Know your Flags, Know your Colours

Electronic communication is now universal yet in the sailing world we still rely a lot on good old-fashioned flags. Perhaps that isn’t surprising given that, in our sport, we use a means of propulsion that the rest of the world abandoned as soon as there was a viable alternative!

But there are good reasons for flags – they are simple and reliable, visible and obvious. However, like icons on a computer, they are no use unless you understand what they mean. This article explains all.

In addition to the signal flags described in the Racing Rules of Sailing, Race Week uses two sets of colour-coded flags and it is important to know which colours apply to you.

Series (aka group) flags:

  Yellow   – Series  A

  Green   – Series B

  Pink   – Series C

  White   – Series D

Series flags are only ever flown from the race box. They are used in two ways

•          When flown over an L flag they mean there is a change to the SIs or other information that affects that series only. Check Notices on the Official Notice Board on the event website for details.
•          When flown on their own they mean that competitors in that series should stay ashore.

Event (aka fleet) flags:

Each event/fleet/start has a coloured flag unique within its Series. They normally bear the event number.

Event flags are primarily used as class flags for starts. So, for example, if you are sailing an RS200 (Event 7) and you see a lime green (7) flag flying from a your committee boat then you know the next start is yours.

Event flags may also be used to indicate that individual fleets are being shortened. So, if you see an S flag over jade and pink flags, it means that ILCAs and Fevas are finishing where those flags are flying. Everyone else carries on.

What colours are my flags?

You can find out in words in the Programme document and in colour on the Classes page, both on the Official Notice Board on the event website. On the Classes page, first find your entry, then you see your flag colours.

Armed with just two colours you will know which flags to look out for and what they mean.

Important: if anything said here conflicts with the Notice of Race or Sailing Instructions then the latter are deemed to be correct.