The San Diego Yacht Club Race Committee was faced with a number of circumstances during the second Sinnhoffer Hot Rum Series Regatta, November 24, 2002, that necessitated the abandonment of the race. The decision to abandon the race developed as follows:

By 12:37, most of the boats had started, and the wind was getting very light. Around 12:50, the Race Committee vessel Corinthian was contacted by the Navy Tractor Tugs. The Tractor Tugs had been dispatched to maneuver the Navy Tanker leaving the Navy fuel pier and they were "concerned" with the congestion of recreational vessels becalmed in the area making navigation for this maneuver impossible. Estimated departure time was stated to be 15 to 30 minutes from time of contact.

By 1:00 all competitors had started, but the competitors that had not made it past Ballast Point were mostly becalmed in or near the channel. Many competitors were also inside the mandated 500' safety zone around the Navy Tanker. At that time, the Harbor Police also contacted the RC vessel Corinthian. Their bottom line was that the competitors in the race were posing a navigational hazard for the Navy Tractor Tugs and the Navy Tanker. The Race Committee was responsible for rectifying the problem...NOW.

The Navy Tanker's Ships Master was also on the VHF with the US Coast Guard requesting assistance in clearing the harbor. Although the Corinthian was never contacted by the USCG about this incident, it is assumed that since they heard the announcement to the racers on VHF 69 to abandon the race, there was no need to intervene.

There were two Principle Race Officers on Corinthian and one additional PRO out on the course setting the marks. After consulting over the issue, it was the unanimous opinion to abandon the race in order to abate the navigational hazards posed by the becalmed racers and rectify the safety concerns of the Tractor Tugs, Navy Tanker Ships Master, US Coast Guard and the Harbor Police.

San Diego Yacht Club applied for a Marine Event Permit for this event on December 10, 2001. The Coast Guard processed a letter approving our event dated Oct. 18, 2002 and subsequently posted on Corinthian. However, the MEP does not permit us to impede commercial traffic under any circumstance. Specifically it states
"...no restriction will be placed on the use of any navigable water by other parties.Your event may not obstruct any channel or normal shipping lanes. All participants of your event must abide by the Inland Navigation Rules of the US."

Due to the fact that no restrictions were placed on navigable water, it is likely that the event never appeared in the Notice to Mariners. No record of it is listed in the Weekly supplements dating back to Oct. '02.

You may reference Marine Chart 18773 / 38th ed. (July 28, '01) or later for a better understanding of the restrictions on the stretch of water in question. In particular, see NOTE B 'CAUTION' located underneath and to the right of the compass rose on North Island. It too specifies San Diego Harbor as a "Narrow Channel" and as such vessels less than 20 meters, sailing vessels...shall not impede a vessel that can only safely navigate within a narrow channel as per INR Rule 9..." etc.

Technically, what is at stake here is the Inland Navigation Rules (or International ColRegs) Rule 9: NARROW CHANNELS. The following interpretation is from Ocean Navigator's Online Magazine, an occasional regatta sponsor and brought to our attention by a Hot Rum competitor:

"It's likely best to consider a narrow channel as one in which the vessel's
maneuvering space is constricted by shallows, shoals, etc., and one in which
the passing of another vessel must be conducted with unusual caution. Not a
technical definition, but a common-sense one, since the flip side of those
situations would imply open water. "Passing," of course, is taken in the
context of overtaking, crossing (hopefully rare) or meeting.

There are some general caveats that apply to both sets of Rules (ColRegs and
Inland):

Stay on your own (starboard) side of the road.

If you're sail, or power less than 20 meters, don't impede a vessel that has
to stay in the channel...

We recognize that not all boats in the race were in conflict with commercial shipping. And in fact most were not. And as would be expected, when a race is abandoned, the best weather possible will follow (Murphy's Law). However, there was no identifiable way to immediately determine which boats were in danger, how long they would be an issue, or how to assess the impact their evasion of the area may have effected their performance. Thus granting redress to those boats was not an option.

Further, it did not seem prudent to disregard the very strong message being sent by the four authorities (Tractor Tugs, Navy Tanker, Harbor Police, and Coast Guard) to vacate the area immediately by continuing the event when it was clearly in violation of our Marine Event Permit and risk sanctions on future events.

It is important to keep in mind that this race has 150 competitors and a starting sequence that is 60 minutes and 22 sec. long. At one point the competitors stretched over two miles along a commercial shipping channel which we are obliged to keep clear.

Last, and perhaps most importantly, in the words of the event's founder Herb Sinnhoffer "...the Hot Rum Regatta is a fun race...(with the point being) ...to be able to meet afterwards and make friends..." We hope you stuck around to enjoy the party.

We appreciate your understanding in this matter hope you don't forget to thank the volunteers who make these events possible.

SDYC Sailing Office