The Great Provincetown Schooner Regatta is an annual five-day competitive sailing and educational event that honors our maritime history and the great natural resources of the harbor and Cape Cod Bay. The event promotes public awareness of the important role that Schooners, Cape Cod Catboats and other historic vessels played in our unique economic and cultural history.  In addition to historic vessels, all classes of modern sailing vessels are invited to participate.

Location:
The Regatta is held in and around the waters of Provincetown Harbor with the exception of the Fishermen’s Cup Schooner Race (for Schooners only), which starts in Gloucester Harbor on September 6th and ends in Provincetown Harbor the same day.

Hosts:
The Great Provincetown Schooner Regatta, Provincetown Public Pier Corporation, Provincetown Yacht Club, the Catboat Association and Provincetown Harbor Rhodes 19 Class Association Fleet 50.

Classes:
Schooner Classes A (rated length of 50 feet and over) and B (rated length under 50 feet), PHRF Handicap Yacht Classes C and D (19 to 42 feet and above), all Catboats and One Design Rhodes 19 (Keel and Centerboard R19’s sail as one class).

All races will be non-spinnaker.

Rhodes 19 Keel and Centerboard boats will race together without handicap in the Fishermen’s Series.  All Rhodes 19’s must conform to the rules and follow the guidelines of “Rhodes 19, Fleet 50”’ specifications and measurements.

All Catboats will race together without handicap in the Cape Cod Catboat Race for the MacMillan Cup.

Schedule of Races: 
There will be held one “series” race, the One Design Rhodes 19 Fishermen’s Series, one Schooner-only race, The Fishermen’s Cup Race, one Catboat-only race, the Cape Cod Catboat Race, and one open class and Schooner race for all vessels, The Long Point Schooner & Yacht Race.

The schedule for the series and each race is as follows:

Rules: 
The regatta will be governed by the racing Rules of Sailing 2009 – 2012 (RRS), the prescriptions of U.S. Sailing (except as they are modified by this Notice of Race and the Sailing Instructions), this Notice of Race and the Sailing Instructions for the Challenge for the Fishermen’s Cup Race, the Cape Cod Catboat Race, the Long Point Schooner & Yacht Race, and the One Design Rhodes 19 Fishermen’s Series.

All vessels must carry a working marine VHF radio.

Eligibility:  
Skippers must complete registration by checking–in and picking up any changes in the “Sailing Instructions” prior to the starting gun. In addition, all entrants must have paid all event fees before becoming official competitors.

The regatta is open to boats at least 19 feet LOA, which carry a PHRF or IRC rating and to gaff rigged boats with an LOA of at least 18 feet.  If entries in any division warrant, a division will be divided into classes to be established at the sole discretion of the organizing authority and designated based on class, rating and/or hull material or configuration of any combination thereof.

Restrictions on Entries:
Schooners racing in the Fishermen’s Cup race from Gloucester to Provincetown must also be registered for the Great Provincetown Schooner Regatta in order to be eligible for the Rose Dorothea and John Bennett Cups awarded in the Long Point Schooner & Yacht Race.

No Vessel entries need to be a member of the Provincetown Yacht Club, the Catboat Association or the Rhodes 19 Class Association Provincetown Harbor Fleet 50.

Catboat entrants to the Great Provincetown Schooner Regatta will automatically be eligible to race in the Cape Cod Catboat Race but must race in this race to be eligible for the MacMillan Cup.

Rhodes 19 entrants to the Great Provincetown Schooner Regatta will automatically be eligible for the One Design Rhodes 19 Fishermen’s Series but must race in the series to qualify for the awards in the Series.

Registration/Fees:
Entries shall be submitted on the official entry form available for the Fishermen’s Cup Race, the Long Point Race, the Cape Cod Catboat Race and the One Design Rhodes 19 Fishermen’s Series.  Each entry form can be found on the Great Provincetown Schooner Regatta web page: http://www.provincetownschoonerrace.com/ and received no later than September 6th, 2011. The entry fee for all vessels, except schooners, is $140 per vessel, which includes two T-shirt’s and two tickets for all social activities including the Great Provincetown Schooner Regatta Captain’s Breakfast (Skippers and Navigators only), Crew Party and Awards Ceremony.    

Completed entry forms, which are not filed via the website, may also be mailed, with the entry fee payable to the Great Provincetown Schooner Regatta, to:

Race Committee
The Great Provincetown Schooner Regatta
P.O. Box 559
Provincetown, MA 02657

Crewmembers, Non-crew members and visitors may participate in all non-racing social activities, except VIP or ticketed events, for an additional $20 per person.  Payment for crew and non-crew member participation may be included with the entry fee or paid upon arrival/check-in.

Handicapping and Measurement:
All Schooner entrants for all races, Classes A and B, must fill-out the “Handicapping Data Form”, which is included in registration.  Schooners shall be rated under the 1974 Off Soundings Club Rating Rule.  For all other vessels, Classes C and D, standard measurements are assumed to be within specifications for your vessels 2011 PHRF rating.  Entry PHRF Ratings shall be checked against the U.S. Sailing PHRF database.  It is the responsibility of all entrants racing in the One-Design Rhodes 19 Fishermen’s Series to conform to Rhodes 19, Fleet 50 specifications. Any boat is subject to measurement during competition if requested.

Check-in: 
Check-in will be at Flyer’s Boatyard at Good Templar Place, Provincetown, MA between 1000 to 1200 hours starting on Wednesday, September 7th for the Rhodes 19 Fishermen’s Series, and on Thursday, September 8th for the Cape Cod Catboat Race. For the Long Point Schooner & Yacht Race, check-in will be and at 1200 to 1500 hours on Friday, September 9th at the Provincetown Chamber of Commerce, 307 Commercial Street.

Schooners participating in the Challenge for the Fishermen’s Cup Race will check-in at the Captain’s Meeting in Gloucester, Massachusetts at the Gloucester House at 1800 hours on September 5, 2011.

Friday, September 9th check-in will be final check-infor the Long Point Race for all vessels.

Sailing Instructions: 
Sailing instructions will be available at check-in.  Amendments to the Sailing Instructions will be posted on the official notice board at the Provincetown Chamber of Commerce, Provincetown Harbor Master’s Office and Flyer’s Boatyard at 1000 hours daily.

Scoring:  
All scoring for all races, with the exception of the Rhodes 19 Fishermen’s Series, will be based on RRS Appendix A3, Starting Times and Finishing Places, or according to the Sailing Instructions.

For the Rhodes 19 Fishermen’s Series, the Low-Point Scoring System, RRS Appendix A2 will apply, except that three quarters (3/4) of a point will be awarded for first place, two (2) points for second place, three (3) for third place, etc. as described in the class rules.  If five or more races are completed, one race will not be counted in determining the contestants’ series scores, but all races will be used to break ties.  This changes Part III, Section B, Paragraph 1(m) Scoring of the class rules.  Three races constitute a series.

Protests:
A jury appointed by the organizing committee will hear protests and requests for redress.  Refer to the Sailing Instructions for Alternative Penalties.

Prizes:
Schooners in the Challenge for the Fishermen’s Cup are eligible for the Fishermen’s Cup.  Schooners in the Long Point Race are eligible for the Rose Dorothea (Class A) and the John Bennett (Class B) Cup.  All other vessels in the Long Point Race are eligible for the Justin Avellar (Class C) and the Munro Moore Cup (Class D).  Catboats in the Cape Cod Catboat Race are eligible for the Admiral Donald B. MacMillan Cup.  Rhodes 19’s racing in the One Design Fishermen’s Series will be awarded daily prizes and are eligible for the Larry Richmond Cup.

Disclaimer of Liability:
Competitors participate in the Regatta entirely at their own risk.  The GPSR, the GPSR Race Committee and the GPSR Board of Governors will not accept any liability for material damage or personal injury or death sustained in conjunction with or prior to, during, or after the regatta.

Mooring, Launch and Haul-out:
A limited amount of dock space and a larger number of moorings are available at no charge for the duration of the Regatta (first come, first serve).  Entrants are responsible for their own docking or mooring which can be obtained by calling the Provincetown Harbormaster at (508) 487-7030, Flyer’s Boat Yard at (508) 487-0518 or Provincetown Marina 508-487-0571. Launch and Haul-out services may also be obtained by calling the Harbormaster or Flyer’s. In addition, a public launch area and ramp is available for smaller vessels at the West End Parking area.  This is located on Commercial Street past the Coast Guard Station.  The ramp can be accessed best from Bradford Street by turning down Franklin Street, then right on to Commercial Street.  The West End parking lot will be clearly visible on the left approximately four blocks after the Coast Guard Station.  Boats must be launched around high tide at all locations.  It is a 10 foot tide, so 1 to 2 hours either side of high tide it is possible to launch both centerboard and keel boats.  Regatta participants.  Please contact the Harbormaster for trailer storage locations and availability per location.

Information: 
Contact info@provincetownschoonrrace.com, 508-487-SAIL or see the Great Provincetown Schooner Regatta web page at: http://www.provincetownschoonerrace.com/ for the complete schedule, social events, directions to the harbor, public launch sites, marina facilities, housing and other places of interest.