May18
The Importance of Starting Sequence Flags
Last Tuesday we had some confusion at the start. We miss judged the horn and timed our start about a minute too early. We later realized that when the postponement flag which had been flying was taken down a signal was fired off, and it was this that we took for the 5 minute warning signal. One issue was not knowing the start flag sequence well enough.
The starting flag sequence is given in Lake Washington Racing Program General Sailing Instructions:
10. THE START
Races will be started by using RRS rule 26 except a blue shape will replace flag P. [Note for web version of racebook: This link to RRS rule 26 is to the 2001 rules. Rule 26 is unchanged in the 2005 rules, but US Sailing does not have the 2005 rules available individually.] The race committee may give a hail to the next class whose warning signal is about to be made.
Which refers to the RRS:
Races shall be started by using the following signals. Times shall be taken from the visual signals; the absence of a sound signal shall be disregarded.
Start Flags
| Signal | Flag and Sound. | Minutes |
|---|---|---|
| Warning | Class flag; 1 sound | 5 |
| Preperatory | P, I, Z, Z with I, or black flag; 1 sound | 4 |
| One-minute | Preparatory flag removed; 1 long sound | 1 |
| Starting | Class flag removed; 1 sound | 0 |
So this is what the sequence should normally look like (with a “blue shape” replacing the P flag):
At 5 minutes:
At 4 minutes:
At 1 minute:
Recognizing these flags will give a more consistent pre-start countdown.
No Comments »Boathandling, Rules, Starts
