WISSA Rules

A perfect gift for the annivesary of wissa.og: we have got the WISSA rules on line!

Please take a note of the Rule A1: "Every sailor shall behave and act to avoid accidents"

(A)	GENERAL RULES
A1.	Avoid accidents: Every sailor shall behave and act to avoid accidents.
A2.	Obligation to be informed: It is the responsibility of every sailor to be fully informed about conditions and hazards in the sailing area. This includes ice and snow conditions, open water, obstacles, and other people.
A3.	Safety Equipment: Helmets must be worn. Protective padding for knees, elbows, hips, shoulders and wrists are recommended. Carrying bear claws and wearing clothing appropriate for the prevailing weather is also recommended.
A4.	Emergency Manoeuvers: If a collision seems imminent, all sailors must slow down and must give way to avoid the collision. If on different tacks, the sailor with the right of way must luff up and the sailor without right-of-way must bear off. If on the same tack, the windward sailor must luff up and the leeward sailor must bear off.
A5.	Obligation to maintain course: The sailor with right-of-way shall maintain his/her proper course.
A6.	Obligation to give way: The sailor without right-of-way shall give way.
A7.	Obligation to look behind: The sailor who intends to change tacks must look behind, several times if necessary, to ensure that he/she is clear to tack.
A8.	Right-of-way on different tacks: The sailor on port tack (left hand forward) shall give way to the sailor on starboard tack (right hand forward).
A9.	Right-of-way on same tack: When two sailors are on the same tack the windward (upwind sailor) shall keep clear.
A10.	Right of way when overtaking: The overtaking sailor must give way and the sailor being overtaken shall maintain his/her proper course.
(B)	WISSA RACING RULES
B1.	Right-of-way at Marks: At all marks, the first sailor entering the mark circle perimeter has the right of way. The mark circle is an area 10 meters in diameter around the mark. This circle may or may not be physically marked on the ice or snow.
B2.	Stopping in the mark circle: No sailor shall intentionally stop or get off the sled inside the perimeter of the mark circle. Rounding the mark by walking is not allowed.
B3.	Leaving the mark circle: Each sailor shall leave the mark circle as quickly as possible, to avoid interference with other sailors rounding the mark.
B4.	Pushing at the start: Pushing to reach gliding speed at the start line is permitted in the Open Class.
B5.	Pushing after stopping: After stopping or after a fall, the sailor may push his/her sled in order to reach gliding speed. This also applies to the area within mark circles.
B6.	Lifting of sled: Lifting the sled is permitted after stops, falls and to complete tacks and jibes.
B7.	Pumping: Pumping is permitted in all classes.
B8.	Skating: In the Free Sail and Kite classes, skate skiing is permitted.
B9.	Control of kites: Kite sailors must control their equipment to prevent interference with other sailors. When crossing or passing, the upwind sailor must raise his/her kite and the downwind sailor must lower his/her kite. Overtaking sailors must keep clear of sailors being overtaken. When a kite crashes, lines on the ground are considered to be obstacles. Other sailors must make every effort to avoid these obstacles. Sailors may re-launch their kites only when it will not interfere with other sailors. Kite sailors shall lift their control lines only after looking behind to ensure that there will not be any interference with other sailors or kite lines.
B10.	Exchange of equipment: The exchange of equipment (sleds, sails, kites, lines, harness etc. between sailors during a race is not permitted.
B11.	Bibs: It is the sailor’s obligation to make sure that bib numbers are fully visible from front and back. Failure to do so may result in a DNF (did not finish).
(C)	DEFINITION OF CLASSES
C1.	Open Class: The sailor stands on any type of sled or board or skies to control a conventional sailboard rig. The sled may have blades, skis and/or runners. The sled may also have a snowboard or a mono ski, provided that the rig is attached to the sled only with a universal joint. A windsurfing harness and lines are permitted. Sleds with stayed masts and ice boats such as the DN are not permitted.
C2.	Free Sail Class: The sailor stands on any kind of sliding device (skis, skates, snowboard etc.) to control any type of free sail (skate sail, Skimbat, wing sail, etc.) directly with their hands. A windsurfing harness and a line less than 2 m in length is permitted to transmit the sail load to the sailor, but flying lines may not be used to control the sail. Mechanical connections between the sail and the sliding device are not permitted.
C3.	Kite Class: The sailor stands on any type of sliding device (skis, skates, snowboard, etc.) to control a kite (or kite train) with control lines. The sailor may not hold the kite directly, but instead only the control handles or control bar. Flying lines are those lines that connect to the handles/bar and the first kite. A short length of very strong, thick line is allowed at the handles/bar, provided it is less than 1 m long and not made of Kevlar or metal. Line length is measured between the handles (or bar) and the back of the last kite. The maximum length allowed is 50 meters. Kevlar and metal flying lines are not allowed. A harness may be worn by the sailor to transmit the kite load, but it must have a mechanical quick-release system or be of the open type, such as a windsurfing hook. A fail-safe method must be incorporated into the control handles/bar system to allow the kite to be de-powered in an extreme gust.

Welcome to WISSA!

After 20++ years of existence WISSA finally has its own web site!

• It is really easy to calculate the age of WISSA: in 2004 the World Championships will be run for the TWENTY FOURTH thime!
  
• 
  By the way, this site is a good place to store our chronology, any articles, notes and memories. You are welcome to register and post. Everything will be carefully organized and published with reference and credits.
  

Estonia 2003 - thoughts outloud

COMPETITORS - I can not hide my disappointment...
KITES - Almost all of the races...
RACES - The first three races proved...
MARATHON - The marathon was all...
CHAMPIONSHIPS - Besides the races the participants were...

COMPETITORS
I can not hide my disappointment with Canadian, German and Swiss teams that did not come to the Championships - they had a real opportunity to lead course race. Of course, if they would join us the races could be more interesting and result more objective. However, those who came to Lake Harku were very strong and dangerous competitors. (No matter how they call this small Lake - it is a race site and not a vacation sailing spot: the competition show must happen.)
Boris Filimonov who was one of the strongest monoski sailors before performed extraordinarily in the Championships. No shame to loose to such a racer.
Slava Shemjakin - just super! He is older than most of us yet sails among the best.
Anatoliy Sarafannikov could not get any prize position but no one doubts in his tremendous potential.
Juriy Shuvalov is just starting up as a racer but obviously soon we will sneak into the leaders group.
Once again Vladimir Zakharov has confirmed his speciality as the fastest stayer.
Certainly, Roman Lubimtsev is a talent as strong racer and designer and manufacturer of the kites. Another senior Sergei Akeljev can really bet up anyone.
In short, most of the strongest Russians were there and performed as the best. Too bad that western countries did not interfere in this argument.
In our opinion Valentina Abaeva has beaten in absentia all of the renown kite-girls!
During the last year kitesailing in Russia has made a giant leap forward thanks to a great number of internal competitions ad constant growth of the number of participants. Comparing the performances of Russians in Finland, Italy and Estonia we dare to claim that we are able to compete in course race against anyone in the world!
We are going to prove this next year in Canada.

KITES
Almost all of the races (5 of 7) were driven by weak winds that enabled to carry the biggest kites. (I think the real limit for course race is 10m2 because anything else would not let go upwind sharp enough.) That is why the tiniest fault in the kite tune up or improper ski wax could cost the race. The first reason put me fifth in the very important first race. My new 10 m2 ParaAvis B-2 was not properly tested in-design and adjusted.
No one is guaranteed against mistakes and I believe that ParaAvis - the maker of great kites will fix the problem very soon.
Jo-Jo RM are other great kites that I used. These are pure racer's choice and are no good for amateurs - they do not forgive any mistakes. We are just going to relay to the manufacturer some pretensions regarding wind range of the RM kites.
New ELFs give great impression: stable and fast. We hope that Roman will soon produce a good race kite and even export it abroad. Big kites are the most difficult to design and manufacture.

RACES
The first three races proved no hope for "dolce vita" for leaders - the positions will not be determined until the last race. Weather conditions did not match organizer's promise of ten races. That has created a lot of tension among racers. The problem was that the number of dropped worst races depended on the number of races performed. Thus every bad result was considered as the step to the bad final.
The fight on the course varied by scale form Sarafannikov's finish in the first race with the whole mark lead to the "photo-finish" of me and Boris Filimonov in the third. Nevertheless the results after seven races practically matched the results of the first one.
The day of Feb.14th was real fun when the wind picked up from smooth 4-5m/s to gusty 10-12m/s. Fifth race - again on 10 m2 kites. Sixth - scattered the racers who used big kites and as a result - collisions, cut lines and protests. The last, seventh race was a true "ice battle". I was dumb enough to choose Jo-Jo RM-6 which in result was holding me away from the finish line when Sergei Akeljev was enjoying the race on his Batwing-3.
The intrigue with result dropping reached its culmination and we were waiting for the judge's word - continue course races or do marathon? Finally for Feb.15th a marathon was appointed and the resulting disposition in course race was left to settle by international protest committee. Of course we wanted to have more races to prove the scores on ice but alas, the jury decided differently and we were all left with a feeling that results are a kind of lottery.
The mistake was made and admitted by judges on Feb.12 when the race day was closed too early, but nothing could be changed.

MARATHON
The marathon was all crumpled. At first, the loop counting was not well thought through which had impact on the result. Then the start was open with no clear sign so that some racers could not start in time. Vladimir Zakharov who is known as a risky and lucky guy hit the jackpot choosing the big 9m2 kite. He rode far away from the struggle with Sarafannikov who did not risk with his 6m2.

CHAMPIONSHIPS
Besides the races the participants were mostly left for themselves. The dace club party was not too inspiring and the majority rested at the hotel drinking traditional Russian beverage.
The closing ceremony beat all records by modesty and speed.
Analyzing Championships in Estonia of 1991, 1996 and 2003 we have to admit that the last one was not the best one. This would not have happened if the organizers were one team from the beginning to the end. Even in such Swimming Pool Harku the races can be enjoyable if everything is done right.

Alexei Rajev (TT)
Translated and edited with permission of the author by Dibutil.

WISSA History

If you happen to have photos, links, newspaper clips, magazines, t-shirts from any of the Championships 1980-2008 please send me the soft-copies, we want to fill out the blanks in our history before the Anniversary event!

WISSA History

If you happen to have photos, links, newspaper clips, magazines, t-shirts from any of the Championships 1980-2008 please send me the soft-copies, we want to fill out the blanks in our history before the Anniversary event!

WISSA History

If you happen to have photos, links, newspaper clips, magazines, t-shirts from any of the Championships 1980-2008 please send me the soft-copies, we want to fill out the blanks in our history before the Anniversary event!