sailboat race committee flags

Here it is race day. You’ve polished up your boat. Polished up your good manners so you won’t abuse you crew. And you are ready to race. But are you?

Do you know that the start sequence for sailboat races has been a five-minute countdown series since 2001? If your club is still using the old 10-minute system, someone needs to take the 21 st century by the horns and get things modified.

So, here’s how the sequence goes.

The Class Flag goes up at five minutes before the start and remains up until the start. This is a warning flag only. The Rules of Racing (RRS) don’t kick in for another minute. It is accompanied by a sound signal.

START: The Class Flag comes down. It is accompanied by a sound signal . You should be at or very near the starting line going fast.

OTHER FLAGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

sailboat race committee flags

Sailboat Racing Flags and Signals

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Are you ready to hit the open water and expe­ri­ence the exhil­a­rat­ing world of sail­boat rac­ing? Before you set sail, it’s cru­cial to under­stand the mean­ing behind the var­i­ous flags and sig­nals used dur­ing races . In this arti­cle, we’ll dive into the Inter­na­tion­al Code of Sig­nals, explore prepara­to­ry, course, protest, aban­don­ment, penal­ty, safe­ty, and emer­gency sig­nals.

Get ready to nav­i­gate the rac­ing scene with con­fi­dence and sail towards vic­to­ry!

Key Take­aways:

  • The Inter­na­tion­al Code of Sig­nals con­sists of 26 flags and 10 numer­al pen­nants , which are used for safe­ty and com­mu­ni­ca­tion on the water.
  • Prepara­to­ry flags and sig­nals such as the ‘P’ flag, ‘I’ flag, ‘S’ flag, and ‘X’ flag are cru­cial for sailors to under­stand and respond to, as they indi­cate impor­tant instruc­tions and changes in the race .
  • Course and mark sig­nals pro­vide infor­ma­tion about the direc­tion to sail and the marks them­selves, help­ing sailors nav­i­gate the race­course effec­tive­ly and make informed deci­sions.
  • Protest flags and sig­nals, includ­ing the red flag with a white cross, blue flag, yel­low flag, and red flag, are impor­tant for ensur­ing fair com­pe­ti­tion and resolv­ing dis­putes between boats.

Table of Con­tents

The International Code of Signals

You should learn the Inter­na­tion­al Code of Sig­nals, as it con­sists of 26 flags and 10 numer­al pen­nants that can con­vey impor­tant mes­sages while sail­ing. These sig­nals are essen­tial for main­tain­ing safe­ty and com­mu­ni­ca­tion on the water. By famil­iar­iz­ing your­self with this code, you can ensure that you’re pre­pared for any sit­u­a­tion that may arise while sail­ing.

The Inter­na­tion­al Code of Sig­nals is a uni­ver­sal sys­tem used by sailors around the world . Its sim­plic­i­ty and effec­tive­ness make it a valu­able tool for com­mu­ni­ca­tion at sea. Each flag and pen­nant rep­re­sents a spe­cif­ic mes­sage or instruc­tion , allow­ing sailors to con­vey impor­tant infor­ma­tion with­out rely­ing on ver­bal com­mu­ni­ca­tion.

Learn­ing the Inter­na­tion­al Code of Sig­nals is par­tic­u­lar­ly impor­tant for those who desire free­dom on the water. By under­stand­ing and using these sig­nals, you can com­mu­ni­cate with oth­er boats, request assis­tance, or inform oth­ers of poten­tial dan­gers. This knowl­edge empow­ers you to nav­i­gate the open seas con­fi­dent­ly and inde­pen­dent­ly.

In addi­tion to enhanc­ing your safe­ty, know­ing the Inter­na­tion­al Code of Sig­nals also allows you to ful­ly immerse your­self in the sail­ing com­mu­ni­ty. It’s a lan­guage shared by sailors world­wide, con­nect­ing you to a glob­al net­work of adven­tur­ers who share your love for the sea.

Sailboat Racing Flags and Signals

Preparatory Flags and Signals

Make sure to brush up on the mean­ing of the prepara­to­ry flags and sig­nals before your next sail, as they can indi­cate impor­tant infor­ma­tion about the race or event. These flags and sig­nals are essen­tial for every sailor who desires the free­dom to com­pete in sail­boat rac­ing.

When you see the prepara­to­ry flag ‘P,’ it sig­nals that the race is about to start, and you should be ready to go . Anoth­er impor­tant sig­nal is the ‘I’ flag, which indi­cates a change in the start­ing line . Pay atten­tion to this flag, as it could affect your strat­e­gy and give you a com­pet­i­tive advan­tage.

Dur­ing the race, you may encounter the ‘S’ flag, which means you must take a penal­ty for a rule infringe­ment . Don’t ignore this flag, as it could cost you valu­able time and posi­tion. Addi­tion­al­ly, the ‘X’ flag indi­cates that the race has been aban­doned or post­poned . If you see this flag, be pre­pared to fol­low the instruc­tions giv­en by the race com­mit­tee.

Under­stand­ing and respond­ing to these prepara­to­ry flags and sig­nals is cru­cial for any sailor who val­ues their free­dom to com­pete in sail­boat rac­ing. So, take the time to famil­iar­ize your­self with them and be ready to nav­i­gate the race­course with con­fi­dence and skill.

Course and Mark Signals

When approach­ing a mark, be sure to keep an eye out for the appro­pri­ate course and mark sig­nals to nav­i­gate the race­course effec­tive­ly. These sig­nals are cru­cial for your suc­cess as a sailor. Free­dom is at the core of sail­boat rac­ing, and under­stand­ing these sig­nals will give you the free­dom to make informed deci­sions on the water.

As you approach a mark, look for the course sig­nal dis­played by the race com­mit­tee . This sig­nal indi­cates the direc­tion you need to sail after round­ing the mark. It could be a sim­ple arrow point­ing left or right, or it may con­sist of mul­ti­ple arrows indi­cat­ing a more com­plex course. Pay atten­tion to this sig­nal to ensure you take the cor­rect path and stay on course.

In addi­tion to the course sig­nal, keep an eye out for mark sig­nals . These sig­nals pro­vide impor­tant infor­ma­tion about the mark itself. They can indi­cate a change in the mark’s posi­tion, a change in the round­ing direc­tion, or even a change in the mark itself . Under­stand­ing these sig­nals will help you antic­i­pate any changes in the race­course and adjust your strat­e­gy accord­ing­ly.

Protest Flags and Signals

Protest Flags and Signals

When you see a protest flag in sail­boat rac­ing, it’s impor­tant to under­stand its mean­ing. The most com­mon protest flag is a red flag with a white cross, indi­cat­ing that a boat is protest­ing anoth­er boat for a rule vio­la­tion.

If you find your­self in a protest sit­u­a­tion, it’s cru­cial to know how to resolve it prop­er­ly to ensure fair com­pe­ti­tion.

Meaning of Protest Flags

You should famil­iar­ize your­self with the mean­ing of protest flags before par­tic­i­pat­ing in sail­boat rac­ing. Under­stand­ing these flags is essen­tial to ensure fair com­pe­ti­tion and main­tain the free­dom that rac­ing rep­re­sents.

Here are three impor­tant protest flags and their mean­ings:

  • Blue Flag : This flag indi­cates that a boat intends to protest anoth­er boat for break­ing a rule. It’s impor­tant to keep a close eye on this flag, as it sig­ni­fies a poten­tial dis­pute between com­peti­tors.
  • Yel­low Flag : When this flag is dis­played, it means that a protest hear­ing is being held. This flag warns all par­tic­i­pants to be cau­tious and respect­ful dur­ing the hear­ing process.
  • Red Flag : The red flag is raised when a protest has been with­drawn. It sig­ni­fies that the dis­pute has been resolved or aban­doned.

Common Protest Signal

Don’t under­es­ti­mate the sig­nif­i­cance of famil­iar­iz­ing your­self with the com­mon protest sig­nal dur­ing sail­boat rac­ing. It’s cru­cial to under­stand this sig­nal as it can great­ly impact your race and the free­dom you desire on the open water.

When you see a boat rais­ing a protest flag, typ­i­cal­ly a red flag, it means that they believe anoth­er boat has vio­lat­ed a rac­ing rule. This sig­nal sig­ni­fies their inten­tion to file a protest against the oth­er boat’s actions.

As a sailor, know­ing this sig­nal allows you to be proac­tive in avoid­ing poten­tial con­flicts and ensur­ing fair com­pe­ti­tion. By being aware of the com­mon protest sig­nal, you can nav­i­gate the race­course with con­fi­dence, know­ing that you’re respect­ing the rules and uphold­ing the free­dom that sail­boat rac­ing rep­re­sents.

Resolving Protest Situations

To effec­tive­ly resolve protest sit­u­a­tions dur­ing sail­boat rac­ing, it’s impor­tant that you remain calm and coop­er­ate with the race offi­cials. Remem­ber, your free­dom to enjoy the race depends on your abil­i­ty to han­dle these sit­u­a­tions with grace and respect.

Here are three key points to keep in mind:

  • Com­mu­ni­cate clear­ly: When pre­sent­ing your protest, make sure your mes­sage is con­cise and eas­i­ly under­stood. Use sim­ple lan­guage and avoid any unnec­es­sary aggres­sion or hos­til­i­ty.
  • Fol­low pro­ce­dures: Famil­iar­ize your­self with the rules and reg­u­la­tions of the race. Under­stand the prop­er steps to take when fil­ing a protest and be pre­pared to pro­vide any evi­dence or wit­ness­es that sup­port your case.
  • Be open to com­pro­mise: Some­times, find­ing a mid­dle ground is the best way to resolve a protest sit­u­a­tion. Lis­ten to the oth­er par­ty’s per­spec­tive and be will­ing to nego­ti­ate a solu­tion that’s fair for every­one involved.

Abandonment Flags and Signals

Grab the binoc­u­lars and look for any aban­don­ment flags or sig­nals on near­by boats. As a sailor who desires free­dom, you under­stand the impor­tance of being aware of poten­tial dan­gers on the water. Aban­don­ment flags and sig­nals are cru­cial in ensur­ing the safe­ty of all sailors. These flags and sig­nals indi­cate that a boat or its crew may require assis­tance or are in need of imme­di­ate res­cue. By spot­ting these flags or sig­nals, you can take action and pro­vide the nec­es­sary help, ensur­ing that every­one can con­tin­ue enjoy­ing the free­dom of sail­ing.

To help you bet­ter under­stand the var­i­ous aban­don­ment flags and sig­nals, here is a table high­light­ing some of the most com­mon­ly used ones:

Flag/SignalMean­ingEmo­tion­al Response
Red flagBoat is aban­doned or crew is in dis­tressCon­cern, empa­thy
Orange smoke sig­nalRequest­ing imme­di­ate assis­tanceUrgency, alarm
Horn blastsDis­tress sig­nalAtten­tion, urgency

Penalty Flags and Signals

Keep an eye out for any penal­ty flags or sig­nals, as they can indi­cate rule vio­la­tions and affect the out­come of the race. In sail­boat rac­ing, it’s cru­cial to under­stand the mean­ing behind these flags and sig­nals to ensure fair com­pe­ti­tion and main­tain the spir­it of free­dom on the water. Here are three key points to con­sid­er:

  • Penal­ty flags: These flags are raised by race offi­cials to indi­cate a rule vio­la­tion by a boat. The flags come in dif­fer­ent col­ors, such as yel­low or blue, and are typ­i­cal­ly dis­played along­side a num­ber, rep­re­sent­ing the spe­cif­ic rule bro­ken. Be vig­i­lant in spot­ting these flags, as they can result in time penal­ties or dis­qual­i­fi­ca­tion.
  • Sig­nals from oth­er boats: Pay atten­tion to the actions of oth­er boats around you. If a com­peti­tor rais­es a flag or makes a spe­cif­ic hand sig­nal, it could be a warn­ing that you have vio­lat­ed a rule. Keep an open mind and be ready to adjust your tac­tics to avoid penal­ties.
  • Com­mu­ni­ca­tion with race offi­cials: If you have any doubts or con­cerns about a poten­tial rule vio­la­tion, don’t hes­i­tate to con­tact the race com­mit­tee. They’re there to ensure fair­ness and resolve any dis­putes that arise dur­ing the race. Main­tain a respect­ful and open line of com­mu­ni­ca­tion to uphold the prin­ci­ples of free­dom and fair play.

Safety and Emergency Signals

Safety and Emergency Signals

If you encounter any safe­ty or emer­gency sig­nals dur­ing the race, please fol­low the instruc­tions pro­vid­ed and ensure the well-being of your­self and oth­ers. Your safe­ty is of utmost impor­tance, and it is cru­cial to under­stand the mean­ing behind these sig­nals. To help you nav­i­gate the race course, here is a table out­lin­ing some com­mon safe­ty and emer­gency sig­nals you may encounter:

Sig­nalMean­ingAction Required
Red FlareEmer­gency sit­u­a­tionStop rac­ing and await fur­ther instruc­tions
Blue and White Check­ered FlagAban­don raceReturn to the start­ing line
Orange FlagMan over­boardPro­ceed with cau­tion and assist if pos­si­ble

So, now you know the var­i­ous sail­boat rac­ing flags and sig­nals used in com­pe­ti­tions. The Inter­na­tion­al Code of Sig­nals pro­vides a stan­dard­ized sys­tem for com­mu­ni­ca­tion on the water.

From prepara­to­ry flags to protest flags, each sig­nal plays a vital role in ensur­ing fair and safe races. Under­stand­ing these sig­nals is cru­cial for all sailors and race offi­cials.

By fol­low­ing the cor­rect flags and sig­nals, par­tic­i­pants can nav­i­gate the race­course effec­tive­ly and respond appro­pri­ate­ly to any emer­gen­cies or penal­ties that may arise.

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Signal Flags And Their Meanings

Signal Flags And Their Meanings | Life of Sailing

Last Updated by

Capt Chris German

June 15, 2022

Signal flags harken back to a bygone era before VHF and cell phones. At one time, flags were the cornerstone of every well operated ship or military unit’s communication system, signaling maneuvers, emergencies and other general information for crew and comrades to receive with fear and trepidation.

All too often now, signal flags are reserved for senior citizen sailors with their weekend power squadron exercises and colorful adornment for the local Yacht Club Martini Mixer.

But deep in the annals of the internet, I found several uses for signal flags that have otherwise been forgotten and it is because they have been forgotten by the masses that their function is brought into question.

After all, a signal or message is only useful if someone is there to understand it. Much like fog signals, if a horn blows and no one knows what it means, is it really a signal or just noise pollution?

If a flag that is flown without anyone's understanding is it a useful flag?

One of the most recognizable flags we have is Old Glory and the only reason she is so revered is because we all think we know what she stands for.

What if, like the rotary dial phone, all the Millennials all stopped knowing what Old Glory stood for, would we still have a reason to fly it?

I was talking with my father-in-law, an Annapolis Grad (class of ‘69) and long time Navy Pilot who flew with the fleet from New Zealand to New York and everywhere in between. If anyone was supposed to know what a “Zulu” flag looked like, it was him.

But alas his Navy training failed him when we started to quiz him on the signal flag alphabet one afternoon last Christmas. Blame it on the wassail if you will, but when the Captain forgets a flag, one must begin to question it’s efficacy as a universally understood signal.

If you want to join the sailing nerd and sea scouts and memorize the entire alphabet and number system of signal flags for posterity, perhaps you would like to know some of the other uses signal flags might offer to common (or not so common) sailors.

Table of contents

Racing Signals

First up, its racing signals. Spend enough time in the beer can races and you're bound to see a committee boat sporting a few signal flags every once in a while.

They are used to indicate info about races and course changes to a fleet. They are far more functional than a radio in a dinghy race, as lasers tend to flip and vhfs tend to sink.

So using a signal flag for all to see is much more effective and certainly a ton more salty. I sourced this description of racing meanings from sailing flags here .

Most big name yacht clubs and racing syndicates use flags and horns in a regatta to some degree or another, but only the most preeminent do so with any kind of standardized manner.

Generally speaking the more hoity toity the yacht club, the more they use flags in their races because they want to (a) be elitist and (b) can afford to buy the flags which retail for big bucks.

But if you find yourself aboard a committee boat in South Africa you best review the flags at the link above - but for everyone else, here’s a sample:

Signal Flags

Common Flags

While the racing world has co-opt the use of flags for regattas, there remains other uses for signal flags which if your savvy can be quite useful when cruising to strange International ports of call or miraculously time travel to the decks of a World War II aircraft carrier.

These uses have included the most commonly known flags such as the diver down flag or Alpha flag and the courtesy flags which don’t seem to have any standardized meaning at all but are used in all sorts of ports from Berma to Bimini.

And in this day and age, international cruisers are well aware of the ‘Q” flag which is used to indicate that a newly arrived vessel is free of disease.

In other times this flag meant a “quarantine” was in effect for your boat when arriving in new ports of call but that signal has been replaced by the Lima Flag indicating that one is to stop all operations immediately.  

If you aim to island hop in the little latitudes you would be well to understand and commit these most commonly used flags to memory, but just in case, hang on to the others in the back of your mind.

You can get a great run down of the flags by looking at any Sea Scouting Manual or by going here .

Buying Signal Flags

If you want to run out and get yourself a set of signal flags, be aware that there are lots of cheap knock offs and many that aren’t worth the $300 price tag they soak you for at your local marina.

Signal flags should be made of durable canvas or nylon. Brass grommets and sturdy cotton lines should be part of the package and make sure they are large enough to be seen from a distance.

Those little 6 inch jobs don’t cut it from a mile and half off though sea spray and blowing sand. Mine are at least 36” long and can be seen from Space if Google ever decides to look my way again.

I must admit I love my flags. I inherited an almost complete set from a boat that I dreamed of restoring that was raced in the Washington DC area for 20 years.

When I pulled them out the stink-drenched hull, they smelled like diesel and were coated with black mold. But a soak in laundry detergent and an airing in a stiff Carolina breeze on a sunny day and they were much more tolerable.

So much so that my wife didn’t make me throw them out. I used them to celebrate the holidays by dressing ship in my Hunter at Cape Lookout on the 4rth of July and Labor Day and as a marketing ploy to get people to want to take sailing lessons from me on the waterfront of Beaufort.

I dreamed of stringing them up the front and down to the stern in my 42’ endeavour but alas Hurricane Florence took her before I could ever dress her up, so I stuck them in storage in a laundry basket and will use them once I acquire my dream boat, a 60 foot catamaran from Australia.

Given that they are so expensive, $315 for a small set from Landfall Navigation I would suggest reading the manufacturer’s methods on care.

Caring For Your Flags

Make sure you let them dry out before packing them away, even on a sunny day. The mere fact that they are flown by the water means they will acquire moisture that will rot them in a matter of days if packed away wet.

I would also suggest you treat them as you would your sails.

  • A gentle detergent and lots of fresh water every spring and fall.
  • Fly them regularly to make sure they don’t get stiff or dry rot.
  • Pack them in a waterproof bag or tote and if you can find them, throw in a few packs of those silica desiccants to dry up any ambient moisture and keep them fresh.
  • You can also treat them with tea tree oil to inhibit mold and mildew growth and slow down fading.

Dressing Ship

Now let’s talk about “dressing ship”. There is a way to do it and a way not to do it.

Too many lines and halyards can create havoc on a windy day and the worst is if one comes undone and you fly your halyard.

My recommendation is use your jib halyard and attach it to the middle of the string of flags and pull the flags up that way, fore and aft.

You can run one string up the forestay with the jib halyard and one up the back stay with the main halyard but then you have no main halyard to fly Old Glory off the back stay and double your chances of flying your halyard if something goes wrong.

Some say you should alternate number pennants and letter flags, but I say use what you got and fly em proudly.

If you’re on the dock, prep your flags on the dock or in a grassy area, but if you have to do it on the deck of your boat, watch out so that they don’t blow overboard.

Most of the time I have used them, they attach one to the other with a loop and wooden slug. You slide the loop of one over the slug of the next and continue with the same pattern until you have enough to reach from your bow to mast top to stem. Make sure the first one is right side up and all the others should be right.

Run the flags, up to your mast and then down to your stern. If your boat has a lot of freeboard and you have a lot of flags, you might even attach a sinker to the loose end of the bottom flag at your stern and bow. It's kind of a show off thing to do and people might look at you with a bit of envy or disgust depending on your zip code, but this way you can show how big your boat is and how much money you have.

Just make sure you cleat off the string of flags that is up the mast before you hang one to the waterline or the whole string will fly up in a breeze and wrap around your mast.

When To Dress Ship

Now when to dress ship? Basically whenever you want to wear a dress or tie, you should dress your ship too.

Ties are rarely welcome on a sailboat and dresses are only welcome if they are flowy and can blow up at the right moments - so instead of getting dressed up, why don’t you dress your ship instead?

I think any federal holiday is a good time and every high holiday as well. Stick em up at Thanksgiving and don’t take em down until New Years Day and you’ll cover all the cultural bases with minimal work.

Birthdays and Anniversaries are always a great time to do it and if you have the flags, spell out your hubby’s name or the name of the birthday celebrator in flags.

Just make sure you tell everyone that is what you did, because most people don’t know what they mean.

One of my favorite Jimmy Buffet lyrics is when he is talking about the birth of his father in Havana Harbor and all the ships celebrate his birth by dressing ship.

In his song “False Echoes” he writes,

“On the old Chicamauga the Signal Jacks flew And the message they spelled out caused a great ballyhoo Every ship in Havana then hoisted away All the pennants were 'a flyin' on my dad's first birthday”

Man I was born at the wrong time.

So that’s my take on signal flags and the sailor. If you got ‘em, fly ‘em and have fun with them. They do have meanings and if you decide to wander to St. Somewhere or aim to be the next Dennis Conner, you should probably know what they mean.

But for the rest of us here in mainland America, they are a breathtaking sight to behold when flown on someone’s birthday or to celebrate the birth of our Nation.

They are expensive and prone to mold and dry rot, so take care of them with regular washing and lots of fresh air.

Now that you know what they are and how to fly them, I hope to see lots of photos of boats dressed to the nines. Send them to us at LifeofSailing.com if you think of it, or share on Facebook and tag us in the photo so we can see how you dress your ship.

Thanks for reading and remember, do good, have fun and sail far.

Related Articles

Capt Chris German is a life long sailor and licensed captain who has taught thousands to sail over the last 20 years. In 2007, he founded a US Sailing-based community sailing school in Bridgeport, CT for inner city youth and families. When Hurricane Sandy forced him to abandon those efforts, he moved to North Carolina where he set out to share this love for broadcasting and sailing with a growing web-based television audience through The Charted Life Television Network.

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Sailing Racing Flags

Starting penalty flags.

i-Flag Rule (30.1) A boat over the line during the minute before the start must sail to the pre-start side of the line around either end of the starting line before starting. If they fail to do so they will be scored OCS.  Boats that are over the line in the minute before the start will be hailed that they’re OCS (on course side)

z-Flag Rule (30.2)  A boat within the triangle formed by the ends of the line and the first mark during the minute before the start will receive a 20% scoring penalty calculated as stated in rule 44.3(c). She shall be penalized even if the race is restarted but not if it is postponed or abandoned before the starting signal. If she is similarly identified during a subsequent attempt to start the same race, she shall receive an additional 20% Scoring Penalty.

The race committee may decide to do i over z which is around the ends and a 20% scoring penalty.

u-Flag (30.3)  A boat within the triangle formed by the ends of the line and the first mark during the minute before the start will be disqualified without a hearing. If there is a general recall, the disqualification is rescinded (unlike the black-flag or z-flag penalties)

Black Flag Rule  (30.3) A boat that is in the triangle formed between the starting line and windward mark during the minute before the start will be disqualified without a hearing, even if the race is restarted. she shall be disqualified without a hearing, even if the race is restarted or resailed, but not if it is postponed or abandoned before the starting signal. If a general recall is signalled or the race is abandoned after the starting signal, the race committee shall display her sail number before the next warning signal for that race, and if the race is restarted or resailed she shall not sail in it. If she does so, her disqualification shall not be excluded in calculating her series score. If you’re called over on a black flag start, you’re disqualified for that race unless it’s postponed or abandoned before the start.

Starting Recall Flags

x-Flag  (Individual Recall) is used to signal that individual competitors who were judged over the line at the start. It is common for the race committee to hail the sail numbers of boats judged over the line. Boats that were over early (On Course Side) must return to the starting line and start properly in order to be scored. The X-flag is accompanied by one sound signal.

First Substitute – “General Recall” the flag is used to signal competitors of a restart because many boats were over early making individual recalls too difficult. Two sound signals are made when the general recall flag is raised and one sound signal when it is lowered, the warning signal will be made 1 minute after the flag is lowered.

Postponement Flags

AP Flag   – Postponement. Races not yet started are postponed. There will be two sound signals when the flag is raised and one sound signal when lowered

N-Flag  – Signals that all races that have started are abandoned accompanied by 3 sound signals. Return to starting area for a new start. When the N-Flag is lowered it is accompanied by 1 sound signal. The first warning signal will be made 1 minute after N is removed.

A-Flag – Used with the N-Flag and 3 sound signals to signal all races are abandoned. No more racing today.

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sailboat race committee flags

Racing Flag Signals

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. During a race and for any signal concerning the race, these flags are defined in the ISAF Racing Rules of Sailing 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.

Click here for a link to "Racing Rules Of Sailing" and usual meanings of racing flags.

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This is a commercial grade nautical product designed for outdoor use. It is made using our 200 Denier Outdoor Nylon fabric and includes sewn letters and anchor logo. Your flag is finished with a heavy white canvas heading and strong brass grommets.

(Optional - Depends on starting method) - Denotes that orange smoke has been lit and there are 3 minutes or less until the start of the race.

This is a commercial grade nautical product designed for outdoor use. It is made using our 200 Denier Outdoor Nylon fabric and includes sewn letters and anchor logo. Your flag is finished with a heavy white canvas heading and strong brass grommets. ...

Our Checkered, Black & Whit enylon flag. Perfect for racing events, auto shows, estate sales and auctions. Printed on Commercial Grade Nylon material, is strong and sturdy, with a high-gloss look. Includes canvas heading and grommets.  

Our Checkered, Black & White poly/cotton flag. Perfect for racing events, auto shows, estate sales and auctions. Printed on poly/cotton material, is strong and sturdy, with a high-gloss look. Includes canvas heading and grommets. In Power Boat...

When displayed the race committee boat is in position at the finishing line.

The Black Flag Rule 30.3 will be in effect. A boat within the triangle formed by the ends of the line and the first mark during the minute before the start will be disqualified without a hearing.

The most boats ever will compete in the 100th Bayview Yacht Club race to Mackinac Island

Billed on its website as the “world’s longest continuously run long-distance freshwater yacht race,” the 100th Bayview Mackinac Race is set to start Saturday.

A record-setting 334 boats have registered for the 100th year of the race, shattering the record of 316 in 1985 and a huge contrast compared with the 200 boats that raced last year, said David Stoyka, spokesman for the Bayview Yacht Club, which puts on the race.

Bayview Yacht Club says boats start leaving the Black River in Port Huron around 8 a.m. on race day and will continue leaving until around noon. From the Black River, they will proceed up the St. Clair River, under the Blue Water Bridge, into Lake Huron.

The first scheduled start time in Lake Huron is 11:30 a.m., with starts every 10 minutes until approximately 1:30 p.m. The starts may be delayed due to weather conditions.

This year, for the 100th running, the race will follow the original 1925 route and span 204 nautical miles. From the starting point, the boats will head north along the Michigan shoreline, passing south of Bois Blanc Island, sailing west to east at the finish line between Round Island and Mackinac Island, organizers said.

The range of boats are expected to finish in between 30 and 60 hours.

The sailors

Teams at all skill levels have entered the race, which draws competitors from around the world.  The highly skilled racers know they will cross the bow of competitors within inches. Still, there's always risk of a crash with the slightest miscalculation.

"Everybody recognizes this is super intense," said champion sailor  Tim Prophit , 65, of St. Clair Shores, past commodore of Bayview Yacht Club and owner of Fast Tango, a North American 40 sailboat.

The teams are vying for trophies and flags to show their accomplishments.

The J.L. Hudson Trophy is awarded to the boat with the best corrected time in Division I, and the Canadian Club Classic Trophy is awarded to the boat with the best corrected time in Division II.

How can spectators follow the race?

Spectators can go to bycmack.com during the race and click on “RaceTracking” link to watch real-time GPS positioning of all the race boats, or, on your mobile device, download the free app YB Races and select the current race.

Boats will start arriving at Mackinac Island on Sunday afternoon and continue until Monday evening, all dependent upon the wind.

Finishes can be seen from Windermere Point on Mackinac Island at the south end of Main Street.

Sailors who have completed 25 Bayview Mackinac races are called “Old Goats,” according to the club, while those who have completed 50 are called “Grand Rams.” 

"Double Goats" are sailors who have completed 25 Bayview Mackinac races and 25 Chicago Yacht Club race to Mackinac races. This year’s Chicago to Mackinac race encountered strong winds in Lake Michigan , snapping some boats’ masts and tossing one sailor overboard. No one was hurt.

Volunteers who have served for 15 years on the Race Committee are honored with the title “Old Forts,” as designated by the Race Committee.

This story includes material from a staff report by former Free Press reporter Phoebe Wall Howard and from the Bayview Yacht Club.

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Home  News  An Alternative Idea to Hand Operated Flags for Race Committees

An Alternative Idea to Hand Operated Flags for Race Committees

Patrick O'Donnell

Patrick O’Donnell has an idea worth discussing! As the Club Race Officer at St. Croix Sailing Club in Hudson, Wisconsin, Patrick proposes an automated system of lights that would serve as an alternate to flags and eliminate the potential for human error in the visual signals.

He recently reached out to US Sailing to discuss this idea. What do you think?  

A Q&A with Patrick O’Donnell  

What kind of starting system do you envision?

I suggest an alternative solution to the start sequence flags used by Race Committees. I recommend using a set of lights controlled from our automated start timer (horn honker). The standard RRS 26 start sequence uses two time-sensitive flags: Warning and Preparatory. The rule tells us that “Times shall be taken from the visual signals…” rather than the sounds. My proposal could serve as an alternate to those flags with super-bright LED lights, which are at least as easy to see and can be automated.

How would your system improve the race starting system?

RC volunteers are often family members of sailors, club members putting in their volunteer time, or newcomers who are curious about sailboat racing. It’s not easy getting the timing of flags exactly right, and sometimes the flags are raised a second or more early or late. Yes, we can postpone and restart the sequence, but that throws off the entire class (and those to follow) and wastes time. This idea reduces the possibilities of errors and frees up a crew member to focus on other things, such as timing, recording or spotting the line.

Is anyone else using a lights system or something similar?  

Riverton Yacht Club in New Jersey has used lights mounted to their clubhouse for many years now with great success. Their implementation is unbelievably creative, and while it may not be suitable to most clubs, they proved the concept quite nicely.

America’s Cup boats have used lights mounted near the helmsman to signal starts and penalties. That system would be expensive to implement and overly complex for most club’s needs, but again proves the concept. If any other clubs use lights to signal start sequences, I’d love to talk about what works for them.

Would this be economical to implement?  

Cost is an important factor, since most race committees operate on shoestring budgets. LED technology has come a long way in the past 10 years. Fix an array of LEDs on a pole so they can be seen from every direction and wire them to the boat’s battery, and you already have an easier, more accurate, and possibly cheaper system than raising expensive flags. Obviously, the concept is a little more complex than that, but that’s the general idea. Integrating the lights into a start timer makes the whole operation even more efficient.

How did you get the idea for this system?

Our membership has declined somewhat over the years and finding crew for sailboats, let alone our Race Committee, has become more challenging each year. Seven years ago, I created my first automatic start timer to automate our horns. Since then, I’ve struggled with the engineering necessary to create automated flag tip-ups. Pistons, springs and motors all hold promise, but this device would need to work in blinding rain, freezing temperatures, 30 mph winds – and be almost 100% reliable.

This fall, while winterizing our committee boat, I noticed an LED stoplight down the road and the ideas started snowballing from there.

Starting races with flags is steeped in tradition – how do you think this change would be received?  

This could be a revolutionary advancement in competitive sailing. Sailors these days are amazingly skilled and adept with their boats. They can cross the line within a fraction of a second of the start signal. Our race committees ought to be equally accurate. Don’t mistake me – I love flags and the tradition they bring to our sport. I simply suggest that they be removed from time-critical situations in favor of faster (ideally automated) mechanisms.

What issues still need to be resolved?  

There are a few outstanding issues we need to resolve to make this a workable sequence for sailing clubs throughout the United States.

  • How do we specify classes? For individual or non-rolling sequences, the class pennant could be raised throughout the sequence and independent of the timing – stated in the SI’s as such, there should be no issue. Rolling sequences complicates matters in several ways.
  • Ditto for penalty flags (P, I, Z, U, Black) – the Prep signal would become a light bulb.
  • Legal concerns – many light colors are reserved for anchoring, vessel configuration, law enforcement, and other uses. That limits the number of colors we could use. This system should work during daytime or nighttime in all navigable waters of the U.S. This may be a non-issue as the race committee is usually surrounded by sailboats when these signals are displayed, but we should come up with a proper protocol for our new lights.

About Patrick O’Donnell

Patrick grew up running the Race Committee boat with his dad in the 80’s for the St. Croix Sailing Club just outside of St. Paul, Minnesota. They were first certified as Club Race Officers in 1995. He took over full-time PRO duties 11 years ago and says he hasn’t missed a race since.

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How well do you know the Olympic Games?

By Hien An Ngo

July 24, 2024

As the world's top athletes gather in France for the 2024 Games, take CNN's Summer Olympics Quiz to test your knowledge of the Games' history and highlights.

Keep up with the news you need. Sign up for the 5 Things newsletter.

In which year did women first compete in the modern Olympics?

sailboat race committee flags

Women first competed in 1900 at the Summer Olympics in Paris, where they comprised around 2% of athletes. The 22 women participated in tennis, sailing, croquet, golf and equestrian. Since then, the number of female participants and events has grown gradually.

What is the record for the men’s 100-meter dash at the Olympics?

sailboat race committee flags

Usain Bolt completed the current Olympic record for the 100-meter dash in 2008 with a time of 9.63 seconds. Bolt dominated the Olympic track and field event, winning eight gold medals between 2008 and 2016. He also ran the event with a time of 9.58 seconds at the 2009 World Championship, the world record.

What new events are being included in 2024?

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Breakdancing will debut as a new sport at the 2024 Paris Olympics, with an event each for men and women.

The canoe slalom has included events in which athletes raced against the clock. For the first time, the canoe slalom in this Olympics will include a kayak cross event in which four athletes will race one another.

What sports won’t appear at the 2024 Paris Olympics?

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Baseball and karate were both featured in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics but won’t be seen in Paris. Baseball had been a medal event six times since 1992 and is widely popular in Japan, which is home to many fanatic baseball fans. Due to scheduling conflicts between the Games and Major League Baseball’s regular season coupled with the sport’s lack of popularity in France, fans will have to wait until 2028 to see it back at the Olympics.

Karate’s place in the Games came into question even before its debut. The sport only made it to the 2020 Summer Olympics after organizers added a provision to allow host cities to propose additional sports. Cutting karate for the 2024 and 2028 Summer Olympics, organizers cited concerns over the sport’s lack of entertainment value and ability to attract younger viewers.

How many National Olympic Committees will compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics?

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) recognizes 206 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) that are each charged with representing their respective countries or territories at the games. The IOC historically took an inclusive approach to allowing teams from territories to compete.

In 1911, a founder of the modern Olympics, Pierre de Coubertin, said , “there is an athletic geography that may differ at times from political geography.” As the Olympics has become tangled in geopolitical tensions, its philosophy has shifted. In 1996, the IOC published new rules , defining countries eligible to form NOCs as “independent State recognized by the international community.”

Today there are more NOCs than the 193 countries that are voting members of the United Nations.

What is the longest distance the Olympic torch has traveled to the opening ceremony?

sailboat race committee flags

The Olympic torch arrived in Beijing on March 31, 2008, before it traveled through 21 countries across five continents. Four months later, the Olympic flame returned to Beijing for the opening ceremony after completing an 85,000-mile journey and set a record for the longest distance torch relay.

How old is Quincy Wilson, who could become the youngest US male track Olympian in history?

sailboat race committee flags

Wilson, a 16-year-old sprinter from Potomac , Maryland, failed to qualify for the 400m race at his US Olympic Trials debut but made the pool for the 4x400 meter relay team and is expected to compete in Paris. He also broke the under-18 world record for the 400m twice and will be the youngest US male track Olympian in history.

In the 2024 Paris Olympics, athletes from these two countries will be "neutral" rather than donning uniforms from or otherwise referencing their home countries. Which are they?

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended in February 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which was supported by Belarus, that the two countries should be prohibited from competing in international sporting events. In January 2023, the IOC announced that Russian and Belarusian athletes would be allowed to compete as neutral athletes without donning or referencing their nationality.

What is the motto for the 2024 Paris Olympics?

sailboat race committee flags

Organizers of the Paris 2024 Olympics have made a goal of “opening” up the Olympics to be more inclusive of the public. Amateur athletes will have the opportunity to participate in a marathon with the same route as Olympic athletes and many games will be held at iconic sites throughout Paris.

Originally, officials ambitiously set a goal of welcoming over 600,000 spectators to the opening ceremony. They since slashed that number in half, citing security concerns, but the ceremony is still expected to far surpass historic attendance.

What year did the Olympics first achieve equality in the number of women and men competing?

After over a hundred years of games, the Olympics will achieve equal representation for the first time, with 5,250 female and 5,250 male athletes competing. Out of 329 medal events in Paris, there will be 152 events for female athletes, 157 for male athletes and 20 mixed-gender events.

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Amid tensions with China, some US states are purging Chinese companies from their investments

Image

FILE - The American and Chinese flags wave at Genting Snow Park ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Feb. 2, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. Some U.S. states are scrapping investments in Chinese companies amid tensions between countries with the world’s largest economies. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)

Missouri State Treasurer Vivek Malek stands for a photo on Jan. 4, 2024, at his office in the state Capitol in Jefferson City, Mo. Malek pushed for the Missouri State Employees’ Retirement System to divest from Chinese companies. He faces several challengers in the Aug. 6, Republican primary. (AP Photo/David A. Lieb)

A sign for the Missouri State Employees’ Retirement system is shown, with the office in the background, on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, in Jefferson City, Mo. Some U.S. states are scrapping investments in Chinese companies amid tensions between countries with the world’s largest economies. (AP Photo/David A. Lieb)

Missouri state Sen. Andrew Koenig speaks to reporters on May 9, 2024, at the state Capitol in Jefferson City, Mo. Koenig is running in the Aug. 6, Republican primary for state treasurer. (AP Photo/David A. Lieb)

FILE - Missouri House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, right, speaks to reporters Friday, May 7, 2021, at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City, Mo. Smith is running in the Aug. 6, Republican primary for state treasurer. (AP Photo/David A. Lieb, File)

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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — As state treasurer, Vivek Malek pushed Missouri’s main retirement system to pull its investments from Chinese companies, making Missouri among the first nationally to do so. Now Malek is touting the Chinese divestment as he seeks reelection in an Aug. 6 Republican primary against challengers who also are denouncing financial connections to China.

The Missouri treasurer’s race highlights a new facet of opposition to China, which has been cast as a top threat to the U.S. by many candidates seeking election this year. Indiana and Florida also have restricted their public pension funds from investing in certain Chinese companies. Similar legislation targeting public investments in foreign adversaries was vetoed in Arizona and proposed in Illinois and Oklahoma.

China ranks as the world’s second-largest economy behind the U.S.

Between 2018 and 2022, U.S. public pension and university endowments invested about $146 billion in China, according to an analysis by Future Union , a nonprofit pro-democracy group led by venture capitalist Andrew King. The report said more than four-fifths of U.S. states have at least one public pension fund investing in China and Hong Kong,

Image

“Frankly, there should be shame — more shame than there is — for continuing to have those investments at this point in time,” said King, who asserts that China has used intellectual property from U.S. companies to make similar products that undercut market prices.

”You’re talking a considerable amount of money that frankly is competing against the U.S. technology and innovation ecosystem,” King said.

But some investment officials and economists have raised concerns that the emerging patchwork of state divestment policies could weaken investment returns for retirees.

“Most of these policies are unwise and would make U.S. citizens poorer,” said Ben Powell, an economics professor who is executive director of the Free Market Institute at Texas Tech University.

The National Association of State Retirement Administrators opposes state-mandated divestments, saying such orders should come only from the federal government against specific companies based on U.S. security or humanitarian interests.

The U.S. Treasury Department recently proposed a rule prohibiting American investors from funding artificial intelligence systems in China that could have military uses, such as weapons targeting. In May, President Joe Biden blocked a Chinese-backed cryptocurrency mining firm from owning land near a Wyoming nuclear missile base, calling it a “national security risk.”

Yet this isn’t the first time that states have blacklisted particular investments. Numerous states, cities and universities divested from South Africa because of apartheid before the U.S. Congress eventually took action. Some states also have divested from tobacco companies because of health concerns.

Most recently, some states announced a divestment from Russia because of its war against Ukraine. But that has been difficult to carry out for some public pension fund administrators.

The quest to halt investments in Chinese companies comes as a growing number of states also have targeted Chinese ownership of U.S. land. Two dozen states now have laws restricting foreign ownership of agricultural land, according to the National Agricultural Law Center at the University of Arkansas. Some laws apply more broadly, such as one facing a legal challenge in Florida that bars Chinese citizens from buying property within 10 miles (16 kilometers) of military installations and critical infrastructure.

State pension divestment policies are “part of a broader march toward more confrontation between China and the United States,” said Clark Packard, a research fellow for trade policy studies at the libertarian Cato Institute. But “it makes it more challenging for the federal government to manage the overall relationship if we’ve got to deal with a scattershot policy at the state level.”

Indiana last year became the first to enact a law requiring the state’s public pension system to gradually divest from certain Chinese companies. As of March 31, 2023, the system had about $1.2 billion invested in Chinese entities with $486 million subject to the divestment requirement. A year later, its investment exposure in China had fallen to $314 million with just $700,000 still subject to divestment, the Indiana Public Retirement System said.

Missouri State Treasurer Malek tried last November to get fellow trustees of the Missouri State Employees’ Retirement System to divest from Chinese companies. After defeat, he tried again in December and won approval for a plan requiring divestment over a 12-month period. Officials at the retirement system did not respond to repeated questions from The Associated Press about the status of that divestment.

In recent weeks, Malek has highlighted the Chinese divestment in campaign ads, asserting that fentanyl from China “is drugging our kids” and vowing: “As long as I’m treasurer, they won’t get money from us. Not one penny.”

Two of Malek’s main challengers in the Republican primary — state Rep. Cody Smith and state Sen. Andrew Koenig — also support divestment from China.

Koenig said China is becoming less stable and “a more risky place to have money invested.”

“In China, the line between public and private is much more blurry than it is in America,” Smith said. “So I don’t think we can fully know that if we are investing in Chinese companies that we are not also aiding an enemy of the United States.”

A law signed earlier this year by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis requires a state board overseeing the retirement system to develop a plan by Sept. 1 to divest from companies owned by China. The oversight board had announced in March 2022 that it would stop making new Chinese investments. As of May, it still had about $277 million invested in Chinese-owned entities, including banks, energy firms and alcohol companies, according to an analysis by Florida legislative staff .

Florida law already prohibits investment in certain companies tied to Cuba, Iran, Sudan, Venezuela, or those engaged in an economic boycott against Israel.

In April, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed a bill that would have required divestment from companies in countries determined by the federal government to be foreign adversaries. That list includes China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia and Venezuela.

Hobbs said in a letter to lawmakers that the measure “would be detrimental to the economic growth Arizona is experiencing as well as the State’s investment portfolio.”

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Paris to kick off 2024 Games under tight security

France aims to wow the world on Friday with an extravagant Olympics opening ceremony through the heart of Paris, officially kicking off a Games fraught with security risks at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions.

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Paris Olympics opening ceremony 2024: When it starts and how to watch

The opening ceremony for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics , officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad, is today. The Games are the first being held in Europe since London hosted in 2012. Paris is one hour ahead of the UK.

The opening ceremony marks the official start of the Games, although sporting action actually started on the Wednesday.

A total of 10,500 athletes, representing 206 countries including Team GB , and approximately 120 heads of states, sovereigns and heads of government are expected to attend the opening ceremony.

Concerns over security threats and crowd control during the event have meant a scaling back of initial grand plans, with President Emmanuel Macron stating that France had prepared alternative plans if the ceremony needs to be altered further.

See the full Paris 2024 schedule here .

When is the opening ceremony?

What time does the opening ceremony start?

How can I watch?

What is the parade route?

How to buy tickets.

Who will be performing

When is the Paris Olympics opening ceremony?

The Olympics opening ceremony will take place later today (Friday, July 26). This marks the starts of the multi-sport event, running until the closing ceremony on Sunday, August 11.

What time does the Olympics opening ceremony start?

The Olympics opening ceremony will begin at 7.30pm in Paris, so 6.30pm UK time.

Where can I watch it live?

Eurosport is the main European rights holder for broadcasting the Olympics this year although the BBC will still be covering the big moments across its channels and traditionally the opening ceremony gets shown live on BBC One. With Eurosport and Discovery+, you will need a subscription.

Telegraph Sport will also be running a live blog of both opening and closing ceremonies, so make sure you bookmark this page.

Paris organisers expect a total of one billion television and online viewers for the ceremony, which will be broadcast all over the world. Three hundred thousand spectators are expected to line the route.

Where is the opening ceremony taking place?

For the first time, the opening ceremony will take place outside a closed stadium, with an open-air parade of 160 boats – 94 of them carrying athletes – sailing 6km along the Seine at the heart of Paris. The parade will come to an end in front of the Trocadéro, where the remaining elements of the Olympic protocol and final shows will take place.

During the parade, performers in the ceremony will be with the delegations and passengers on the boats.

The river parade will travel east to west over a distance of 6km. It will depart from the Austerlitz bridge, beside the Jardin des Plantes, travelling around the two islands of Île Saint Louis and the Île de la Cité, and then passing under a total of eight to 10 bridges and gateways to the end point in front of the Trocadéro.

A total of 326,000 tickets will be sold or distributed for the opening ceremony. A limited number of 2024 Olympics opening ceremony tickets (hospitality packages) are still available from the Paris 2024 official ticketing website .

Who will be carrying the torch at the 2024 Olympics opening ceremony?

The Olympic torch was lit in Olympia, Greece on April 16 by the rays of the sun, according to ancient tradition. After an 11-day relay across Greece, a 68-day French torch relay, using 10,000 chosen torchbearers representing all ages and genders, travelled throughout France.

The culmination of the torch relay will be the final torchbearer igniting the cauldron with the torch to officially open the Olympic Games. The name of that person is normally kept secret until the final reveal.

Will Russia and Belarus athletes be at the opening ceremony?

The International Olympic Committee has said that Russian and Belarusian athletes will not take part in the Paris opening ceremony. Athletes from both countries are banned following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 but individuals can compete in Paris as neutrals.

The IOC said they would not be part of the opening ceremony “since they are individual athletes, but an opportunity will be provided to them to experience the event”.

Who will be performing at the opening ceremony?

Various performers will be involved at all stages of the event, including on the individual boats for the parade.

Lady Gaga and Celine Dion are expected to star. The duo are reportedly set to perform a version of Edith Piaf’s La Vie en Rose as part of a glittering conclusion to the first ever opening ceremony to be staged outside a stadium.

Dion, who is French-Canadian, teased her appearance in a post on X, writing: “Every time I return to Paris, I remember there’s so much beauty and joy still to experience in the world. I love Paris, and I’m so happy to be back!”

The city has been preparing for the unique ceremony for months, and over recent days the famous river has been increasingly hidden behind miles of chain-link fencing as part of a giant security operation.

Ticketed fans will have access to specially constructed stands on both sides of the river, while the ceremony’s conclusion will be beamed around the city via 80 giant screens.

The concluding stages of the torch relay, which travelled through each of France’s 64 territories before touching down in Paris in early July, is set to see rapper Snoop Dogg carry the flame through the suburb of Saint-Denis, home of the official Games stadium, the Stade de France.

Which GB athletes will be attending the opening ceremony?

A combination of the schedule , and a reluctance to take part in an event that might impact upon their preparations for competition, means that the number of British athletes appearing at the 6km ceremony down the River Seine is expected to be in the dozens.

Who will be GB’s flagbearers?

Tom Daley and Helen Glover have been named as Team GB’s joint flag bearers for Friday’s opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics.

The duo boast three Olympic gold medals between them with Daley coming into the Games as the defending champion in the men’s 10 metre synchro diving event.

Glover won coxless pairs gold in both London and Rio, and came out of retirement in 2021 in a quest to add to her medals tally in the French capital.

Starting at the Tokyo Games in 2021, the International Olympic Committee has encouraged teams to pick a male and female flagbearer. For Team GB it was sailor Hannah Mills and rower Moe Sbihi. Other notable summer Games opening ceremony flagbearers for Britain in the past include Andy Murray, Sir Chris Hoy and Sir Steve Redgrave.

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What to know.

  • The countdown is on to Friday's Olympic opening ceremony and the start of the 2024 Paris Games.
  • Thousands of athletes, fans and media have descended on the city.
  • Basketball legend LeBron James will serve as a flag bearer for Team USA, it was exclusively announced on NBC News' “TODAY” this morning.
  • Stream every moment and every medal of the 2024 Paris Olympics on Peacock , starting with the opening ceremony on Friday at 12 p.m. ET.
  • Read more NBC News coverage of the Games and the athletes competing in Paris.

U.S. women’s gymnastics team arrives in Paris: See the pics

Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush react to new photos of the U.S. women’s gymnastics team’s arrival in Paris for the Olympic Games. They also share how they are preparing to head out there themselves.

Athletes show off Olympic gear hauls

sailboat race committee flags

Kaetlyn Liddy Kaetlyn Liddy is a newsroom coordinator for NBC News Digital.

Athletes from around the world are giving the public an inside look at " one of the most exciting parts " of the Games: the Olympic merch.

Each country provides its athletes with suitcases full of gear to sport in the Olympic Village, including training garb and elevated designs for the opening ceremony.

Evy Leibfarth, who is representing Team USA in canoeing, unboxed her Nike and Ralph Lauren hauls for her TikTok audience.

"Not me wanting to be in the Olympics just for the merch," a user said in a comment.

Sarah Douglas, a Canadian sailing athlete, shared the country's Olympic kit . Canada-based activewear company Lululemon designed the team's gear.

Danish handball player Althea Reinhardt unveiled two large suitcases of patriotic garb, including sneakers, workout clothes and a backpack.

AFP photographer injured in Lebanon attack carried Olympic torch

Rebecca Cohen

On Oct. 13, Christina Assi, a photographer for the French news agency Agence France-Presse, was injured by a tank shell reporting on the conflict between Israel and armed groups in southern Lebanon. 

Yesterday, she carried the Olympic torch in Vincennes, France, “to pay tribute to those who have fallen” doing their jobs as journalists, she said, according to a news release from AFP . 

AFP journalists Christina Assi and Dylan Collins were injured in an attack by an Israeli tank on a group of journalists in southern Lebanon on October 13, 2023.

In the same attack, the shell, which AFP said was fired by an Israeli tank, killed Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah and injured the six other journalists, including Dylan Collins, who was with Assi yesterday in Vincennes.

Assi's right leg was amputated. 

“Carrying the Olympic Flame is an emotional experience, particularly after surviving a targeted attack while I was on assignment. My story is just one among many others in a year that has claimed the lives of over a hundred journalists,” Assi said. “By bearing this torch, we honour the sacrifice of those who have fallen and draw attention to the urgent need to protect those who continue to report despite the mental and physical toll.”

Get ready for the Paris Games with these Olympic-inspired outfits

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NSC adviser discusses latest security prep

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Paris Olympics Security

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said last week that securing the opening ceremony is "an all-hands-on-deck effort."

"It’s something we’ve been working on not just for months but for years to help our French counterparts be in a position to deter and prevent terrorist attacks in the Olympics," Sullivan said Friday at the Aspen Security Forum.

He added that the U.S. isn't trying to "bigfoot" France's preparations.

"The French are damn capable counterterrorism professionals," he said.

Photo: The moon makes an additional Olympic ring

sailboat race committee flags

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IOC president calls athletes 'peace ambassadors'

sailboat race committee flags

David K. Li

PARIS — With wars raging in the Middle East and Eastern Europe , Olympics President Thomas Bach today called for the world to see the upcoming games as a hope for peace.

“When our founder, Pierre de Coubertin , revived the Olympic Games 130 years ago — right here in Paris — he saw it as a way to promote peace among all nations and people of the world," Bach said at the ceremonial opening of Olympic Village.

"He was a true ambassador for peace. Today, you — the Olympic athletes — you are the peace ambassadors of our time."

Take a look at the breakfast (and lunch) of champions

Marlene Lenthang

Married American Olympic fencers Gerek Meinhardt and Lee Kiefer are sharing a peek of the grub fueling the world’s greatest at Paris’ Olympic Village. 

The couple shared a TikTok video taking viewers through the village's dining hall that offered four categories of cuisine: Asian, halal, French and world.  For breakfast they opted for the world category, which offered an array of fresh fruit, a salad bar, yogurt, baked goods like crepes and cookies, an array of French cheeses and croissants (of course) and a hot bar with eggs, hash browns, mushrooms, pancakes, sausages and bacon. 

The couple shared ratings for their meal, giving the Greek yogurt and the fresh mango five stars, the fried eggs three stars, the mushrooms five stars and the bacon four stars.

For lunch, they opted for a halal meal, chowing down on couscous, a turkey skewer, sweet potatoes spinach, peppers, mushrooms and chicken sausage. 

In true French fashion, the athletes’ lounge in the village also has a boulangerie (bakery) whipping up fresh baguettes and croissants daily.

Bon appétit! 

Tour de France riders now shift focus to Olympic road race

Claire Cardona

Tadej Pogacar celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the 21st stage and overall victory of the 2024 Tour de France.

Fresh off the Tour de France, a number of riders are turning their attention to the Olympic road race on Aug. 3.

For the first time in its history, the Tour finished in Nice, as Olympic preparations are underway in Paris. For the third time, it was won by Slovenian rider Tadej Pogačar , whose dominance earned him six stage wins and kept him in the yellow jersey from the fourth stage onward.

An Olympic medal would add to his already successful summer (before the Tour, Pogačar won the Giro d’Italia, a rare and revered double last achieved in 1998). The Tokyo bronze medalist is among the riders on the list of entries for the road race.

The entry list also includes three Americans — Matteo Jorgenson, Brandon McNulty and Magnus Sheffield — though only Jorgenson raced this year’s Tour. (Jorgenson finished the Tour in eighth and secured a second-place stage finish in the final week).

World champion Mathieu van der Poel is also expected to compete in the road race. It would be the second Olympics for the Dutch star, who didn’t medal in Tokyo after a disappointing crash in the cross-country mountain bike race.

The entire Belgian contingent on the list — Remco Evenepoel (who finished third and won the young rider classification), Wout van Aert, Jasper Stuyven and Tiesj Benoot — just wrapped three weeks of riding across France.

British cyclist Tom Pidcock, who dropped out of the Tour after testing positive for Covid , is expected to defend his Tokyo mountain bike title and could also take part in the road race. 

Also expected at the starting line is Biniam Girmay, of Eritrea, who made history as the first black African rider to win a stage of the Tour. He took the green sprinter’s jersey early in the first week and kept it to the end despite a nasty crash.

The rolling road race course will feature nearly 9,200 feet of climbing spread across about 170 miles for the men. The women race the next day on a 99-mile course with about 5,500 feet of elevation gain.

The Tour de France Femmes will kick off Aug. 12, the day after the Olympics’ closing ceremony.

Athletes hilariously test out Olympic Village 'cardboard' beds

The world's best athletes have flocked to Paris for the Olympics, but their beds in the Olympic Village appear to be a far cry from prize-winning comfort.

Tilly Kearns, an Australian Olympic water polo player, shared a video on TikTok yesterday captioned: “First night on the Olympic cardboard bed”

“It’s actually rock solid,” she said, pressing on the mattress with a laugh. “You can flip them over, apparently there’s a softer side, but that was the soft side!” 

Harry McNulty, a member of Ireland’s national rugby sevens team, also shared a TikTok video testing out the mattress' durability.

“Supposedly the structure of this bed will collapse if there’s more than one person on it,” McNulty said, jumping on the bed. His teammate Jordan Conroy then threw his body on the bed and slumped right off. In true rugby fashion, Conroy jumped back onto the bed, and McNulty dived on top of him.

“Think it’s all good," McNulty said with a thumbs up to the camera. 

A viewer of Kearns' video wrote: “Nah that’s like pre event sabotage.” 

“I can’t fathom how pro athletes are given cardboard beds to sleep on,” a commenter wrote, while another added, “I wonder how many Memory Foam mattress toppers have been overnighted to Paris so far.”

American Olympic gymnast Suni Lee commented on Kearns' video: “omg I might cry.”

River Seine ready for the opening ceremony, Parisian officials and citizens say

sailboat race committee flags

Keir Simmons

Reporting from Paris

PARIS — The Seine is ready for the opening ceremony according to French officials and Parisians who have been out boating on the river in recent days.

Today the water was calm enough for Noam Soilihi, 17, to resume renting sailing boats for tourists. 

“It’s cleaner than a few days ago,” he said. “Today we can see a little bit through the water.” 

‘I think it’s perfect’, added Cyprien Arthaud, 16, a student and rower. 

Rowing coach Bojan Krdzic, 35, said Team USA and its newly announced flag bearer LeBron James will have no problems on the Seine for the Opening Ceremony.

“The speed of the river during the months of May and June was very high. So for us on the water it was very difficult to do the training,” he said, adding that it has been “very calm” since last week. 

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sailboat race committee flags

Japan’s top female gymnast and team captain, Shoko Miyata, has been removed from the Paris Olympic team due to allegations of underage smoking in violation of the federation’s code of conduct.

Miyata, 19, was sent home from an Olympic prep camp in Monaco, according to Japan Gymnastics Association. The legal smoking age in Japan is 20.

She was notably absent from a practice in Monaco on Wednesday, which was open to media. “Due to circumstances, she is not participating today,” training director Hikaru Tanaka said,  according to Japanese publication, The Mainichi.

JGA officials said Miyata arrived in Japan on   Thursday after leaving the team’s training camp in Monaco for investigation, which confirmed the violation including drinking alcohol.

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Athletes share excitement on social media

sailboat race committee flags

Chapman Bell

PARIS — Team USA members have been sharing their enthusiasm on social media ahead of their journeys to the Paris Olympic village.

“Welcome to possibly the most chaotic travel day to Paris you have ever seen,” Team USA volleyball player Jordan Thompson says in a TikTok video.

Thompson's reel ends inside the rooms that Team USA will share for the next few weeks.

Gymnast Jordan Chiles wrote "next stop Paris" on an Instagram story, while her five-time Olympic-gold-winning teammate Simone Biles shared a group shot from France with some of her women's gymnastic teammates.

Receiving their customized Team USA merchandise has only made America's athletes only more excited. Some of them, such as women's hockey player Ashley Sessa, gave her TikTok followers a rundown of the gear she's been sent.

We can expect to see a lot more posts from America's Olympic teams when they're not competing over the next few weeks.

Macron: French security apparatus 'ready' to handle the Games

Jean-Nicholas Fievet

"We’re ready," French President Emmanuel Macron has told security personnel at the Olympic Village in Seine-Saint Denis.

During a visit to the village this morning, Macron thanked the personnel who will be on duty throughout the Games. "Over 250,000 men and women have given their time to be on duty throughout the games, so that we can hold them," the French president added.

France's President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Presidential Palace

Macron met with government ministers this morning to discuss security measures for Friday’s opening ceremony, and Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin told France 2 Television yesterday that there were no specific threats against the opening ceremony. Darmanin confirmed it will go ahead as planned on the Seine.

Darmanin said that 1 million security screenings have been carried out ahead of the Games, with 4,350 individuals banned after they were deemed potential security risk s . They included people suspected of foreign espionage, extremists linked with the far right, far left or Islamic extremists, and those with criminal records.

Being Team USA's flag bearer 'an absolute honor,' James says

"To wave the flag for, not only for us as a men’s national team, but for all the Olympians, I hold that with the utmost honor," says basketball legend LeBron James after the announcement earlier today that he will carry the Team USA flag at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony Friday.

"It’s very easy [for it] to be humbling when ... [it's]something that you never dreamed about before," the Los Angeles Lakers player said.

2024 USA Basketball Showcase - USA v South Sudan

Reminiscing about his childhood ahead of his fourth Olympic games, the 39-year-old athlete explained that from "being a kid from the inner city in Akron, Ohio, to being able to represent our country in a whole other country, in Paris and in France, it’s just ... a loss of words, something that you never dreamed of. It’s an absolute honor."

He added: "I hope I continue to make my community proud and continue to make my family proud."

Most ever expected to bet on Olympics after legal gambling boom

Ece Yildirim, CNBC

Lillian Rizzo, CNBC

Paris Olympics Volunteers

Sportsbooks and daily fantasy operators are preparing for a  Summer Olympics  bump.

The Games in Paris,  set to start Friday,  will be the first to take place since  legal gambling became widespread  in the U.S. The gaming industry expects an increase in wagering from the previous Summer Games in Tokyo, particularly for sports like men’s and women’s basketball, soccer and tennis.

“The Olympics and gambling, for decades, have looked at each other from afar. This year we’ll see them meld together,” said Max Bichsel, North America executive vice president at  Gambling.com Group .

These Olympic Games come at an opportune time for sportsbooks, during the offseasons of high-volume betting leagues such as the NFL and the NBA. But it remains to be seen whether they move the needle for gambling operators.

Re a d the full story here.

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Basketball legend LeBron James to serve as Team USA flag bearer

LeBron James of the U.S. plays against Canada in an exhibition game

PARIS — Basketball legend LeBron James will serve as a flag bearer for Team USA, it was exclusively announced on NBC News' “TODAY” this morning. 

The Los Angeles Lakers star who signed a deal to remain with the franchise earlier this month will hold the Stars and Stripes in the opening ceremony in Paris on Friday.  

James will be playing in his fourth Games, having won a bronze medal in 2004 and gold in 2008 and 2012. When asked why he’s returning to Olympic play, James said he still owes it to give it his all.

"At this point in my career, I still, I have a lot to give, and Team USA has given a lot to me, so I feel like it’s an opportunity for me to give back,” he told the "TODAY" show’s Craig Melvin earlier this month.

Brittney Griner ready to represent ‘the country that fought for me to come back’

Rohan Nadkarni

The  2024 Paris Olympics  will take on a particularly special meaning for  Brittney Griner.

The WNBA star will be competing for her country for the third time in Paris — and the first time since she was detained in Russia on drug charges for almost 10 months in 2022.

“BG is locked in and ready to go,” Griner told NBC News on Friday. “I’m happy, I’m in a great place. I’m representing my country, the country that fought for me to come back. I’m gonna represent it well.”

Griner will also be competing in Paris for the first time as a parent. She and her wife had a son, Bash, on July 8. Griner isn’t thrilled to be leaving him so soon, but said since he’s growing up in a sports family, one day he’ll understand. 

“Every minute, I feel like he’s popping into my head,” Griner said. “Literally everything revolves around him. And I love it.”

Click here to read the full article

Paris transformed into Olympic playground

PARIS — The French capital has been transformed into an Olympic playground. Beach volleyball will be played under the Eiffel Tower and BMX freestyle, skateboarding and 3X3 basketball will take place at the Place de la Concorde.

The famous square in front of L’Hotel de Ville has been turned into a place where the public can try Olympic and Paralympic sports such as basketball and wheelchair tennis, and parents can wrestle with their children on a makeshift Olympic mat. 

Camille and Jean-Francois Grout, are Parisians who unlike some have chosen to stay in the capital, braving the crowds and the traffic during the games. 

Camille and Jean-Francois Grout, are Parisians who unlike some have chosen to stay in Paris braving the crowds and the traffic.

“It’s quite amazing to have the Games in our city,” Camille, 50, told NBC News today.

“We have the opportunity to see people from all over the world,”  added Jean-Francois, 52.

Asked who will win more medals, Team USA or Team France, Jean-Francois smiled and said it will likely be Team USA.

The first events of Paris 2024

Paris and the teams descending on it are still getting prepped for the Games to get underway Wednesday. When they do, you'll be able to stream every minute on Peacock.

Wednesday's events will be in men's soccer and men's rugby sevens. For the uninitiated, rugby sevens is like regular rugby union (one of the sports in which football has its roots). The difference is that instead of the usual 15-player teams playing 40-minute halves, sevens has seven-player teams playing seven-minute halves.

France olympic Rugby Sevens

In soccer, Argentina will no doubt be one of the teams to watch out for Wednesday. Fresh from their Copa America win , Argentina's young squad (almost all players in Olympic soccer must be under 23) includes Manchester City's Julián Álvarez and Inter Miami's Federico Redondo. They open the Games against Morocco at 9:00 a.m. ET, while Spain plays Uzbekistan.

Lionel Messi, No. 10, lifts up the trophy as he celebrates winning the Conmebol 2024 Copa America tournament final match between Argentina and Colombia at the Hard Rock Stadium, in Miami, Florida.

The USA will play France at 3:00 p.m. ET and the USMNT's overage players include Nashville's Walker Zimmerman, Cincinatti's Miles Robinson and Djordje Mihailovic of the Colorado Rapids.

Is the Seine clean enough for the Games? Paris' mayor took a dip.

Under blue skies and bright sunshine, curious Parisians gathered along the right bank of the  Seine  to see the French capital’s mayor plunge into the water.

After months of anticipation, a smiling Anne Hidalgo  fulfilled a promise  to show it was clean enough to host open swimming competitions during the 2024 Olympics and the opening ceremony on the river, at the time nine days away.

Clad in a wetsuit and goggles, she plunged into the river near Paris’ imposing City Hall, her office, and the Notre Dame Cathedral.

Hidalgo’s swim was part of a broader effort to showcase the  river’s improved cleanliness  ahead of the Games, which are set to kick off Friday with a  lavish open-air ceremony  that includes an athletes’ parade on boats on the Seine.

Aboard the eyes in the sky keeping the Paris Olympics safe

sailboat race committee flags

Alexander Smith

They have the best seats in the house for this summer’s Paris Olympics, but they won’t be enjoying the sports.

Maj. John and Col. Dry will be the eyes in the sky for one of the most challenging and stringent security operations ever deployed at the Games.

NBC News got an exclusive invite in March week to board their military police helicopter as they swooped over the sprawling Chateau de Versailles, the former royal residence now hosting equestrian events, to La Defense business district. Then along the river Seine, the scene of the opening ceremony, to the Olympic stadium, the Stade de France, and the multicolored townhouses of the suburban Olympic Village.

See how Paris has evolved from the 1924 Summer Olympics to today

sailboat race committee flags

Daniel Arkin

Kelsea Petersen Kelsea Petersen is the art and photo intern for NBC News Digital

Athletes Competing in 10,000 Meter Race sp

In the summer of 1924, more than 600,000 spectators descended on  Paris for the Olympic Games.  The competitions were broadcast on the radio for the first time, allowing listeners around the world to vicariously experience the “Flying Finns” of track and field and other elite athletes. The British stars Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell triumphed on the track, inspiring the 1981 Oscar-winning film “Chariots of Fire” and a soaring electronic theme by Vangelis.

In the century since, Paris and its surrounding cities have been utterly transformed by political upheaval, technological revolution and demographic shifts. But when the City of Lights hosts the Games for a third time this month, spectators and television audiences will be reminded how much has remained the same, from the towering landmarks of metropolitan Paris to the pageantry of the opening ceremony.

See the photos here.

IMAGES

  1. Race Committee

    sailboat race committee flags

  2. Do You Know Your Sailing Flags?

    sailboat race committee flags

  3. Yacht Club Race Committee Flags and Accessories

    sailboat race committee flags

  4. Do You Know Your Sailing Flags?

    sailboat race committee flags

  5. Race Committee Flag 2'x3' Printed

    sailboat race committee flags

  6. US Sailing Race Committee Flag 24"x36"

    sailboat race committee flags

VIDEO

  1. Pop Tops

  2. "It's about SURVIVAL..." Meet GUYOT environnement

  3. Race Committee Training Video: Flags & Signals

  4. Saturday Sailors

  5. Pop Tops

  6. J24 2024 Midwinters Race 1, Heavy air racing 30 gusting to 40 knots with onboard crew discussion

COMMENTS

  1. Racing Signals: Sailing Flag Meanings

    At a regatta, the race committee may fly the Z-flag to indicate an additional penalty for any boat that has crossed the line early. Moreover, even though there are certain flags that have well-defined roles, race committees may stipulate additional meanings or introduce new flags via an announcement in the sailing instructions for the event, so ...

  2. ALL ABOUT THOSE RACE COMMITTEE FLAGS

    C: Red, white and blue horizontal stripes. This flag means, "The course has been changed." Look for compass heading to new mark and/or + or - sign indicating leg will be longer or shorter. N: Blue and white checkers. This flag means, "The race has been abandonned." It should be accompanied by 3 sound signals.

  3. Forms, Diagrams, Equipment

    Racing Rule of Sailing #26 Timers Worksheet - Excel. Race Committee Log Form - Excel. Race Committee Wind Log Form - Excel. Race Committee Mark Rounding/Finishing Form - Excel. Race Committee Actions Taken Recording Form - Excel. Race Committee Protest Time Limit Form - Excel. US Sailing 2017-2020 Protest Form. Scoring Form - pdf.

  4. PDF Race Committee Flags

    Race Committee Flags. Flag/Shape Name Sounds Meaning. X. 1 when raised. Individual Recall. First Substitute: 2 when raised 1 when lowered. General Recall: AP. ... Race Committee Signal Boat Race Committee Auxiliary Vessel. Author: Beckett, David \(CTR\) Created Date: 3/2/2017 11:10:53 AM ...

  5. Sailboat Racing Flags and Signals

    In sail­boat rac­ing, it's cru­cial to under­stand the mean­ing behind these flags and sig­nals to ensure fair com­pe­ti­tion and main­tain the spir­it of free­dom on the water. Here are three key points to con­sid­er: Penal­ty flags: These flags are raised by race offi­cials to indi­cate a rule vio­la­tion by a boat.

  6. PDF Sailing Race Signal Flags

    Sailing Race Signal Flags. RACE SIGNALS The meanings ofvisual and sound signals are stated below. An arrow pointing up or down (T l) means that a visual signal is displayed or removed. A dot means a sound; five short dashes - - - - ) mean repeti- tive sounds; a long dash (—) means a long sound. When a visual signal is displayed over a class ...

  7. PDF STARTING RACES USING RULE 26

    The race committee uses the same procedure for all starts--those with starting penalties (flag I, Z, Z and I, or black flag) and those without (flag P). This should reduce errors. There is less "wasted" time (5 minutes less) between the warning and the starting signals vs. starting classes at ten-minute intervals.

  8. PDF Race Management Flags & Signals

    Preferred Start Boat Flag Layout Start Boat Signals Other Race Committee Signals before the Start Course (flag, pennant, course board, white/blackboard) Y Flag * AP, AP over Numeral 1, 2, 3 etc, AP over H, AP over A ** N, N over H, N over A ***

  9. Learning Sailboat Racing with Race Committee 101

    Welcome back to our Race Committee Mastery Series! In this installment, MYC Principal Race Officer Karen Vander Meyden takes you on a deep dive into the worl...

  10. PDF Race Signals

    During a race and for any signal concerning the race, these flags are defined in the Racing Rules of Sailing 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 ... When displayed the race committee boat is in position at the ...

  11. Sailboat Racing Flags: Unlock The Secrets To Victory

    Sailboat racing is a thrilling and challenging sport that requires skill, strategy, and knowledge of sailing rules and regulations. One of the essential components of sailboat racing is the use of flags and signals to communicate important information to the sailors. Sailboat racing flags and signals are a standardized system used to convey ...

  12. Racing Rules of Sailing

    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. During a race and for any signal concerning the race, these flags are defined in the Racing Rules of Sailing but the signal can be modified by the Sailing Instructions.. The raising (hoisting) or removing of a visual signal is accompanied by ...

  13. Signal Flags And Their Meanings

    They are used to indicate info about races and course changes to a fleet. They are far more functional than a radio in a dinghy race, as lasers tend to flip and vhfs tend to sink. So using a signal flag for all to see is much more effective and certainly a ton more salty. I sourced this description of racing meanings from sailing flags here.

  14. Race Committee Fundamentals

    Race Committee Fundamentals is a free introductory course for people who want to learn the basics of race committee work. You'll learn from the best - experienced race officers who know what it takes to run great races. Through a variety of instructional strategies - direct instruction, small group work and hands-on activities - you'll ...

  15. RC Code Flags & Supplies

    Yellow Race Committee flag for Mark Boats Price: $19.99 Sale price: $14.99: AP Flag for Postponement Price: $19.99 Sale price: $13.99: First Substitute Flag for General Recalls Price: $19.99 Sale price: $13.99: Orange Start Line flag 36" X 36" Price: $19.99 Sale price: $13.99: 2nd Substitute Flag Price: $19.99 Sale price: $13.99: Blue Flag For ...

  16. PDF RACE SIGNALS

    ule 86.1(b). The meanings of any other signals that may be used shall be stated in the notice of race or sailing. nstructions.25.3 When the race committee is required to display a flag as a visual signal, it may use a flag or other object of a similar appearance, or l.

  17. Sailing Racing Flags

    The race committee may decide to do i over z which is around the ends and a 20% scoring penalty. u-Flag (30.3) A boat within the triangle formed by the ends of the line and the first mark during the minute before the start will be disqualified without a hearing.

  18. Racing Boat Flags

    Click here for a link to "Racing Rules Of Sailing" and usual meanings of racing flags. Sort By: Quick view Details. Race Committee Flag - 20x30 Inches. $54.95. Add to Cart. Quick view Details. Race Committee Flag - 24x36 Inches ... When displayed the race committee boat is in position at the finishing line. $24.50. Choose Options. Quick view ...

  19. File : Flag of Krasnokamsk (Perm krai) (2003).svg

    Original file ‎ (SVG file, nominally 1,200 × 800 pixels, file size: 436 bytes)

  20. 100th sailboat race from Port Huron to Mackinac Island starts Saturday

    Billed on its website as the "world's longest continuously run long-distance freshwater yacht race," the 100th Bayview Mackinac Race is set to start Saturday.. A record-setting 334 boats ...

  21. Roma communities in Perm Krai: historical and ethnical aspects

    A new research stage of the Rozhdestvensk archaeological complex, the largest medieval complex in Perm Krai, began in 2008. During the study, new data on the structure and typology of fortifications of the Rozhdestvensk settlement were obtained: along the eastern boundary of the site at the edge of a ravine an ancient filled up moat and a later constructed palisade were discovered.

  22. Category:Perm Krai

    Perm Oblast. Komi-Permyak Autonomous Okrug. Maximum temperature record. 42 degree Celsius. Minimum temperature record. −56 degree Celsius. official website. 59° 14′ 00″ N, 56° 08′ 00″ E.

  23. An Alternative Idea to Hand Operated Flags for Race Committees

    This may be a non-issue as the race committee is usually surrounded by sailboats when these signals are displayed, but we should come up with a proper protocol for our new lights. About Patrick O'Donnell. Patrick grew up running the Race Committee boat with his dad in the 80's for the St. Croix Sailing Club just outside of St. Paul, Minnesota.

  24. World Sailing

    "Now my sailing style has changed a lot and my consistency in the results is much better, I think in the years I have been growing and getting to know myself, now it is different. "Hopefully I sail the last two races, the last fleet race and the medal race. I think I would be extremely happy if I finish the last race of the regatta."

  25. Aruba at the 2024 Summer Olympics

    Aruban Olympic Committee: Website: olympicaruba.com: in Paris, ... 26 July 2024 () - 11 August 2024 () Competitors: 6 (4 men and 2 women) in 4 sports: Flag bearers : Mikel Schreuders Chloë Farro: Medals: Gold 0 Silver 0 ... Aruban riders secured a single quota place in the women's BMX race for Paris 2024 through the allocations of ...

  26. CNN's Summer Olympics Quiz: July 25, 2024

    Women first competed in 1900 at the Summer Olympics in Paris, where they comprised around 2% of athletes. The 22 women participated in tennis, sailing, croquet, golf and equestrian. Since then ...

  27. Amid tensions with China, some US states are purging Chinese companies

    FILE - The American and Chinese flags wave at Genting Snow Park ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Feb. 2, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. Some U.S. states are scrapping investments in Chinese companies amid tensions between countries with the world's largest economies. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)

  28. Swimming-'Go Korea'

    Australian Olympic officials may send one of the team's coaches home for saying he hopes a South Korean swimmer he has worked with can beat his Australian rivals in the 400 metres freestyle when ...

  29. Paris Olympics opening ceremony 2024: When it starts and how to watch

    For the first time, the opening ceremony will take place outside a closed stadium, with an open-air parade of 160 boats - 94 of them carrying athletes - sailing 6km along the Seine at the ...

  30. LeBron James named U.S. flag bearer for 2024 Olympics as gymnastics

    French President Emmanuel Macron waits for arrivals prior to a meeting with the International Olympic Committee president at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on July 16. Ludovic Marin / AFP ...