Notice of Race
The complete guide, plus a free template you can copy
A Notice of Race advertises a sailing event and sets the terms of entry. This guide explains what belongs in it, how to write each section, and gives UK sailing clubs a complete template to copy.
In brief
Before entries open
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Publish the Notice of Race before asking sailors to enter or pay.
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Include the authority, rules, eligibility, schedule, fees, scoring and entry route.
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Check the wording against the current Racing Rules of Sailing and RYA guidance.
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Issue a dated amendment when terms change instead of silently replacing the document.
Visual guide
Publish the terms before the race
Move from event details to entry terms, safety rules and a final club-ready notice.
Follow the marked routeWhat is a Notice of Race?
A Notice of Race, usually shortened to NoR, is the document that advertises a sailing event and sets the terms on which competitors may enter. It should answer the practical questions a visiting sailor asks before committing: can my boat enter, what will it cost, when do I need to arrive, how will results be calculated, and where do I sign up?
The organising authority publishes it before entries open. In a UK club that authority is normally the host sailing club, sometimes working with a class association. The NoR sits under the Racing Rules of Sailing 2025-2028 published by World Sailing, together with the RYA prescriptions used in the UK.
Its audience is the sailor who has not entered yet. That is the key distinction. The NoR comes first and helps them decide. Sailing Instructions come later and explain how racing will operate on the day. The two documents may cover some of the same ground, but they must not contradict each other. Our guide to the difference between a Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions shows exactly where that line sits.
Is a Notice of Race required?
For an event open to entries from outside the host club, publish a Notice of Race. Visitors need a single written statement of the event they are entering, and the organising authority needs a clear record of the terms it offered. It is also strongly recommended for any event that asks competitors to travel, pay a fee or arrange accommodation.
The Racing Rules of Sailing require written Sailing Instructions for every race. Standing weekly club racing is usually handled more simply: many clubs publish a short Notice of Series once a year, covering eligibility, entry, the season calendar and scoring, then run the programme under standing Sailing Instructions. You do not need a fresh long-form document for every Tuesday evening race if the season documents already cover it.
The useful test
If someone outside the race team could reasonably ask what they have agreed to enter, put the answer in a published NoR or Notice of Series.
What goes in a Notice of Race
Use the standard order below. It makes the document easier for visiting competitors to scan and easier for the club to check. Include what applies to your event, remove what does not, and never leave an unresolved bracket or a copied detail from last year's meeting.
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01
Organising authority
Name the club responsible for the event and any class association organising it jointly.
Common mistake: naming the race team but not the authority behind it.
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02
Rules
State that the Racing Rules of Sailing 2025-2028 apply, then list the RYA prescriptions, class rules and any attached club rules that also govern the event.
Common mistake: saying "club rules apply" without supplying or linking to them.
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03
Eligibility and entry
Define the classes and competitors eligible to enter, the entry route, closing date and terms for late entries.
Common mistake: leaving club, class or age restrictions open to interpretation.
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04
Classification and handicap
Name any competitor classification requirement and the Portsmouth Yardstick, NHC, IRC or one-design basis used for results.
Common mistake: naming a system without saying which fleet or classes it covers.
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05
Fees
Give the exact entry fee in GBP, plus any late surcharge and junior or family discount.
Common mistake: publishing the form before the committee has agreed every price.
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06
Schedule
List registration, any practice race, races scheduled, first warning signal each day, races needed for a series and prizegiving.
Common mistake: letting the website, entry form and NoR show different times.
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07
Sailing Instructions availability
Tell competitors where and when the Sailing Instructions will be available, whether online or at registration.
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08
Venue
Give the club's full address and postcode, then cover launching, parking and access for visiting trailers.
Common mistake: assuming a visitor will know which entrance or slipway to use.
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09
Courses
Describe the likely course type at a useful level, such as windward/leeward or round the cans. Put the full operational detail in the Sailing Instructions.
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10
Penalty system
State whether the Two-Turns Penalty of RRS 44.1 applies and write out any change clearly.
Common mistake: copying a class-specific variation into an unrelated event.
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11
Scoring
Name the Low Point System of RRS Appendix A, the handicap or rating basis, races needed to constitute a series and any discard arrangement.
Common mistake: saying only "handicap racing" when visitors need to know how results will be calculated.
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12
Berthing and storage
Explain where visiting boats, trailers and equipment must be kept while ashore and whether places will be assigned.
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13
Support boats and radio
State whether support boats must register, where they may operate and which VHF channel they must monitor.
Common mistake: publishing a channel before confirming the race team's radio plan.
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14
Prizes
Say which placings, fleets or classes will receive prizes and when they will be awarded.
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15
Disclaimer of liability
Include the event's standard wording on the competitor's decision to race and the organising authority's liability.
Common mistake: rewriting established wording casually and changing its meaning.
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16
Insurance
Set the minimum third-party liability cover, currency and whether that amount applies per incident.
Common mistake: copying an old minimum without checking the club's current policy requirements.
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17
Further information and contact
Finish with a named person, a monitored email address and a phone number. Test all three before publishing.
Common mistake: sending every question to an unmonitored generic inbox.
Free Notice of Race template
Copy this template, replace the bracketed placeholders, and you have a compliant club open-meeting Notice of Race.
Remove options that do not apply, check every date and fee against the entry form, and ask the organising authority to approve the finished document before it goes live.
Build one interactively with the free Notice of Race Builder.
NOTICE OF RACE
[Event name] [Year]
Organised by [Club name][, in conjunction with [Class Association]]
[Venue], [Date(s)]
1. ORGANISING AUTHORITY
The organising authority (OA) is [Club name][ and [Class Association]].
2. RULES
2.1 The event is governed by the rules as defined in The Racing Rules of Sailing 2025-2028.
2.2 The following documents also apply: the prescriptions of the RYA; the [class] class rules; and the club rules listed in Addendum A.
2.3 [If any rule will be changed, state the change and identify it here.]
3. ELIGIBILITY AND ENTRY
3.1 The event is open to all boats of the [class(es)].
3.2 Eligible boats may enter by completing the entry form at [URL or location] and paying the entry fee by [date].
3.3 Late entries will be accepted [on these terms / until this date].
3.4 Each helm shall be a member of a club affiliated to the RYA (or the host club) and each boat shall hold valid third-party insurance as set out in section 15.
4. FEES
[Class]: GBP [amount] per boat. Late entry surcharge: GBP [amount]. Junior/family discount: [terms].
5. SCHEDULE
5.1 Registration: [date and time].
5.2 [Practice race: date and time.]
5.3 [Number] races are scheduled; [number] completed races are required to constitute a series.
5.4 The scheduled time of the warning signal for the first race each day is [time].
5.5 Prizegiving: [date, time and location].
6. SAILING INSTRUCTIONS
The Sailing Instructions will be available [at registration / online at [URL] from [date]].
7. VENUE
[Club name, full address and postcode]. Launching from [slipway]. Parking and visiting-trailer access: [notes].
8. COURSES
The courses to be sailed will be [windward/leeward / round the cans / as described in the Sailing Instructions].
9. PENALTY SYSTEM
The Two-Turns Penalty of RRS 44.1 will apply[, changed as follows: ...].
10. SCORING
10.1 The Low Point System of RRS Appendix A will apply, using [Portsmouth Yardstick / NHC / IRC / one-design class] results.
10.2 [Number] races are required to constitute a series. [Discards apply as follows: ...].
11. BERTHING AND STORAGE
Boats shall be kept in their assigned places in the [boat park / dinghy park] when ashore.
12. SUPPORT BOATS AND RADIO
Support boats shall be registered at [location] and shall [monitor VHF channel [x] / comply with the OA's instructions].
13. PRIZES
Prizes will be awarded to [placings/classes]. [Details.]
14. DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY
Competitors participate in the event entirely at their own risk. See RRS 3, Decision to Race. The organising authority will not accept any liability for material damage or personal injury or death sustained in conjunction with or prior to, during, or after the event.
15. INSURANCE
Each participating boat shall be insured with valid third-party liability insurance with a minimum cover of GBP [amount, e.g. 3,000,000] per incident or the equivalent.
16. FURTHER INFORMATION
For further information contact [name], [email], [phone].Common Notice of Race mistakes
Silence on the question everyone will ask
If parking, camping, launching, crew eligibility or the first start is unclear, the contact inbox fills up. Read the draft as a first-time visitor. Every answer needed to enter and arrive prepared belongs in the NoR or on a clearly linked event page.
Quietly editing the published PDF
Once the NoR is live, changes need a dated written amendment and adequate notice. Replacing the file without a record leaves competitors working from different terms.
Vague eligibility
"Club members only" is incomplete if the event involves a host club, neighbouring clubs or a class association. Name the eligible clubs, classes and any helm or crew conditions.
Missing or inadequate insurance cover
State a third-party liability minimum, the currency and that it applies per incident. Check the amount against the club's current policy requirements instead of carrying last year's figure forward.
No scoring or handicap basis
A visitor needs to know whether they are entering Portsmouth Yardstick, NHC, IRC or one-design racing. State the system and which fleets it covers before asking for an entry fee.
Turn the published schedule into a working race programme
SailHQ handles the operational layer around the Notice of Race. Series templates turn the published dates, race count and target start times into a reusable event calendar. The duty rota assigns the Race Officer, Assistant Race Officer and Safety Boat crew, checks qualifications and sends reminders before each event.
SailHQ does not currently generate or host Notice of Race or Sailing Instructions documents. Keep using your existing Word or PDF workflow for those files, then use SailHQ to run the schedule and people around them.
Notice of Race FAQ
A Notice of Race, usually shortened to NoR, is the document that advertises a sailing event and sets the terms of entry. It tells prospective competitors who is organising the event, who may enter, what it costs, when and where racing takes place, which rules and scoring system apply, and where to find further information. It is published before entries open and before the Sailing Instructions.
A Notice of Race is a requirement of the racing rules framework, not a statutory document required by an Act of Parliament. UK events open to entries from outside the host club should publish one. For standing weekly club racing, many clubs use a short annual Notice of Series alongside standing Sailing Instructions rather than producing a separate long document for every race.
The Notice of Race comes first. It helps a sailor decide whether to enter and sets the entry terms, headline schedule, eligibility, fees and scoring basis. Sailing Instructions are the operating document for competitors and the race team. They explain how racing will run on the day, including courses, signals, start and finish arrangements, time limits and race-day procedures.
For a typical UK club open meeting, publish the Notice of Race six to twelve weeks before the event. That gives visiting sailors enough time to check eligibility, arrange travel and accommodation, organise crew and meet the entry deadline. A larger championship or an event requiring measurement, qualification or long-distance travel needs more notice. Publish it before entries open so every competitor sees the same terms.
Yes, but issue a dated written amendment and give competitors adequate notice. Do not quietly replace the PDF or edit the event page with no record of what changed. Keep the original Notice of Race available, label the amendment clearly, state the sections it changes and send it through the same channels used for entry information. Competitors should not have to compare files to discover new terms.
The organising authority is responsible for the Notice of Race. For a UK open meeting, that is usually the host sailing club, sometimes acting jointly with a class association. A sailing secretary, racing chair or event lead will often draft it, but the club should check the entry terms, schedule and venue details before publication. The race officer should review anything that affects the planned racing.
Next on SailHQ
Finish the race documents
Check the safety controls, split the documents correctly and build the final notice.