A. Sails

1. Except as specifically permitted below, all sails used by each boat must have been acquired as part of a Fleet group order from the sail maker designated by Shields Fleet One for that sail.
2. The Fleet’s Group orders are in the following rotation:  *SEE TABLE

3. (i) A boat brought into the Fleet by purchase or charter may use sails from that yacht’s existing inventory so long as those sails were properly acquired under the Shields Class Specifications and the local rules, if any, of the other Fleet.

   (ii) Subject to all other sale acquisition restrictions, a Fleet member may use a new or deferred sail acquisition credit to acquire a used sail from another Fleet member, provided that the used sail itself was properly acquired within the Fleet, and measured and marked by the Fleet measurer at an earlier date.

   (iii) A Fleet member may use a deferred sail acquisition credit to acquire brand new sails, provided that:

   • the type of each brand new sail corresponds to the type of sail (jib, main, or spinnaker) for which the acquisition credit being used was deferred;
   • the brand new sail is acquired from the last sailmaker from which the Fleet made a group purchase of that particular sail (jib, main or spinnaker); and employs the same cut as was used for that group purchase; and
   • the Fleet member participate in the annual Fleet group order and acquiring the sail currently in rotation.

   For example, if in 2007, a Fleet member has a deferred sail acquisition credit which had been carried since 2001, the Fleet member may use the deferred sail acquisition credit to acquire a brand new mainsail made by North. The 2001 deferred sail acquisition credit may not be used to acquire a brand new jib or a brand new spinnaker since neither sail was in rotation in 2001. In addition, the 2001 deferred sail acquisition credit may not be used to acquire a brand new mainsail from UK Halsey or any other sail maker since North was the sail maker who was most recently designated by the Fleet for the Fleet Group mainsail order.

4. All new sails must be measured, approved and marked in accordance with the Shields Class Rules.

   Any sail acquired in 3 (i-iii) must be measured and marked for the acquiring boat, just as if it were a new sail, and it is treated for all purposes the same as a new sail acquisition under the Class’s sail acquisition rules.

5. All Fleet One Spinnakers acquired in the Fleet Group Purchase shall be white with one red and one blue stripe across the top of the sail.

Measurement of Sails

6. All sails will be measured under the supervision of the Fleet Measurer.
7. Use of Sails for National Championship / Backup Spinnakers
   • Unless otherwise stated in the Shields Class Specifications or below, a yacht may qualify for the National Championship Regatta from Fleet No. 1 by completing a minimum of ten races sanctioned by the Fleet during the season.  
   • In years where the National Championship Regatta is hosted by Fleet 1, member yachts shall be made available for charter. Shields Class Rule VI(1.2)e(1) stipulates that 1 yacht shall be made available for charter by a representative of each nationally recognized fleet. The Organizing Authority of the National Championship Regatta on behalf of Fleet 1 shall specify a Cutoff Date in the National Championship Regatta Notice of Race for requests for charters by visiting yachts. This date shall not be earlier than August 1st or later than September 1st of the year of the National Championships. For practical reasons, this date should be chosen to give competitors ample opportunity to qualify and determine fleet standings, while giving qualified yachts ample opportunity to prepare for the National Championship Regatta. 
   • In years where the National Championship Regatta is hosted by Fleet 1, to qualify for the National Championship Regatta from Fleet No. 1, a yacht shall complete her 10 races by a Cutoff Date which shall be the same as the Cutoff Date for requests for charters by visiting yachts. Additionally, to qualify, a yacht’s scores up to and including the Cutoff Date shall place her in the upper 50% (rounded up & including throwouts) of all those yachts having completed 10 races by the Cutoff Date.
   • Yachts ranked below the 50% cutoff may provisionally enter the National Championship Regatta. These provisional entries shall be accepted after ensuring that requests for charter from visiting yachts, filed with the Organizing Authority by the Cutoff Date, have been fulfilled based on the application of the following criteria, in the following order;

   • 1) Yachts meeting the requirements of National Championships Rule VI(1.2)e(3) and not actively racing in Fleet 1 sanctioned races which have been indicated as available for charter by their owners prior to the Cutoff Date. If this does not fulfill the requests for charters, then;

     2) Yachts competing in Fleet 1 sanctioned races having not completed their minimum-10 Fleet 1 sanctioned races by the Cutoff Date. If this does not fulfill the requests for charters, then;

     3) Yachts having completed their 10 sanctioned races by the Cutoff Date which are in the lower 50% of the series standings (rounding up & including throwouts) beginning with the yacht with the lowest standing and progressing upwards through the standings until all valid requests for charters are filled.”

   • In all races sanctioned by the Fleet, including the District Championships and the qualifying races for the National Championship Regatta, a second spinnaker may be carried on board. This second spinnaker shall be clearly marked as a “backup” by flying a blue patch (4″ by 8″ fly) sewn to the leach 5′ from the head. It may be used only if there is damage to the primary spinnaker used in that day’s racing which is serious enough to warrant the immediate discontinuance of the use of the sail under the prevailing conditions.
   • Any use of the “backup” spinnaker shall be reported to a Fleet Officer upon the completion of the day’s racing. The Fleet Officer shall verify the extent of the damage to the primary spinnaker and the circumstances of the use of the “backup”, and may protest for violation of these regulations.
   • The “backup” spinnaker is subject to all the qualifying requirements, both at the Fleet and National levels, with regard to purchasing or otherwise acquiring sails, and sail measurement, as stated in the Shields Class Specifications and in the Fleet Administrative Regulations.

B. Racing Rules

The rules of the Yacht Racing Association of Long Island Sound shall govern all Fleet races unless otherwise specified. All yachts entering Fleet races shall comply with these Regulations and with the Constitution, By-laws and Specifications of the Shields Class Sailing Association.

C. Racing Schedule – Qualification and Scoring

• https://shieldsfleetone.com/scoring/

D. White Flag

If a skipper notifies the Fleet Recorder or one of the Fleet Officers in advance of a race, and their yacht flies a white flag from the backstay during the race, the yacht’s score will not be counted toward the Season Championship or other series. If the Recorder or an Officer is not notified in advance, the race will be scored regardless of who is sailing or what flag is displayed.

When a yacht flies a white flag and the proper notification is given, the race will not count for qualification. The yacht will be included in the number of starters for that race and the white flagged yacht’s finishing position will be counted in determining the finishing position of other yachts. The white flag yacht can protest and be protested to redress a foul.

The white flag is designed to encourage participation without jeopardizing season standings. Skippers are encouraged to exercise discretion in loaning their boats to guest skippers. Be certain the guest skipper has a good understanding of the Racing Rules and will not be a hazard on the starting line or the racecourse.

E. Fleet Dues

The following are the various classes of Fleet membership and the annual dues for each:

• Sponsoring Members (manufacturer, supplier and others interested in the Fleet) – $150
• Regular Members (owners and charterers) – $330 + $55 per skipper
• Associate Members (crew and others interested in the Fleet) – $15

Only Regular Members can vote. All classes of membership have the privilege of offering suggestions and comments to the Fleet and shall receive Fleet Mailings.

Fleet dues are to be paid before the start of the racing season. The Fleet Committee may change Fleet dues without approval of the membership.

F. Fleet Officers

The business of the Fleet shall be administered by a Fleet Committee consisting of a Captain, or one or more Co-Captains or Vice President, and a Scorer, Treasurer and Measurer, who shall be elected for terms of one year. A Recorder shall be appointed by the other members of the Committee.

G. Financial Management

The Captain and the Treasurer are empowered to open and sign on the Fleet bank account.

H. Hiking

The following National rules on hiking are enforced within Fleet One:

• Extraordinary means of hiking are prohibited. When hiking in the sitting position, no part of the body between the middle of thigh and feet shall be outboard of the sheerline.
• When hiking in the prone position, one-half of the body shall be inboard of the sheerline. No hiking straps or other devices shall be rigged by any member of the crew for the purpose of supporting their weight outboard of the sheerline.

I. Haul-Outs

During the racing season (from the first race of the Spring series to the last race of the Summer series, inclusive), no yacht shall be hauled out more frequently than once every 28 days or more than a total of three times. The first haul-out may be at any time, but thereafter, a yacht must remain in the water 28 days before being hauled out again. Beaching shall be considered a haul-out.

In the event of an accident requiring the haul-out of a yacht, other than permitted above, the facts must be submitted promptly in writing to the Fleet Committee for its approval. If such an emergency haul-out is approved, future haul-outs shall date therefrom and it will be excluded from the three haul-out rules.

The Fleet will maintain a separate document containing the procedures for use of the Hoists at the Larchmont Yacht Club.

The Fleet will maintain a list of active Fleet members who are approved to supervise the use of the Hoist for the purposes of hauling a Fleet yacht.

J. Equipment

In addition to the equipment listed in the Shields Class Specifications, the following are permitted for Fleet racing only (not in outside regattas or the National Championships):

• • A line of a length can be attached to the rudderpost, which may be used as a safety aid by a crewmember positioned abaft of the helmsman. This device is designed for the safety of crewmembers and may not be used to aid in hiking.
  • The spinnaker pole may be stored on the boom when not in use.