Fleet Season Championship Rules 

1. Only valid fleet members – individuals who have paid owner or associate dues to the Northern California Byte Fleet -- are counted in the season championships. 
   
   Explanation: If a fleet member finishes 2^nd in a race and the winner is not a fleet member, that 2^nd place fleet member is counted as #1 for purposes of the season championship.)
   
   

2. Only fleet members who have competed (started at least one race on a race day) during at least 50% of all race days are considered competitors for the season championship. 
   
   Explanation: This rule requires a minimum of participation – not just big success on one or two weekends. Percentage of days was chosen as criteria rather than percentage of races because some days we get in a lot of races, some days you're lucky to finish a single race – but competitors still had to show up, rig, etc.)
   
   

3. All races in a season championship regatta count. (Explanation. A race discarded as a throw-out for purposes of a particular event, such as a RYC regatta, still counts towards the season championship.)
   
   

4.  The number of throw-outs allowed for season championship purposes depends on the total number of races sailed in season championship events. 1 to 4 races = 0 throw outs, 5 to 9 races = 1 throw out, 10 to 14 races = 2 throw outs throw outs, 15 to19 races = 3 throw outs, etc.
   
   

5. Scoring for individual races is as follows:

• 1^st place = .75 point

• 2^nd place = 2 points

• 3^rd place = 3 points, etc.

• DNF (a competing boat that properly starts but fails to finish a race) = points equal to number of boats starting that race

• DNS (a competing boat that fails to cross the starting line) = points equal to number of boats starting that race +1

• Withdrew/retired (a competing boat that finished the race but later withdrew)  = points equal to number of boats starting the race +2

• DNC (boat not listed on the regatta sign-in form) = points equal to number of boats starting that race +3

• DSQ (a competing boat that started but was disqualified by a protest jury) = points equal to the number of member boats competing in that race +4

• Non-member and unregistered boats will not be scored for the the season championship trophy. Such boats will be removed from the sequential order of finished before calculation of points awarded for the season championship.

6. For purposes of the above scoring, a  competing boat is one whose skipper has has paid their Byte fleet membership dues for the year before starting a race AND who signs the regatta sign-in form that day AND starts at least 1 race of the regatta.
   
   

7. A DSQ cannot be used as a throw out unless it is an OCS. 
   
   Explanation: A boat that has been disqualified for any reason other than being on the wrong side of the start line and failing to return to re-start cannot use that DSQ as a throw out. However, an OCS who finishes a race typically does not realize that their boat was over at the start, so is sufficiently penalized by their score in the individual regatta -- the disqualification should not automatically be carried over to the fleet championship .

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last edit: 02/07/08