PART 3
30.3
U Flag Rule
If flag U has been displayed, no part of a boat’s hull, crew or equipment shall be in the triangle formed by the ends of the starting line and the first mark during the last minute before her starting signal. If a boat breaks this rule and is identified, she shall be disqualified without a hearing, but not if the race is restarted or resailed.
Many race officers and classes prefer not to use either rule 30.1 or 30.2. As a result, the next step after general recalls under P flag starts was a black flag start. This was felt to be too severe a step, and the black flag rule’s number display requirement for BFD boats delayed the restart. So an intermediate starting penalty using flag U was offered in Appendix L, Sailing Instructions Guide. To be used, it had to be written into the sailing instructions. It has been successful enough to be upgraded into a starting penalty system here in the latest racing rules, taking over the rule 30.3 slot, so that the black flag rule becomes rule 30.4. Since the U flag rule is now a standard starting rule, it no longer needs to be described in the sailing instructions.
It operates identically to the black flag rule if: • the race starts normally – when any part of a boat’s, hull, crew or equipment has been in the ‘triangle’ in the last minute before (or at) the starting signal, she is disqualified without a hearing: under rule 30.3, the scoring designation is UFD.
• the race is postponed or abandoned before the starting signal – there is no penalty under either rule.
It differs from the black flag rule if: • there is a general recall, and the race is restarted – under the black flag rule, when any part of a boat’s, hull, crew or equipment was in the ‘triangle’ in the last minute before (or at) the starting signal, she remains disqualified and is not allowed to sail in the restart: she learns of her fate from seeing her sail number displayed on the committee boat. Under the U flag rule, there is no penalty, and she may take part in the restart. No sail number is displayed.
• the race is abandoned after the starting signal, then resailed – likewise, a BFD boat has her sail number displayed, and is not allowed to sail in the restart, whereas, under the U flag rule the penalty goes away.
One weakness of the U flag rule is when it is used in large dinghy fleet starts. If several boats are fairly sure that they have trespassed over the line, they have been known to call fellow competitors over with them to ensure that there is a general recall which will cancel their penalty. Since this nullifies the good intention of the U flag rule, it will make it even more likely that a race officer will often progress to the black flag after a U flag general recall, and go straight from P to black in recalled starts in later races. In fleets known to be prone to general recalls, some race officers will use flag U immediately rather than P.
Many of the observations on the black flag rule that follow will apply equally to the U flag rule. 30.4 Black Flag Rule
If a black flag has been displayed, no part of a boat’s hull, crew or equipment shall be in the triangle formed by the ends of the starting line and the first mark during the last minute before her starting signal. If a boat breaks this rule and is identified, 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.
140 RYA The Racing Rules Explained
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