1st ACA-SL CUP

The AmericasCupAnywhere sims are hosting the AmericasCupAnywhere-Second Life Cup (ACA-SL Cup). This competition is open to all Second Life sailors.

OVERVIEW OF COMPETITION
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While the competition is open to all SL sailors; certain expectations are placed on entrants. All entrants will need to understand and abide by the rules of the Cup, outlined below.

RULES FOR THE ACA-SL CUP
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The ACA-SL Cup will be governed by a set of FUNDAMENTAL RULES that are used nearly uniformly in Second Life sailboat races.

Additionally, four rules from the ISF 2005-2008 Racing Rules of Sailing will be enforceable by way of formal protest.

FUNDAMENTAL RULES of SAILBOAT RACING FOR ACA-SL CUP
1. Good sportsmanship is more highly regarded that the ability to win at any cost. A boat and her owner shall compete in compliance with recognized principles of sportsmanship and fair play. Violations of good sportsmanship can lead to censure by the race committee at their discretion.
2. Do not edit your boat after the start of the race clock. Penalty: disqualification from race. Do not touch (i.e. edit) another person’s boat. Penalty: disqualification.
[NEW ADDITION] 3. A skipper who has the right of way who protests another boat’s actions in fouling or causing him to have to change course to avoid a collision shall shout PROTEST or P to the boat fouling it giving additional information if possible.
4. A skipper who accepts a protest from another skipper shall acknowledge the acceptance by shouting ACCEPT or YES or Y and do a 360-degree turn as soon as reasonably possible. The skipper shall move clear of the fleet and execute a penalty turn. If there is reasonable room the penalty turn should be done before the skipper reaches the next mark. If there isn’t room to safely do a turn before the mark, the skipper shall do a penalty turn soon after passing the mark.
5. A skipper who does not accept a protest shall hail NO. Following the race the issue shall be resolved on the water in the presence of all who care to listen.
6. The race director will appoint a committee to hear any unresolved protests at time of the hearing. If a committee is not available to hear the protest then a hearing will be held publicly as soon as possible with results being tentative until such ruling.
7. At the discretion of the race committee, attempts to “game” the rules can lead to disqualification. Gaming the rules is loosely defined as using the ruleset to violate the fundamental purpose of the ruleset, which is to create an environment where the faster boat will win the race. The purpose of rules for the ACA-SL Cup is to keep boats sailing competitively and “safely”, not provide opportunities to win by other means than excellence is sailing skills.
8. The race director can give a lagging boat a “finish” and ask the boat to return to the startline for the next race.
9. Boats in a race shall raise sail before -1:45 seconds are left on the clock and not moor until after the race is completed. The skipper who activates the clock may be given minor leeway on this rule (-1:15) if he/she has difficulty starting the clock, getting in boat, and raising sail.

PROTESTABLE RULES FROM THE RACING RULES OF SAILING

10. Starboard Rights
11. Leeward Rights
13. No Rights While Tacking
18. Room at Marks and Obstructions

These rules are illustrated by in text, image, and video at the Starboards Yacht Club at Hollywood. (Hollywood 85,150,24)

FORMAT
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FORMAT: The opening Acts of the ACA-SL Cup will be sailed in Tako version 3.2 (no modifications beyond textures) sailboats (available for purchase on the ACA-SL Cup Docks). These Acts will be fleet races. Each skipper will be permitted one fleet regatta throw out. At the conclusion of the Fleet race schedule the eight top ranked skippers will advance to the Quarterfinals of the ACA-SL Cup where they will participate in match races using the ACA32 Racer model of the AC boat sailboats (available for purchase on the ACA-SL Cup Docks). See the calendar of events for the race schedule.

PERKS AND PRIZES
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Competitors in the ACA-SL Cup will be permitted to place a copy of the Tako they intend to sail in the ACA-SL dock area. Any sail depicting or suggestive of obscene or pornographic images will not be permitted.

Boats from skippers who miss more than two regattas will be removed from the dock area. All competitors in the Fleet races are eligible to win one of the official 32nd America’s Cup game, Virtual Skipper. Five copies will be awarded to skippers chosen by lottery.

The eight skippers who make it to the quarterfinals well be awarded their own ACA32 Racer. Others will be able to buy the ACA32 Racer on the AmericasCupAnywhere Sims. The final winner of the ACA-SL Cup will also receive a copy of the 32nd America’s Cup game, Virtual Skipper and the ACA-SL Cup.

ACA-SL CUP CALENDAR OF EVENTS
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Friday May 25 (Opening Day)
1:30pm ACA-SL Cup Formal Sign Up Ceremony 1
6pm ACA-SL Cup Formal Sign Up Ceremony 2

Mon May 28, 2007
Noon Deadline to sign up for the 2007 ACA-SL Cup

Tue May 29, 2007
1:30pm ACA in SL Fleet Regatta 1A*
6pm ACA in SL Fleet Regatta 1B*

Tue Jun 5, 2007
1:30pm ACA in SL Fleet Regatta 2A
6pm ACA in SL Fleet Regatta 2B

Tue Jun 12, 2007
1:30pm ACA in SL Fleet Regatta 3A
6pm ACA in SL Fleet Regatta 3B

Tue Jun 19, 2007
1:30pm ACA in SL Fleet Regatta 4A
6pm ACA in SL Fleet Regatta 4B

Tue Jun 26, 2007
1:30pm ACA in SL Fleet Regatta 5A
6pm ACA in SL Fleet Regatta 5B

Sat Jun 30, 2007
10am ACA in SL Quarter Finals Matches

Sat Jul 7, 2007
10am ACA in SL Semi Finals Matches

Sat Jul 14, 2007
10am ACA in SL Cup Finals

*= Each skipper will sail each Tuesday. You need not sail at the same time each Tuesday. You can choose each week if you sail at 130pm or 6pm. The letters in the regatta only indicate that there are two regattas, the A and B do not signify skill levels.

Once your boat crosses the start line of the first race you are locked into that regatta for that day.

Scoring of fleet regattas is by cumulative time. See details in the ACA-SL Cup Information notecard.

Note: Each Skipper will be granted one fleet regatta throw out.

SCORING
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1. ACA-SL Cup fleet RACES are determined by cumulative time, not positional finish. At the end of the four races a skipper’s worst time is thrown out and the other three times are combined for a total time. Those times are compared between the two regattas of the day to determine the ranks of finish with REGATTA points assigned as follows: 1st overall in time= .75 points. Second overall in time = 2 points, third overall in time= 3 points. And so forth.
2. If a competitor either cannot finish a race (crash, etc.) or is “given a finish” by the race director, the competitor’s time will be recorded as being equal to the last boat to actually finish plus 2 minutes.
3. A boat that is disqualified will receive a time equal to the last place boat plus 3 minutes.
4. Race directors have the option but not the duty to “give finishes” to any boats they feel are signficantly slowing down the progress of the regatta with slow sailing.
5. Match races for quater-finals and semi-finals are best of 5 (ie. first boat to win 3). Finals are best of 7 (ie. first boat to win 4).

HOW TO ENTER THE ACA-SL CUP
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Skippers who own a Tako 3.2 and are familiar with the Rules for the ACA-SL Cup (including ISF Rules 10,11,13, and 18) may compete in the ACA-SF Cup. In order to apply for the Cup skippers will need to appear before a ACA-SL Cup race committee officer and make the following statement:

“I hereby apply to race in the ACA-SL Cup. I am familiar with the ACA-SL Cup Rules (including ISF Rules 10,11,13, and 18). I promise to abide by these rules. If the ACA-SL Cup Race Committee determines by my actions on the water that I am not familiar with these rules I acknowledge that I could be dismissed from Cup competition.”

If your application is accepted by the race committee officer he/she will give you further instructions.

Once you are accepted as a competitor in the ACA-SL Cup you will be assigned an ID number for your Tako. You will be permitted to place a copy of your boat at the ACA-SL Competitors Docks. You will be given an invitation to the ACA-SL Cup Race Committee group (with the title of competitor). You MUST set your boat’s group to ACA-SL Race Committee and you MUST SHARE your boat to the ASA-SL Race Committee group. Failure to follow these steps will make your boat subject to removal by return from the docks. If you miss more than two regattas in a row your boat is subject to removal from the docks.

There are two formal sign up ceremonies. You may appear before a race committee officer at one of our two ceremonies, 1:30pm and 6pm on May 25, (at the ACA-SL Cup Information Dock), or at any time following the two ceremonies until Monday May 28th at Noon. Formal applications to enter the 2007 ACA-SL Cup end at Noon on May 28th.

Florencia007 Csak
ACA-SL CUP Founder and Director

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