Be at Shilshole Bay Marina C40 - Sat September 28th @ 9:00AM PDT

Bring food and beverages for the raft up! We won’t stay long but I do plan to join for a bit.

Details from Duck Dodge FB page:

The long awaited official announcement! This year’s Rum Run will be held on Saturday, September 28th.



This time of year brings heavier winds and heavier sea state to the Puget Sound. Remember that sailing with us is voluntary and the safety of your crew and your boat are your responsibility.



The start line will be between the Committee Boat and the white event mark outside of the Shilshole breakwater. We will have 2 marks on the east side of the shipping lanes, Meadow Point and West Point, with the first mark being windward of the starting line.



We will have an upwind start to the first mark, downwind to the second mark, and a reach across the sound to Port Madison. Check the comments for the chartlet that shows the bounds of our area of operation. The finish line will be between the committee boat (inside Pt. Monroe Bay) and a bearing directly north, extending approximately 100 yards; we may or may not have a buoy set because of the depth. Last year, we sighted the line from the orange flag on the committee boat to the radio tower on land to the north.



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MARK ROUNDING:

Round West Point to Starboard, round Meadow Point to Port!



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There will be 4 starts:

11:00 – First – Fast boats with fast crew.

11:05 – Second – Fast boats with slower crew or faster crew with slower boats.

11:10 – Third – Least fast boats flying spinnakers

11:15 – Fourth – Least fast boats NOT flying spinnakers

There is no dinghy start.



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In regard to dinghies participating, this is a tough call. We don’t have any “rules” around what boats may or may not participate in the event. That said, we do not have a dinghy start for this event because it is on the sound in a time when weather can be nasty.

The safety of our sailors is paramount. If you are sailing in the event, you are doing so voluntarily and must assess your own risk. We do not have a chase boat or a safety boat.

If you want to bring a boat out that is not self-righting in possible inclement weather, you do so agreeing that you do not hold any Duck Dodge organizers, event administrators, committee crew, or other event participants liable for damage, injury, or loss of life.

Please don’t participate with a dinghy if you are inexperienced on the sound with a non-self righting boat.



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We will raft up in Port Madison, but remember that our days are short this time of year. Plan your trip back across accordingly and make sure your navigation lights are legal. Should you need to leave the raft earlier than the boats on either side of you, make sure you arrange with the respective boats to run lines around in front or in back of your boat so that we can suck the raft back together after your departure.



***** IMPORTANT *****



We will be crossing the Vessel Traffic System (VTS) lanes for this event. Commercial traffic has right of way, no matter what. If you get 5 horns for being a dumbass in the way of commercial traffic, you will be AUTOMATICALLY DISQUALIFIED. Trust me, your fellow participants will narc on you. Disobeying this may also result in revocation of our future permits. Don’t duck this up.



This will also be the first day of the J/24 World Championships that are happening in the same playground. After speaking with organizers, it sounds like our two events will not interfere with one another, but please be aware that we are sharing the waters with another event.



On the water communications will be handled over VHF channel 72. It is wise to also monitor 16 (USCG) and 14 (VTS).