Start-of-Race Sequence

The start-of-race sequence is a sequence of signals that the Race Committee uses to tell each class what course to sail on and when to start.

The Friday Night Series typically includes 7 classes (D, E, F, G, H, J, and K). The classes start back-to-back, with the start for one class serving as the 5-minute warning for the next class:

The times in the table above are scheduled starts. If the Race Committee postpones the races (e.g., because the wind is light, or because the Race Committee boat needs more time to set up), all the start times shift accordingly. For example, if the “first shape” (the warning for Class D) is at 6:43 pm, then Class D will start exactly 5 minutes after the first shape (at 6:48 pm), Class E will start exactly 10 minutes after the first shape (at 6:53 pm), and so forth.

The Race Committee announces which course each class should use by flying pennant flags on the Race Committee boat before the start of the race for each class. The pennants indicate both a class and a course number (e.g., class Dclass Eclass Fclass Gclass Hclass Jclass K, course 19). Practice your skills at reading the class and course pennants by taking the start-of-race quiz.

For the 2015 Friday Night Series, Northern Light is in class Dclass Eclass Fclass Gclass Hclass Jclass K. The 5-minute countdown sequence for class Dclass Eclass Fclass Gclass Hclass Jclass K is as follows:

Time	Minutes Before Start	Sound	Pennants
6:30 pm 6:35 pm 6:40 pm 6:45 pm 6:50 pm 6:55 pm 7:00 pm	-5:00	gun		raise D (our class) and course number (e.g., 19) raise E (our class) and course number (e.g., 19) raise F (our class) and course number (e.g., 19) raise G (our class) and course number (e.g., 19) raise H (our class) and course number (e.g., 19) raise J (our class) and course number (e.g., 19) raise K (our class) and course number (e.g., 19)
6:31 pm 6:36 pm 6:41 pm 6:46 pm 6:51 pm 6:56 pm 7:01 pm	-4:00	gun		raise P (preparatory)
6:32 pm 6:37 pm 6:42 pm 6:47 pm 6:52 pm 6:57 pm 7:02 pm	-3:00	nothing happens
6:33 pm 6:38 pm 6:43 pm 6:48 pm 6:53 pm 6:58 pm 7:03 pm	-2:00	nothing happens
6:34 pm 6:39 pm 6:44 pm 6:49 pm 6:54 pm 6:59 pm 7:04 pm	-1:00	horn		drop P
6:35 pm 6:40 pm 6:45 pm 6:50 pm 6:55 pm 7:00 pm 7:05 pm	START	gun		drop D and course number; raise E (next class) and course number drop E and course number; raise F (next class) and course number drop F and course number; raise G (next class) and course number drop G and course number; raise H (next class) and course number drop H and course number; raise J (next class) and course number drop J and course number; raise K (next class) and course number drop K and course number

If one or more boats cross the start line early, the Race Committee will fly an individual recall flag or a general recall flag immediately after the start of our race:

Pennant	Meaning	Description
	individual recall	one or more boats crossed the start line early; get in touch with the Race Committee and find out which boats have been recalled – those boats must go back and cross the start line again
	general recall	multiple boats crossed the start line early – the entire class will start again after the last class in the regular start sequence (e.g., after Class K)

The Race Committee may also fly a number of additional pennants to indicate certain events or changes to the rules. Some of the more common pennants are shown in the table below:

Pennant	Sound Signals	Meaning	Description
	2	postponement	races are postponed; if races resume, the first warning signal is given 1 minute after the postponement flag is lowered
	3	abandonment	races are abandoned
		no more racing	usually flown in conjunction with the postponement or abandonment flag
		round‑an‑end rule	a boat over the line during the minute before the start must sail to the pre-start side of the line around either end before starting

For additional information on race signals, see the first few pages of the Racing Rules of Sailing.

For a description of the marks and courses in the Friday Night Series, see Marks & Courses.