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 and for good reasons. Flags are simple and reliable, visible and obvious.

However flags are of 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

Each Series has its own coloured flags. They normally bear the Event letter.

   A    yellow - Series A

   B    green - Series B

   C    pink - Series C

   D    white - Series D

Series flags are only ever flown from the Race Box. They are used in two ways

• When flown over an RRS signal flag they mean that the signal applies to that series alone. For example, a pink flag over an L flag means there is a change to the SIs or other information that affects only Series C. Check Notices on the Official Notice Board on the regatta website for details.
• When flown on their own they mean that competitors in that series should stay ashore, usually because there is either too much wind or not enough.

Event (aka fleet) flags

Each Event 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 a Flying Fifteen (Event 2) and you see a    2    (yellow) flag flying from 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    16    (pink) and    17    (lime green) flags, it means that ILCAs and Fevas courses are shortened. Everyone else carries on.

What colours are my flags?

You can find out in words in the Race Programme document on the Official Notice Board, and in colour on the Entry List, both available on the event website. 

Key Takeaways

• Know your Series, its letter and its flag colour.
• Know your Event, its number and its flag colour.

Know these and you will know which flags to look out for and what they mean. 

Other Flags Seen on the Water

• Orange start line and blue finish line flags have a large letter A, B, C or D to indicate the Series to which they apply.
• A boat displaying a red and yellow flag is a patrol boat.

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