Committee boat flags Numeral pennant 1 Sail course 1
Numeral pennant 2 Sail course 2
Numeral pennant 3 Sail course 3
Numeral pennant 4 Sail course 4
Class Flag
P-flag (for ‘Preparatory Signal’)
X-flag (Individual Recall)
General recall (All boats return)
Umpire flags Green Flag: No Penalty
Red Flag: Penalty
PHOTO: VINCENT CURUTCHET / DPPI / OC EVENTS
Black Flag: Disqualified
When the boats are sailing upwind
During the racing
they will be zig-zagging as they tack
The sailors will be shouting at other boats to try and use the racing rules to outwit
towards the first mark, then when
each other, especially near the mark roundings. If any skipper thinks another boat
they sail away from the wind they
has infringed one of the racing rules they can wave a red flag and shout “protest!”.
will hoist the huge gennaker sails at
During the iShares Cup there will be umpires on the water (look for the boats with big
the front of the boat to go downwind.
iShares Cup UMPIRE flags), who are like football referees — they decide if any boats have committed a foul and can give penalties (the boat has to do a circle). The umpire
Numeral pennant 4
signifies a penalty by whistling and pointing a red flag at the boat that has committed
Sail course 4 — This is a triangular course with two ‘reaching’ legs,
the foul. If the umpire thinks there was no foul you may see them blow a whistle and RACE COMMITTEE BOAT
sailing across the wind — look
raise a green flag which means no penalty. If there is a really bad foul the umpires can show a black flag and the boat is disqualified!
out for the boats flying a hull and picking up some big speeds!
...and finish First past the post wins!
To avoid collisions, all boats on the course must round the marks the same way round: Green Flag: All marks to be passed to Starboard (to the right-hand side of the boat looking forwards) Red Flag: All the marks to be passed to Port (to the left-hand side of the boat
The iShares Cup is scored using a ‘high point’ system, so if there are 10 boats in the fleet then the winner scores 10 points, the second placed boat gets 9 points, and third eight points etc. If you are disqualified you get zero points! The last race of each event will score double points — putting the pressure on for a great finale.
looking forwards)
11