ORCV · Sailing Instructions V2 · All times AEDT

2026 Melbourne to Devonport Rudder Cup

Start Fri 30 Oct 2026 · Drapers Reef, Queenscliff · finish Mersey River, Devonport

1640Warning signal · white flare

1645Start · green flare

VHF 82Pre-race / sign-on (Ocean Racing)

VHF 12Shipping advice & start sequence

VHF 73Finish reports · MYC berthing

0418 396 605Race Director · position SMS

Sign-on is mandatory. Not answering on VHF 82 between 1600 and 1630 (or a poor signal) scores DNS. Reply: “{boat} is a starter, we comply with the Notice of Race, {xx} persons on board, OVER”.

Sunset 1952, sunrise 0614. Between them RRS 10–22 are replaced by ColRegs, and lifejackets must be worn on deck (also through the Heads, crossing a bar, heightened risk). Double-handed crews wear lifejackets on deck at all times.

Course chart

Drag to pan, pinch or scroll to zoom. Coastline is Natural Earth 10 m and the drawn positions are from the SIs; neither is for navigation. Red = exclusion zones (obstructions). Dashed line is the straight line from the Pilot Boarding Ground to the finish, for orientation only.

My position

GPS off

Or paste a position from the plotter (kept on this phone only). Either way it builds the SMS for the sched.

—Position (deg + whole min)

—To Farewell Beacon (rhumb)

—To Yolla platform

—To Trefoil well

Send to 0418 396 605 by 0815 / 2015 (Starlink or Iridium Go/Exec boats: post in the ORCV 26M2D WhatsApp group instead). Position must be the 0800 / 2000 fix, degrees and whole minutes.

Timeline — scheds and check-ins

Friday 30 October
0730
Last possible change to SIs posted on orcv.org.au
1500–1545
Monitor pre-race comms VHF 82Start-line selection, time changes, frequency changes. Postponements announced here before sign-on (SMS may follow).
1600–1630
Sign-on schedule VHF 82Boats called alphabetically. Miss it = DNS. Declare here if you intend to start late (up to 12 h after the signal). Missed first call → wait for the repeat at the end. Problems → call RD on 82 or phone after the sched.
1630
Shipping advice broadcast VHF 12Then keep a watch on 12 and 16 until 3 nm outside the Heads; hold any course/directions given.
1640
Warning signal — white flare VHF 12No preparatory or one-minute signal. Sound signals relayed on 12 if possible.
1645
Start — green flare VHF 12Individual recall: one white flare / named on VHF 12. No general recall. Start in a south-westerly direction.
3 nm out
Revert to VHF 16 and keep a constant watch on 16 for the rest of the race.
1952
Sunset — lifejackets on deck; ColRegs replace RRS 10–22 until 0614.
2000
Position fix #1 — SMS by 2015 0418 396 605Format: Pos {Boat} {SN}, {dd mm ddd mm}. Starlink / Iridium Go: WhatsApp group.
Saturday 31 October and daily until finish
0800
Position fix — SMS by 0815 0418 396 605
2000
Position fix — SMS by 2015 0418 396 605Continue every 12 h until your 60-minute finishing report is acknowledged (or you are retired and in safe harbour). RD may alter times.
0745 1345 1733
Tas Maritime Radio coastal forecasts VHF 67/68/69Call on 16 first. HF 4146 / 6227 kHz.
Approaching Devonport
−60 min
1st finishing report with ETA VHF 73 or SMS 0418 396 605Then monitor 73 and 16 until berthed and declaration made. Once acknowledged, routine scheds stop.
−5 min
2nd finishing report VHF 73At night: illuminate sail numbers / spreader lights. Record your own GPS finish time to 1 s.
Finish
Cross N→S between Farewell Beacon and the western breakwater light. Keep clear of Spirit of Tasmania / Strait Link.
Post finish
Berthing / mooring advice VHF 73 MYC tenderFollow the MYC guide boat if present — channels have shifted and markers may mislead. Draft >3.0 m may need to wait for tide.
+1 h
Notify RD of any intent to protest / request redress (phone, SMS, email or radio). Boats leaving directly for another port: declaration due now.
+2 h
Race Declaration to RD (hard copy, or photo/PDF by SMS or email) — late = 120 min penaltyInclude return voyage plan, tracker retention, any motoring to avoid shipping, any missed scheds and why.
+6 h
Protest / redress lodgement deadline (and 6 h after results posting for results-related redress).
Sun 1 Nov
Presentation at Mersey Yacht Club (or as advised by SMS).
20 Nov
Tracker returned to ORCV office ($60/month if late). Switch off at home club. SMS the RD once safely inside the Heads on the return.

Marks and positions

Tap a position to open it in Google Maps. Course: start → ORCVA to port → keep the Heads Exclusion Zone to port → keep clear of the Pilot Boarding Ground, Yolla and Trefoil zones → finish at Devonport.

Mark	Role	Position	Description

Positions given in the SIs as approximate are flagged “approx”. You must photograph your plotter track through the Heads and around the Pilot Boarding Ground; the RD may ask for it.

Start

Line: QR light on Drapers Reef Pile to a vessel/buoy with rotating blue light ~300 m SE. If the vessel/buoy is missing: extension of the line from the rotating amber shore light through Drapers Reef light, running roughly E–W, not more than 400 m.
Late start (up to 12 h): the line becomes Drapers Reef Pile Light to virtual mark 38°16.334′S 144°40.041′E (~400 m E). Call Ocean Racing on VHF 82 as you cross and give your time. Still do all position scheds.
Alternative line (announced at sign-on with a revised time): 150 m E of the Q Fl Y special mark at the Ex-HMAS Canberra dive site to a vessel ~450 m further E. After clearing the Heads, go to VHF 82 for instructions; if no start vessel, the sequence is run on 82.
Penalties in Port Phillip: Two Turns (monohull) / One Turn (multihull) for Part 2 breaches; time penalty outside the Heads.
Shipping: keep clear of vessels >35 m, especially in the Heads. You may motor perpendicular to a ship’s track to avoid it, then return to the same spot, stop the engine and resume. Report it on the declaration. Impeding a ship = DSQ.

Finish and Devonport

Line: ~400 m, Farewell Beacon Fl(2)R 10s 8M at 41°09.957′S 146°22.229′E (east side of the Mersey mouth) to a rotating orange/yellow light at the inner end of the western breakwater. Cross north to south.
Commercial shipping has priority in the channel and the river.
Then up the Mersey through the port to Mersey Yacht Club; raft on the pontoons in front of the club or a club mooring. Updated access diagram (silting after floods and new ferries) is on the ORCV M2D page / from the briefing.
Biosecurity Tasmania: no fresh fruit or vegetables ashore. No flares fired at Devonport. Lock up flares and controlled medications. No open liquor in public streets.

Comms rules and penalties

AIS transmitting with boat name and MMSI at all times. Monitor VHF 16 at all times (dual watch recommended).
Sat phone on, on ship’s power, answered when called. Person in Charge’s mobile on and charged.
No private comms not available to all boats. No false positions. Don’t interfere with the tracker.
Comms failure: relay via another boat on 16, Marine Radio Victoria / Tas Maritime Radio, Coast Guard repeaters (international channel mode), or phone/SMS. Record the reason on the declaration.
Retiring: tell the RD time, position, reason, crew state and port. Keep doing scheds until in safe harbour, then confirm arrival within 2 h.

Breach	Penalty
Miss one position sched	10 min
Miss two non-consecutive scheds	30 min
Miss two consecutive scheds	DSQ
Declaration later than 2 h after finishing	120 min
Minor / significant / serious SI breach	15 min / 60 min / committee’s discretion
Inside an exclusion zone	Protest; significant time penalty or DSQ
Impeding a commercial vessel	DSQ

Contacts

Race Director	0418 396 605	race.director@orcv.org.au · all RD comms, position SMS, crew changes
ORCV office	0493 102 744	orcv@orcv.org.au
AMSA RCC	+61 2 6230 6811	or 1800 641 792 — MAYDAY / PAN PAN by sat phone (otherwise VHF 16)
Ocean Racing	VHF 82 / 12 / 73	ORCV race control station
Tas Maritime Radio	VHF 16 → 67/68/69	HF 4125 / 6215 / 8291 kHz watched 0700–1900
Marine Radio Victoria	VHF 16 / 67	to ~20 nm off the Victorian coast (Kordia)

Source: ORCV 2026 M2D Sailing Instructions V2. Check orcv.org.au for any Notice to Competitors.