Frequently Asked Questions

First thing is first, visit our membership page to sign up as a member of Denver Sailing Association. After that, contact us if you’d like help getting connected with boat owners or crew to start participating in our races. You can find all racing information through our website’s Series Racing and Regattas pages. Boat owners, you can show up to the next races you want to participate in once you have your membership. Crewing members, you can grab a lifejacket and come on down to the Cherry Creek Marina 1-1.5 hours ahead of races when racers are rigging or attend one of DSA’s social events to connect with other members and find a ride. You can find a full list of our events on our website’s Calendar page.

No, members can crew on boats for boat owners (with a Crew/Associate Membership) or use a rental/loaner boat to participate (with a Flag, Admiral, Honorary, or Junior Membership).

DSA does not own or offer rental/loaner boats, however there are two options for members at Cherry Creek Reservoir:

Community Sailing of Colorado

Camp instructors at Community Sailing of Colorado (CSC) have the ability to use CSC’s boats to race in DSA events when available. So for a little trade of time and expertise as a sailing camp instructor, you can have a boat to race. For more information, contact [email protected].

Why Buy Boat Club

This sailboat timeshare has a fleet of J22 keelboats at Cherry Creek Reservoir that are available to program subscribers. Learn more at victoriasailingschool.com/why-buy. (Pro tip: you can bring and use your own set of sails for better performance.)

DSA does not own or offer boat storage spots. Dry and wet boat storage is available at Cherry Creek Reservoir through Cherry Creek Marina and there are other storage options available around Cherry Creek State Park.

The Notice of Race (NOR) exists to set out the conditions under which a Regatta will be run. It provides a competitor with enough information to decide whether they wish to participate and to plan on attending.

The NOR is a formal offer to all potential competitors describing the conditions under which they will be allowed to participate in a regatta/race. These conditions should not vary from publication to the actual event. An NOR is concerned with racing and should not include any of the social events that may be associated with the racing. For example, an NOR might say that racing will not begin before 11:00hrs and will be finished by 17:00hrs. A competitor would have a valid complaint if racing took place outside these times.

Clubs typically run a variety of races during a season. It is difficult to publish separate NORs for every event in a club calendar. It is acceptable for clubs to publish a Notice of Series (NOS) for their complete season, with reference to all appropriate information. This approach can be used in conjunction with specific NORs for certain events that do not conform to the general pattern of the club racing, i.e. Open Regattas.

There are six items that must be included in a NOR:

1. Title, place and date, and the organizing authority
2. Event governed by the Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS)
3. List of other documents governing the racing, State, County, City, Park, regulations
4. Eligibility requirements, Classes, Memberships, handicaps & conditions of entry, and price
5. Procedure and times for registration or entry
6. Times of Racing & their Warning Signals

NOR and NOS documents can be found under their respective event information pages on the website.

Sailing instructions (SIs) are essential documents that provide detailed guidelines and
rules for participants in sailing races. They are based on & reference the Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS) as published by US Sailing for the current sailing year. Here are some key points about SIs:

1. Purpose: Sailing instructions focus exclusively on the racing aspects of the
   current event(s). They do not include information about social events, marina
   access, slip or mooring assignments, or any other non-racing matters.
2. Content: SIs outline the intentions of the Race Committee (RC) and the Protest
   Committee (PC). They also specify the competitors’ obligations. Importantly, SIs
   should not alter the fundamental RRS unless it is clearly necessary. If a change is
   made, it must explicitly reference the RRS rule being modified.
3. Order and Clarity: SIs should be organized in the sequence that competitors will
   use them. They should avoid repetition and restate only essential information.
   RRS references within SIs use abbreviations like “RRS” (The Racing Rules of
   Sailing), “NOR” (notice of race), and “SI” (sailing instructions).
4. Discretionary Penalties: If an SI item is subject to any discretionary penalties, it
   should be marked with “[DP]” (see RRS Introduction Notation).
5. Recommended Wording: Appendix L of the RRS provides suggested wording for
   various sections of SIs. These include headings, rules, and event-specific details.
   The guide ensures consistency and compliance with the RRS.
6. Event-Specific Information: SIs should include the full name of the event, dates,
   organizing authority, and location. Additionally, they may modify specific rules
   (e.g., penalty systems, scoring systems) as needed.

Remember that SIs play a crucial role in ensuring fair and competitive sailing races, and they are tailored to each event’s unique requirements.

SIs can be found under their respective event information pages on the website.

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