Situation
A race committee decides to stop the starting procedure for a race after its preparatory signal but before its starting signal. A further attempt will made to start the race.

Question 1
Can the race committee use flag N to do so?

Answer 1
Yes, rule 27.3 allows the race committee to abandon a race before the starting signal.

Question 2
If the answer to Question 1 is Yes, so that either AP or N can be used, how should the race committee decide which to display?

Answer 2
While rule 27.3 allows either flag, to avoid confusion when other fleets are racing in the same race area, the recommended practice is using the AP.