A Cruising Class will be offered at each race venue. This class will be scored independently and will not be eligible for series overall or team awards. Handicaps are as assigned by by the Cruising Class Coordinator, Kelly Coon, (360) 352-4583, kellycoon@cs.com. It is each boat’s responsibility to obtain a handicap from Kelly before racing.

Cruising Class boats must comply with PHRF rules and regulations for “No Flying Sails” ratings, except that membership in PHRF is not required. This includes, but is not limited to, rules on whisker pole length and the rules listed below.

1. Boats must use working sails only, attached by their luffs to permanent stays or spars.
   
2. Not less than 90% of the luff length must be attached to permanent stay or spar with not less than eight snaps or sailtrack slides distributed evenly along the luff; or alternately, attachment may be in a luff rope groove.
   
3. Only one working sail luff may be attached to each permanent stay or spar.
   
4. Only one sail may be used forward of the main mast on sloops, cutters, yawls and ketches, unless the boat is specifically rated for carrying additional sails.
   
5. When changing sails, the up jib must be lowered to the deck before the replacement jib is raised. Before lowering the up jib, the replacement jib may be hanked on the forestay, or inserted in the second luff groove of the headfoil, up to five feet off the deck. The second halyard may be attached before lowering the up jib.
   
6. Jibs may not be attached to temporary or detachable stays.
   
7. NFS ratings exclude such sails as spinnakers, mizzen staysails, streakers, spinnaker staysails and drifters flying from their own temporary stays.

The above was excerpted from Pacific Handicap Racing Fleet of the Northwest PHRF-NW Handicappers’ Manual, Standard Boat Definition, Rating Adjustments code No Flying Sails rating