International Polish Salmon Championships – Trolling Boat MASTERS HEL 2020

I. Regulations of the TBM 2020 competition

1. Trolling Boat Masters are team competitions, assuming that one team represents the crew of one boat.
2. A team consists of a minimum of two and a maximum of five crew members.
3. It is allowed to change the composition and number of team members during the competition. All changes must be notified to the Head Referee at the latest the day before the start of the changed crew.
4. Teams that have registered by March 31, 2020 may participate in the competition. and made a registration fee of PLN 800 up to 3 business days from the date of registration, but no later than by March 31, 2020.
5. Registration takes place only via the registration form available on the official website at https://trollingboatmasters.pl/rejestracja/
6. The place where TBM competitions take place is the Baltic Sea basin in the ICES subarea 26.
7. The port in Hel is determined as the place of departure and return of units. Departing to another port for reasons other than: failure of the unit, threat to the lives of crew members or the need to provide assistance results in disqualification on the given day of the competition. All the above-mentioned circumstances require notification directly to the competition organizer under the phone number 510 062 248
8. The only fish species scored is salmon.
9. The minimum size of salmon included in the scoring is set at 80 cm.
10. The maximum number of rods allowed is twelve per team. Crews fishing with an illegal number of rods will be disqualified in the entire competition.
11. 2 salmon per team per day will be qualified for the scoring.
12. During the competition, the daily limit of salmon taken is 2 per one crew member.
    1. The team that catches and keeps the salmon daily limit on the boat must immediately stop fishing and go to the port of Hel.
    2. It is allowed to release fish before catching the limit in order to get a better score, with the proviso that only live fish are released.
    3. At the referee’s request, the team must show that the fish have been caught and kept both in port and during fishing on the fishery.
    4. During the TBM competition, it is forbidden to leave the port with fish caught in previous days.
    5. Teams not complying with this point will be disqualified in the entire competition.
13. The team, at the request of the referee, is obliged to appear in the port and make the boat available for inspection.
    1. Checks may be conducted 30 minutes before the competition start time specified in the competition schedule.
    2. Checks may be carried out up to 30 minutes after the end time of the competition, as specified in the competition schedule.
    3. Finding salmon in the boat before the start results in the disqualification of the crew in the entire competition.
14. For each day of the competition, the team will receive a start card, on which they are obliged to record the length (in cm) and time of catching each salmon.
15. Each day before the start of the competition, the team will take a magnetic pendant with the starting number from the board, which should be hung to a place on the board corresponding to the starting number at the judging point in the port.
    1. The number must be hung up no later than the appointed time – the end time of the competition on a given day.
    2. The end times of each competition will be determined in the competition schedule, which will be published on the official TBM competition website in the news tab and announced at the evening team meetings.
    3. Punctually, according to the clock on the board, at the time ending the competition on a given day, the judge will take a photo recording the hung pendants.
    4. The lack of a tag on the board at the time of taking the picture results in disqualification on the given day.
16. The start of each day of the competition will be determined in the schedule of the competition, which will be published on the official TBM competition website in the news tab and announced at the evening team meetings.
17. The crew who leave the marina before the scheduled turn start time will be disqualified on the day of the competition. Leaving the port basin is considered as departure.
18. In the competition fish reported to the head judge counts a maximum of 30 minutes after the scheduled end time of the competition for each day.
    1. Reported fish is considered to be a completed start card along with a photo documenting the catch of the fish.
    2. We give the cards to the judge at the judge’s office.
    3. The photograph should be sent in electronic form to the phone number +48 510 062 248 or to the email: marcin@trollingboat.pl or delivered to the judge’s point on a USB stick or memory card (SD or micro SD).
    4. Each photograph should be described in the message body or file name and contain:
       1. team starting number and boat name,
       2. date of catch,
       3. the length of the fish.
    5. The crew who does not return the starting card or does not document the catch or does not perform the above within the set time will be disqualified on the given day of the competition.
19. The fish will be measured by crew members, documenting this fact in an appropriate photograph.
    1. The fish will be measured only on the measure provided by the competition organizer.
    2. We measure ungutted fish.
    3. Only legible photographs of fish taken in a specific way will be qualified for the scoring:
       1. placed on a straightened ruler, without visible bends, so that one edge of the measure is completely visible (bottom or top),
       2. arranged on the right side, in such a way that the fish’s mouth touches the rectangular plate at the beginning of the measure,
       3. the fish will be measured from the end of the mouth to the end of the caudal fin. The end of the caudal fin is considered to be the end of the longest radius of this fin, which should lie on the measuring cup,
       4. the photo must show the start number and ID of the turn.
    4. Failure to comply with points 19.1-3 will disqualify a fish from the classification.
    5. A correctly photographed fish pattern will be posted on the official TBM competition website under the News tab.
    6. We measure with an accuracy of 1 cm, rounded down to the centimeter.
20. Punctation. The crew receives 1 point for every centimeter.
21. The Polish Champion is selected on the basis of a negative classification. The winner of the competition and the title of International Champion of Poland is the team that accumulates the lowest number of points in the entire competition. For the first place on each day the team receives 1 point, for the second 2 points, etc. The minimum number of points that a team can collect in three days of competition is 3. Any team that did not catch fish or was disqualified on a given day receives so much points on a given day how many crews are leaving.
22. With the same number of negative points, victory is determined by the total number of positive points, which is the sum of the points obtained for the length of the fish. If the same sum of negative points and positive points is accumulated by different crews, the crew that caught the bigger fish wins.
23. Prizes will be awarded to the third place.
24. Additional prizes will be awarded to the team that catches the largest fish in the entire competition, as well as the hunters of the largest fish on each day of the competition. Information about the prizes will be posted on the official competition website, in the news tab: https://trollingboatmasters.pl/aktualnosci/

II. Protests and appeals

In disputable matters or in the event of noticed and demonstrable breach of regulations by crews, you can appeal to the Main Event Organizer. Protests will be accepted within 15 minutes after the judges finish measuring fish and for another 15 minutes after the results are announced. The verdict of the Main Organizer is decisive and cannot be appealed against.

III. Starting fees

The entry fee is set at PLN 800. Payments should be made by bank transfer to the following account:

TROLLING BOAT Marcin Ramutkowski
PL60 1950 0001 2006 5916 3570 0002

In the title of payment, please enter the name of the boat.

Payments are made after receiving an email confirming the correct registration process. Payments must be made within 3 days of receiving the email.

IV. Security

1. The helmsman is fully responsible for the safety of the crew and the boat taking part in the competition. In accordance with applicable regulations, the helmsman must have the required permissions to operate the unit.
2. The organizer reserves the right to cancel the competition on a given day due to bad weather conditions.
3. Despite the permission to lose on a given day of competition, issued by the organizer, the helmsman always decides to go to sea and return to the port and bears responsibility related to the consequences of this decision.
4. The helmsman is responsible for rescue equipment in accordance with applicable regulations and for compliance with the regulations on the craft.
5. The helmsman of the boat is responsible for the safety of movement within the marina and in the competition area described in chapter I, point 6. It is recommended that no more than two units leave parking spaces in the marina at the same time. It is recommended to keep a minimum distance of 200 m between units in the fishery area.
6. The maximum number of crew members may not exceed the maximum number of persons authorized by the craft’s manufacturer or, if the boat has a safety card, in accordance with its requirements.
7. If it is necessary to remain on the fishery after the end of the competition, the skipper is obliged to immediately inform the organizer of the event. In the absence of such information, a rescue operation may be initiated and the helmsman of the boat will be charged for it.
8. The means of communication in accordance with the organizer’s requirements are VHF radio (minimum one per boat) and a cell phone number for each crew member.
9. Application for participation in the competition is tantamount to acceptance of the regulations of Trolling Boat Masters 2020 – Polish Salmon Championships.