Sail Number Assignment

USF18 Sail Number Assignment Policy

The International F18 Class Association has delegated to each National Class Association (NCA) the regulation of sail numbers amongst their members.  Starting on March 1, 2021, US F18 sail numbers are assigned by USF18 to all new F18s and any boat that changes ownership.  Sail number requests must be made to USF18 by email to steve.stroebel@cox.net

Here the options for sail numbers:

• Free next available number assigned by USF18
• Grandfathered with a free sail number assigned by the boat manufacture prior to 2021
• Pick a Personal Sail Number (PSN) three or four digits applicable only for one boat (Regular PSN)
• Pick a Personal Sail Number (PSN) two to four digits that transfers to future & multiple boats (Premium PSN)

This policy will be enforced at major regional and national championships.  It is not intended to deter newcomers into a local fleet to sail with their current sail number in local regattas.

USF18 Approved Sail Number List

The current list of approved sail numbers is Linked Here.  Within this list there are four categories of sail numbers:

• Grandfathered – Manufacturer assigned sail numbers for boats built before 2021
• Free Assigned – Free sail numbers assigned sequentially by USF18
• Regular PSN – Sail number selected by the boat owner for a fee applicable for only a single boat (not transferable)
• Premium PSN – Sail number selected by the boat owner for a fee which can be transferred to future or multiple boats

If your sail number is not on this list send an email to  steve.stroebel@cox.net to obtain approval for your sail number.

To purchase a Personal Sail Number (PSN):

First understand the detailed PSN policy below and then contact steve.stroebel@cox.net to obtain a number.  Once a sail number is assigned, please pay the appropriate fee within 14 days:

Detailed Policy

1. Sail Number Requirements: Sail numbers must meet the following criteria:
   1. Must be numeric
   2. Can be 1-4 digits long (e.g., 2, 33, 103, 1958)
   3. First digit should not be zero but an exception is made for Personal Sail Numbers (e.g., 007)
   4. Will not assign sail numbers 1, 2, or 3 as Personal Sail Numbers.Sail numbers 1, 2 and 3 will be awarded to the winner of the US Nationals each year for those sailors to use through the next US Nationals at no cost.  After the US Nationals award ceremony (unless they successfully defended their standing), they revert to their assigned or personal sail number at no additional cost.  For the assigning of numbers 1, 2 and 3, US Nationals is defined as the top three boats from the US at either the US Nationals, North Americans, Americas, or Worlds held in North America.
2. Sail Number Requests: Anyone can request an F18 sail number assignment from USF18.  You do not need to be a USF18 member (but are encouraged to join).  Requests for a “free” sail number will be assigned a sequential number by USF18 that will apply only to one boat.  No special sail number requests may be made for a free sail number.  We intend to start the assigned numbers using three digits.
3. Grandfather Claus: Manufacturer assigned sail numbers for boats for model year 2020 and earlier will remain with the boat and remain free for the owner to use for that boat.  F18 owners must notify USF18 of their manufacturer assigned sail number so that it is not inadvertently assigned to another boat.
4. Personal Sail Numbers: A boat owner who desires to have a “Personal Sail Number” (PSN) must be a current USF18 member and pays an additional one-time fee for the privilege to obtain rights for a specified sail number.  The boat owner must maintain USF18 membership every year to keep the PSN.  There are two levels of PSNs:
   1. Premium PSN (multiple boats) with one time fee of $100:
      1. Any sail number from 1 through 99
      2. Any three or four digit sail number where all digits repeat (e.g, 333, 4444)
      3. Any three digit sail number ending with two zeros (e.g., 100, 200, etc.)
      4. Any four digit sail number ending with three zeros (e.g., 1000, 2000, etc.)
      5. Any sail number starting with zero (e.g., 007)
      6. Any USF18 assigned sail number or PSN that a boat owner wants to own as long as they are a USF18 member to be transferred to any number of boats.
   2. Regular PSN (single boat) with one time fee of $50.
      1. Any special request 3 or 4 digit sail number not on the list for Premium PSN.
      2. This PSN applies to only one boat with a specified Hull ID Number.  If later you want to transfer this number to another boat to convert to a Premium PSN the fee will be $50.
   3. For any PSN sail number requested we will operate on a first come, first served basis based on communication with USF18 and payment of the fee through USF18.com.
      1. Once assigned a new PSN by USF18, a boat owner must pay the fee at the USF18 Website (USF18.com) within 14 days otherwise the sail number becomes available for another boat.
5. PSN Annual Membership Requirement: When an owner no longer renews their annual USF18 membership, any Personal Sail Number they have becomes available for assignment to another boat with a one-year delay.
   1. After USF18 membership expires, in order to reinstate a Personal Sail Number, a member may apply, and if the number is available, it can be reinstated by paying all the missed annual USF18 membership fees or the one-time PSN fee whichever is less.
6. Purchasing Boats and Sails: When acquiring a boat (new or used) or new mainsails the boat owner shall:
   1. New Boats – communicate with USF18 for the assignment of a sail number and then communicate with the dealer or boat builder the sail number to place on the mainsail
   2. Used Boats – expect to keep using the existing sail number unless the selling owner has requested to carry-over the sail number so it becomes a Personal Sail Number.  Then contact USF18 for a free assigned number or apply for a PSN.
   3. New Sails – when ordering a new mainsail from any sailmaker the buyer is to specify the sail number to install.  Typically it will be the same number already assigned to the boat/owner.  If a new number is desired, contact USF18 first.
7. Conflict Resolution: For sail numbers used prior to the implementation of this policy, we will resolve sail number conflict as follows:
   1. The boat owner who first sailed in a National Championship (North Americas, Americas or Worlds held in the US) using the sail number shown on entry or results list will be deemed to be the earliest user of the number and will have priority.
   2. If neither boat has been sailed in a National Championship then whichever boat can show the earliest boat purchase date or use date of that sail number will have priority.
   3. For sail numbers where there is no evidence that it has been used for racing for five years and the owner is not a USF18 member, the sail number may be reassigned as a PSN or regular sail number.
8. International Regattas: If the boat is raced in international events (e.g., North Americans, Americas, Worlds, Cata Cup) it is also to have “USA” letters on the sail because there could be F18s from other countries with the same sail number.
9. USF18 Number Reservation: USF18 reserves the right to retire or reserve a number.  A number could be retired to honor the sailor who previously used the number or a number could be reserved for a future special occasion.