Hi Sailors at RRSRC,

With our starting procedure at RRSRC and only two starters, the Race Starter cannot monitor boats over the start line early during the start, as he is kept busy watching the clock and providing accurate horn signals every minute during the start sequence.

There is a need to police boats over early (On Course Side of line or OCS) so that racing is fair. From now on the starter's assistant will manage OCS calls. As any member may be called upon to provide this role, you all need to know the procedure. I have included instructions on how to proceed below:

The starter's assistant is in charge of raising and lowering appropriate flags during the starting process in time with countdown and horn signals from the starter. From now on, we will also require the assistant to watch the line before each start for any boats over the line who do not return to the pre-start side of the line before their starting signal. Under our usual start rules, a boat may cross the line before the start, so long as they return to the pre-start side before their starting signal. If they do not, they are OCS and the Individual Recall flag will be raised with one sound signal. Have the flag ready during all starts. See flag below:

The Assistant can call out the boat (or boats) that are OCS, should ask the starter for one sound signal and raise the Individual Recall flag. (There can be more than one boat OCS, when the Individual Recall Flag is used so long as the Assistant knows which boats they are.) If the OCS boats continue to sail without returning to the start line they will be penalised as OCS and receive points equal to the number of starters plus one (one point worse than DNF). Once the Individual Recall Flag is raised, it remains up until all the OCS boats have returned to the pre-start side of the line (or an extension of it on either side) or 1 minute before the start of the next Division, whichever is earlier.

If a number of boats are OCS and the Assistant is not sure which ones they are or there was an error in the starting procedure, then a General Recall Flag is used, with two sound signals from the Starter. See flag below:

The General Recall Flag indicates that unidentified boats were over the line early or there was an error in the starting procedure and advises all boats in that start that a new start will be held after the other divisions. They all need to return to the pre-start area. The other starts will continue at their expected starting time. The General Recall Flag is lowered when all boats in the offending division are behind the start line or its extensions or 1 minute before the start of the next Division, whichever is earlier. The following division’s flag has already been raised when the restarted division flag is lowered. Advise the tower of the recalled division and their new starting time.

Eg. If the Gennaker fleet had a General Recall the sequence would be like this:

When ready: On station flag goes up

-3 min: Cat flag goes up

-2:30 min: clock start in tower

- 2 min Blue Peter goes up + 1 sound

-1 min Blue Peter goes down + 1 sound

Zero: Cat flag goes down and Gennaker flag goes up + 1 sound

1min: Blue Peter goes up + 1 sound

2 min: Blue Peter goes down + 1 sound

3 min: Gennaker flag goes down (but unidentified boats over) and Mono flag goes up

Asap:  General Recall flag + 2 sounds

4 min: Blue Peter goes up + 1 sound

5 min: Blue Peter goes down + 1 sound and General recall flag goes down (unless all boats back earlier)

6 min: Mono flag goes down + 1 sound & Trailer flag goes up

7 min: Blue Peter goes up + 1 sound

8 min: Blue Peter goes down + 1 sound

9 min: Trailer flag goes down + 1 sound and Gennaker flag goes up

10 min Blue Peter goes up + 1 sound

11 min Blue Peter goes down + 1 sound

12 min Gennaker flag goes down + 1 sound

Please get to know these procedures as you may be called on to run them if you do duty on the starting boat.

If you are unsure of them on the day of your duty, please ask a Committee member to run through them with you in the morning before going out to the start. A copy of this sheet should be on the Start boat for reference and on our website under Training Resources.