While some boats have the Top Hat and Cane, there seems more that appear in print with no identification of the type of boat at all. Has the Top Hat and Cane simply fallen from favour or is it the apparent increase in bureaucracy that has simply made the process too difficult for the average relaxed, I just enjoy sailing Top Hat owner?
Which brings me to sail numbers, it appears to me there is no class numbering protocol in place, I have no idea if there ever was one. I have seen a great variation in sail numbers, including a complete absence of numbers. This has made me wonder are most people using numbers allocated by the club they belong to or because Top Hats are now regarded as a cruising boat have people decided not to bother with sail numbers.
Perhaps the answer is ( please note all information between the horizontal lines below has been "Cut and Pasted" without alteration from )
https://www.sailingresources.org.au/cla ... l-numbers/
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Sail Numbers Quick Facts
* Australian Sailing is the issuing authority for Sail Numbers
* Only members of affiliated clubs are able to purchase an Exclusive Licence to use a unique Sail Number.
* Clubs cannot issue sail numbers unless they have a registered prefix.
About Sail Numbers
Sail numbers are an important way of uniquely identifying a vessel for a variety of purposes. They are a requirement for racing, and could be critical in a search and rescue situation.
For these reasons all vessels have to have a unique sail number.
You can apply for a sail number to be issued to your boat via the application form below. Payment have to be made by credit card as part of the application process.
Allocations are split in to four categories:
Next available number = $220
Transfer (for use when a sale of boat has taken place) = $110
Requested number (subject to availability) = $440
AUS/SYD Prefix (eg: SYD100) = $2,200
Please note that the issuance of a sail number does not include any physical sail numbers to apply to the sails. These should be purchased from a sail-maker.
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Now the tough decision.
Should I find $2,200 stuffed down the back of my favourite chair that Granny took over and refused to sit anywhere else, do I use it to:
- order my very own sail number eg: AUS123, remembering that I will still need some spare cash to purchase the physical numbers from a sail-maker OR
- do I get my boat slipped and anti-fouled OR
- do purchase a new mainsail ( knowing it won't have any numbers on it
)decisions, decisions
