in touch to arrange a date, time and location to be measured.
3. The CSA measurer will advise on preparing the yacht to be measured, measure the yacht and issue a rating certificate.
4. If you have had a partial measurement: you may owe an additional fee. The measurer will advise you if so. Once paid, a new rating certificate will be issued.

PREPARING A YACHT FOR MEASUREMENT

While some light, racy yachts are measured empty, most yachts are measured in racing trim – that is with the minimal gear, fuel and water it normally races with (as light as it may be at any point in time while racing) – but without the crew.  (Refer to your CSA measurer for details.)

The owner is responsible for presenting his yacht for measurement in a condition described above and in a location where the water is sufficiently calm to ensure an accurate measurement (a location at a dock with space around it is normally preferable).   The Owner (or his agent) must have a dinghy available and be in attendance to assist as necessary.

Check out the Full Measurers Guide for information on how to prepare your yacht.

SAILS

The Owner must make available all sails requiring measurement – or provide appropriate certified data for these sails (from a reputable sailmaker or another internationally recognized measurer).  These include the largest headsail, the largest asymmetric spinnaker and the largest symmetric spinnaker to be used while racing. If the owner wishes to race with two headsails downwind he must also present this second headsail for measurement.  A smaller headsail can also be measured for use in the alternative headsail rating the CSA Rating Rule offers.

If the headsail attached to the roller-furler does not have a sailmaker’s certificate, it must be taken down before the measurer arrives.

The owner must be aware that he cannot race with any larger sails than those declared.

Receiving these measurements in advance will save time on measurement day.  Otherwise, sails will have to be physically measured. Your sailmaker can do this for you in his or her loft or may be able to provide the information.  Measurements required are as follows:

Mainsail – 25% girth; 50% girth; 75% girth; 87.5% girth; top headboard width.

Genoa – Luff length LP; 25% girth; 50% girth; 75% girth; 87.5% girth.

Spinnaker – luff length; leech length; foot length; mid girth.

Dimensions for the largest sails are required.

Information Required

The following information should be readily available for the measurer:

• Owner’s Name, Address, Email and Phone number
• Captain’s Name, Address, Email and Phone number
• Sail Numbers
• Model, Design, Class or Type
• Year of First Launch
• Maximum Draft – from ship’s plans or other recognized data sheet
• Minimum Draft – for a lifting keel/centreboard
• Drawing or photo showing underwater profile of yacht
• Propeller type, Number of blades, With/Without Strut, Retractable, etc.
• Materials used in Construction of Hull, Keel and Rudder
• Materials used and Cut Pattern of Sails

A list of fees can be seen here.

Bio Here please

Sandy Mair started racing dinghies in Scotland age 10 in 1954, graduated to yachts when he moved first to the Caribbean in 1968 after a transatlantic crossing, and finally permanently in 1983, and has resided in the islands ever since. He has been an enthusiastic racer for many years owning first the Soverel 30 Streaker for 26 years followed by his present yacht Beneteau First 35 Cricket, both of which he has campaigned regularly throughout the island regattas and is a well-known face both as a competitor and a CSA measurer.

Sandy is a civil engineer by profession and has an arithmetical mind and was appointed a CSA measurer by Dick Stoute in St. Lucia in 1987 and has continued as measurer since moving to Antigua that same year having now served in that capacity for 37 years.  Although still a busy measurer he is nearing the end of his tenure.

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Landed in St. Maarten 20 years ago with an extensive background of inshore, offshore and Ocean racing. Andrea does consulting, project managing and he is Agent for North Sails. Measurer for the CSA rule since 2015.

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Avid Trinidadian racing sailor, owner of Melges 24 ‘Wasabi’ based out of the Trinidad and Tobago Yachting Association in Chaguaramas.  CSA Measurer since 1996, was Chief Measurer from 2001 to 2012.

David and his wife Dr. Michelle Peterson moved to St. Croix US Virgin Islands, in January 1997. He has a master’s degree in Naval Architecture from MIT.  In May 2000 he started his yacht design business, Walworth Yacht Designs P.C. He has been involved with the Caribbean Sailing Association as a measurer since 2014.

Bio Here please

Each year in order to race, a boat must have an up to date rating certificate issued. Costs are as listed below and to be paid by the boat to the CSA and/or the measurer:

MAIN MONOHULL RULE

• Full measurement (valid 5 years) Main Rule Certificate:
  3 US$ per foot for CSA and 5 US$ for measurer.
• Following annual renewal Main Rule Certificate (no changes):
  3 US$ per foot for CSA and 1 US$ per foot for measurer.
• Following annual renewal Main Rule Certificate (minor changes):
  3 US$ per foot for CSA and measurer’s hourly rate.

MULTIHULL RULE

• Full measurement (valid 5 years) Multihull Rule Certificate:
  2 US$ per foot for CSA and 5 US$ per foot for measurer.
• Following annual renewal Multihull Rule Certificate  (no changes):
  2 US$ per foot for CSA and 1 US$ per foot for measurer.
• Following annual renewal Multihull Rule Certificate (minor changes):
  2 US$ per foot for CSA and measurer’s hourly rate.

CLASSIFIED & SIMPLIFIED RATING RULE

• 1 US$ per foot for CSA and 1 US$ per foot for measurer.

How is the revenue used?

The fees received by the measurer are to cover his/her time in completing the necessary tasks.  The fees paid to the CSA directly, along with membership are used to pay for:

A. Programming and server fees
B. Measurers meetings
C. Promotion of the rule and the CSA.
D. Sustaining the rule
E. Supporting sailing development around the region.