Change to start time
The briefing will now commence at 09.00hrs on Saturday morning. The first start is changed to 09.30hrs. All teams must be present and registered before the briefing.
Format
The BUSA Playoffs will use the Hebbert-Lucas format. This format involves all teams competing in a round robin (for this event, 136 races).
The round robin is structured so that teams complete a similar number of races at roughly the same time in the programme. In the event it is not possible to finish the round robin, this produces a fairer result as teams will have sailed a similar number of races.
The schedule of racing is attached to this notice. Teams will be allocated to their races on the morning of racing by random draw. We cannot do the draw sooner as a dropout means the schedule has to be re-calculated. Once the draw is done, teams will know the entire schedule of racing for the two days.
Teams will be given copies of their schedule on the day.
Qualification
At present, 7 teams will qualify to the Finals from the Playoffs. It is likely BUSA will amend the Notice of Race this week to increase this to either 9 or 10 teams. This is due to dropouts in the Ladies’ competition, which means more places can be offered in the open competition. The final number will be notified to teams at the morning briefing.
It is not BUSA’s intention to run any racing beyond the round robin. Therefore, the ranking at the end of the round robin will be used to determine qualification to the Finals. If you qualify, you will be contacted by Southampton University who are hosting the Finals. Entry forms and entry fees must be received by BUSA or Southampton no later than 5pm on Friday 18 March. If you miss the deadline, another team will be invited in your place.
Tie breaks
If all 136 races are completed, ties will be broken in accordance with rule D4.2 (the usual tie break rules).
If all 136 races are not completed, ties will be broken in the following order (please see the SIs for the actual wording):
A If all tied teams have met, the number of races won when the tied teams met.
B If all tied teams have met, the points scored when the tied teams met.
C The sum of points scored in all races divided by the number of races sailed (i.e. average points)
D For each tied team, the sum of the percentages of races won by the teams they beat, calculated as C above, divided by the number of races they won.
E For each tied team, the sum of the average points per race for the teams they beat, divided by the number of races they won.
F A sail-off if possible, otherwise a game of chance.
In B and E the team with the lowest number shall be ranked first; in all other cases the team with the highest number shall be ranked first. If a tie is partially resolved by one of the above, then the remaining ties shall be broken by starting again at A.
Team changes
You must have BUSA’s permission to change any crew or helms from those which were originally entered. The team captain is personally responsible for this. Failing to inform BUSA of any changes may lead to your team being protested and disqualified (even if they qualify for the Finals).
Further information is the the below document.