What's with the "I" Flag Start?

2014 Typhoon Nationals-- Regatta PRO Tom Linville answers your questions…

What's with the "I" Flag Start?

RRS 30.1, I Flag Rule, commonly called the "round an end rule," states:  "If flag I has been displayed, and any part of a boat's hull, crew, or equipment is on the course side of the starting line or one of its extensions during the last minute before her starting signal, she shall thereafter sail from the course side across an extension to the pre-start side before starting."  RRS 26, Starting Races, provides for the I flag to be used instead of the P flag for the Preparatory (4 minutes) signal. 

As Dave Perry explains, "The purpose of the rule [30.1] is to keep people from charging over the line early and making it difficult for the race committee to have a fair start.  The way it works is, if you are on the course side of the starting line or its extensions during the minute before your starting signal, you must sail back to the pre-start side of the line outside one of the starting marks [the RC boat or the Pin]… i.e., you must sail around one end of the starting line or the other … before starting correctly."   In the case of the Championship race, the first start was a General Recall.  The RC decided that to discourage another General Recall, it would employ RRS 30.1 and display the I flag.  Most competitors hold back a bit on an I flag start because they don't want to be OCS and then pay the penalty of having to "round an end."  Compare this to a normal P flag start, where if you are OCS you can merely dip back completely below the starting line at any point and then start correctly.  Again, as the case for any OCS boat, the RC is not required to notify you, but they will display the "X" Individual Recall flag.  For the Typhoon Championship, the RC called out OCS boats during the one minute after the I flag was displayed, but they need not have done so. 

Respectfully submitted,

Tom Linville

2014 Typhoon Nationals PRO

10June2014