LSC Support Boats - load limits

The 2 LSC support boats, OrangeAid and MarmalAid are designed to be suitable for use in the area and conditions in which we normally race. 

The capacity of the boats (crew and equipment) is sufficient for our normal racing conditions (gusts of max 22 knots).  We operate the boats with an acceptable safety margin to the operational limits of the boats (max average 27 knots).

We must operate the boats as follows to maintain this safety margin:

  • There should be a maximum of 3 people in each support boat, unless...
    • there's an emergency, when it is acceptable to carry 4 people.
    • in calm conditions (force 4 or less)
  • The Committee boat crew (RO and ARO) should be ferried to/from the Little Holly in separate boats.
  • While patrolling during a race, there should be 2 people on the support boat.  At least one person should be dressed appropriately to enter the water if necessary, leaving a PB2 qualified driver in the boat.  Note, entering the water may be required in an emergency (such as a head injury) or recovering a dinghy, but only if the crew is confident to do this.
  • Care should be taken to minimise the weight of crew and equipment in the boats when manoeuvring (e.g., recovering marks, transferring crew to Little Holly, assisting dinghy recovery)
  • The driver of the support boat is responsible for all aspects of the boat's operation and safety and their decision is final.

We have set the limits for dinghy racing to provide an acceptable margin of safety within the operational limits of the support boats, even when dealing with emergency situations where racing may need to be abandoned due to deteriorating conditions.  To ensure this, we do not race when the winds reach 22 knots or more (in the gusts). 

Naturally, the practical operational limits also depend on the skill and experience of the driver and crew, and the Race Officer will take this into account when deciding to run a race close to our limits. 

We encourage everyone involved in dinghy support duty to attend the practice sessions that are offered regularly to rehearse the skills that may be used in race duty (contact Irene!).