Last modified: 2023-06-10 by zachary harden
Keywords: yacht racing |
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The rules of Yacht Racing are found in the Racing Rules of Sailing
(RRS) (which govern the sport of sailing on the water) and the Sailing
Instructions Guide. The flags used are called "RRS Race Signals". They
are revised and published every four years by
World Sailing). The current edition
is "The Racing Rules of Sailing 2017 - 2020". As a result of actions
taken by the World Sailing Racing Rules Committee and the World Sailing
Council during the Annual Conference, changes may be made to the RRS
during the four-year period. These changes are published as Changes and
Corrections to the RRS.
Source:
http://www.sailing.org/documents/racing-rules.php
Also, "Sail races
are governed with flags and sound signals to indicate flag changes. The
flags used are taken from the International maritime signal flag set (or
International Code of Signals). During a race and for
any signal concerning the race, these flags are defined in the RRS but
the signal can be modified by the Sailing Instructions. The raising
(hoisting) or removing of a visual signal is accompanied by the emission
of a sound signal to draw attention to the new signal. The type of the
sound signal (one short sound, two short sounds, one long sound, etc.) is
described by the rule according to the type of signal (then a comprehensive
arrangement of signal flags follows."
Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racing_Rules_of_Sailing#Race_signals
Here's a nice summary of flags used in yacht racing according to the
type of vessel used in the competition:
"Different classes of racing
yachts have their own flags. These flags are used during races. If, for
example, the flag of the yacht class is accompanied by one of the
conditioned signals of the race (for example: "Race delayed", "Race
discontinued", etc.), this means that this signal applies only to this
class of yachts. All the flags of the yacht classes are white with black
logos (the same logos are applied to sail yachts).
The list is as
follows (perhaps is not comprehensive since there are
many subclasses of
yachts):
- Snipe
- 420
- Finn
- 49er
- Soling
- Cadet
- Ray
- Luch-2
- Optimist
- 470
- Europe
- Mistral
- Tornado
- Zoom 8
- Yngling
- Star
- Dragon
- Beam-mini
- Beam-Radial
- Laser
Source:
http://www.vexillographia.ru/yacht.htm (the information found on this
website is taken from the Children's sailing school "Rautu" (St.
Petersburg) (former semi official website: http://rautu.boom.ru/,
currently available at official website: http://rautu-team.ru). For a
more thorough and up to date list of Classes, please refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sailing_boat_types.
The flags can be displayed as seen at
http://images.slideplayer.com/15/4826155/slides/slide_9.jpg (source:
http://slideplayer.com/slide/4826155, a slideshow from the UK's RYA
(Royal Yachting Association)
Club Race Officer Course). In this image one can actually see not only
signal flags, but also Class Yacht flags (more precisely the image
displays the "420" and the "Laser" Class Yachts (the "Laser" Class
displayed here is a variant, having a red background instead of white),
in the second pole, from left to right, and from top to bottom).
Also, the minimum size of flags is 3' x 2' (60 cm x 90 cm), as seen in the
same graphic above.
Source:
http://www.sailing.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/RMManual2012-12283.pdf
(© ISAF International Race Management Manual page H2)
However, in
recent years, the colors displayed on Yacht Class flags has changed,
using also sky blue as background as well as red and blue colors for the
fonts and lines over the background, as seen here:
-
http://www.juanpanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Races-postponed.jpg
(source: http://www.juanpanews.com)
-
http://www.nauticadigital.com/wp-content/uploads/161208_mg_4827_SWCMFinal1.jpg
(source: http://www.nauticadigital.com/deportes/pastor-y-trittel)
Esteban Rivera, 22 May 2018