Chesapeake Bay Triton Fleet Bylaws

 Article 1:  Rules Committee

The Rules Committee of the CBTF shall interpret the Bylaws and pass on all questions relative to the eligibility of boats and equipment.  The Rules Committee shall be selected by the Governing Committee at the Annual Meeting of the membership.

Article 2:  Dues

1. Dues Schedule:  Dues for Regular, Sustaining and Honorary Members shall be determined each year by the Governing Committee
2. Payment Schedule:  Yearly dues are to be billed immediately after the first of January and are payable on or before the first of February.  Boats will not be eligible for racing until dues have been paid.

Article 3:  Emblem, Number and Name

1. Emblem:  The emblem of the Class shall be a two pronged Triton fork, permanently affixed to both sides of the mainsail.  Boats competing in Delta, MORC or Cruising Class are required to blank out the emblem.
2. Number:  Numbers shall be affixed in conformance with the applicable rule of the Chesapeake Bay Yacht Racing Association (CBYRA).
3. Name:  It is suggested that the name of the boat and her port of call be applied to the transom.

Article 4:  Eligibility for Racing

1. Personnel:  Owner must be an amateur yachtsman and a member in good standing in the Fleet.
2. Hull:  Waterline length of the hull shall not exceed 21’ 6” with all required equipment aboard and with gas and water tanks full.  Also, hull must conform to one of the following categories:
   1. Hulls built of similar materials and over identical forms used by the Pearson Corporation, One Constitution Street, Bristol, Rhode Island, for construction of Triton No. 1, or
   2. Hulls built to the same design, but with sealed ballast, or
   3. Hulls built to the same design, but which depart in minor respects, providing such departures are approved in writing by the Rules Committee.
3. Standing Rigging:  Standing Rigging is limited to a maximum size of 3/16” x 1 x 19 stainless steel wire.  Layout is limited to the 7/8 sloop rig, which may be supplemented by the addition of forward lower shrouds.
4. Running Rigging:  There shall be no restrictions on the size or layout of the running rigging.  Halyards may be trimmed to the cleats located at the base of the mast or be carried aft within reach of the cockpit.  Use of patent fittings, downhauls, or winches is optional on halyards and sheets.  Arrangement of jib, main and spinnaker sheet and guy leads, blocks and cleats is optional. Vanging of the main boom is optional and may be located as desired.  Use of topping lift on main boom is optional.  Cunningham devices are allowed.
5. Spinnaker Pole:  Spinnaker poles may be 10’ 0” long maximum.  It may be hoisted by means of topping lift and guyed as preferred by the owner.  Track stop for vertical travel of pole may be a maximum of 7’ 0” from top of the deckhouse.
6. Sails:
   1. Dimensions:

2. Accessories:  Headboard may be 6” wide at top.  There is a limit of four battens in the mainsail.  The batten lengths are unrestricted with any taper and any material allowed, with the limitation that the battens cannot impact the ability of the crew to reef the mainsail when necessary.   Maximum batten length is as follows (based on the IOR rule):  top 33” (.21E), middle two 53” (.34E), bottom 39” (.25E)
3. Mainsail Restrictions and Banding:  Mainsails must not exceed an “E” measurement of 13’ 0” and a “P” measurement of 33’ 0” and black bands 1” wide must be placed on the spars to so indicate.  Girth of main shall not exceed a Mean Girth Upper (MGU) of 4.94’ and a Mean Girth Middle (MGM) of 8.45’.
4. Sail Inventory:  The permissible sail inventory to be used during any race consists of one each of the following:  Mainsail, Working jib, Genoa #1, Genoa #2 and spinnaker.
5. Sail Replacement:  The sail inventory of any boat may be increased by no more than one complete suit of sails during any one season.
6. Old Sails:  The luff, leech or foot of old jibs and genoas may exceed the above standards by two percent provided that the sail remains no larger than the area set forth above, and provided that the Rules Committee is satisfied that the condition is due to normal stretch.  Old spinnakers may have luffs of up to 2” more than 30’ 4” if the maximum girth is an equivalent amount less than 17’ 9”, and vice versa.

Note:  All sail measurements are to be taken at the end of the sail, not at the eyes.  New sails shall be certified by the sail maker to meet all of the above requirements.

7. Equipment:  Boats shall be raced in cruising trim and owners must recognize the spirit of this requirement.  The intent of this requirement is twofold:  to insure the carrying of adequate safety equipment and to discourage lightening the boats as and aid to winning races.  Specifically, there shall be on board while racing minimum equipment as follows:
   1. All equipment required by the United States Coast Guard,
   2. All equipment required by the United States Yacht Racing Union, for Cruising Division, Category 4, except that there shall be either 1) two pumps or 2) one pump operable with all cockpit seats and hatches closed,
   3. All equipment required by the Chesapeake Bay Yacht Racing Association for Cruising Division, Class D, with the following exceptions to life line requirement:  boat must be equipped with life lines carried to the deck at least as far back as the forward end of the cockpit coaming.
8. Exceptions:  Boats built with yawl rig, masthead rig, or boats with other deviations from the standard sail plan which conform to Fleet requirements in all other respects may be permitted to race under special arrangement with the Rules Committee.

Article 5:  Haulouts

A maximum of one haulout for repairs and bottom painting is permitted each racing season.  The bottom may be cleaned with the hull in the water, or beached, as frequently as required.  Haulouts for emergency repairs will not be counted if the bottom is only repaired and not cleaned.

Article 6:  Amendments

Bylaws may be adopted, altered and amended or revoked at any meeting of membership, provided a quorum is present, by a two-thirds vote of those present, and providing that notice of such intended action shall have been mailed ten days prior thereto.

Article 7:  National Triton Association

1. Fleet Obligations:  The Fleet hereby obligates itself to join the National Triton Association and to pay annual dues as prescribed by that organization
2. Individual Member Contribution:  Individual members are urged to join the National Triton Association and to contribute items of interest to the newsletters and improvement bulletins by that organization

Article 8:  Chesapeake Bay Yacht Racing Association (CBYRA)

Members are urged to join the CBYRA and to contribute to its continuing success through their interests and participation in all sanctioned events

Note:  These bylaws were adopted November 10, 1970 and amended December 4, 1971, March 1989, January 1995 and November 2004.