Forum: The Racing Rules of Sailing
RRS 2025-2028: Changes to Abandonment Signals
Peter Osbourne
Certifications:
- National Race Officer
0
A submission from US Sailing (002-23) proposed that the wording of Race Signals N, N/H and N/A be changed to remove the possibility of a misinterpretation of their respective meanings.
The underlying issue is that a race that has finished has also started, but the intent of the signal N is only to abandon races which are in progress, not races which were run previously. The submission preserves the intent of the signal, and was introduced into the new RRS without amendment. So far so good.
The situation of the N/H and N/A signals is similar but different. “All races” could also be interpreted as races which have finished – therefore replacing that with “in progress or not started” removes the ambiguity and also preserves the original intent. The submission was, however, amended by WS for the new RRS by removing “or in progress”, thereby fundamentally changing the meanings of these signals.
With this amendment the race committee can no longer express their intent that all boats leave the racing area and go ashore, which is the usual scenario for the use of these signals. To achieve the same outcome it would seem that the race committee will now have to display N/H or A for races in progress, and AP/H or A for boats waiting for their start.
The other anomaly with this change is that the text of RRS 27.3 is unchanged in RRS 2025-2028. The display of N/H and N/A are still listed as actions which can be taken by the race committee before the starting signal, which is clearly inconsistent with the amended meanings of these signals.
Does anyone have any insight into the reasoning behind WS amending the submission, which IMHO is a retrograde step?
Comments
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admittingly I do not have insight so feel free to stop reading right now ;-)
Please note that you should edit your post because what was removed was "or not started".
From what I understand, it's about usage of language. English is not my first language though. Outside of sailing you would not abandon something you haven't started. I will abandon mowing my lawn (while I'm mowing) because of the starting rain or I will abandon my plans (but not the actual mowing) for mowing the lawn because it started raining. N and AP are only about mowing it.
Old and new rules were talking about races in progress (this change is about language, not about changing the rule). It was never correct to show N over H to a drifting fleet waiting for their next race even though it worked and everyone understood what was meant. so - no change in the meaning, still not correct!
On a weekend, the correct signal to get a drifting fleet waiting for their next race ashore on a Saturday is and always has been AP over A or H. It is also the only signal you need for the situation where fleets are racing and others are waiting not racing.
What I will add though: What is the correct signal to everyone ashore on the last day of racing? You can't abandon because they are not racing and you can't postpone (in the real world meaning) because there is no date to postpone to. But - it was never the intention of the rules change to fix this particular issue so we can’t really blame anyone for not fixing it with this rule change.
Will the fleet still do the same thing after the rule change? I am confident they will.
I'm not sure about the lawn mowing analogy, but it was certainly always correct to display N/H for a fleet waiting for their start - that's what "all races" means. And AP/H absolutely does not apply to fleets which are racing, it only applies to races which have not started. You might well want to let races in progress continue, but send fleets which haven't started ashore - that's what AP/H achieves.
With regard to your supplementary question on the last day of racing - this is where the Sailing Instructions kick in as they will have stated the latest time at which a race may be started.
Submission 013-23
Section C rules do not apply between boats at a starting mark surrounded by navigable water or at its anchor line from the time boats are approaching them to start their preparatory signal until they have
passedstarted and left them astern.Submission E06-24
Section C rules do not apply
atbetween boats when the mark or obstruction is a starting mark surrounded by navigable water oratits anchor line, from the time the boats are approaching itthemto start until they havestarted andleft it asternpassed them.
ReasonIt has been found that the wording approved in [Submission 013-23] leads to unforeseen and undesirable situations. The proposed preamble aims to address and rectify these flaws.
I've also heard the proposition that you can't abandon something that hasn't started.
However, I think the distinction you draw between abandoning mowing your lawn while you are doing it and abandoning the idea or your plans to mow the lawn is a very fine one. The end result is that the lawn doesn't get mowed.
I think the issue is definitively answered by looking at RRS 27.3 (emphasis added)
27.3 Before the starting signal, the race committee may for any reason postpone (display flag AP, AP over H, or AP over A, with two sounds) or abandon the race (display flag N over H, or N over A, with three sounds).
This makes it clear that the rules writers intended 'abandon' to include abandoning a race that had not started.
Some History
From the 1961 rewrite up to 1992 the following Definitions were in the RRS
Abandonment - An abandoned race is one that the race committee declares void at any time after the starting signal and that can be resailed at its discretion.
From 1961 to 1992
Rule 5.3 provided: Before the starting signal the race committee may ... cancel the race.
Rule 5.4 provided: 'After the startign signal the race committee may ... abandon the race.
In 1961 Rule 4.1 'N' said
"N" - Cancellation Signal
When displayed alone means: -
"All races, including those in progress, are cancelled or abandoned."
When displayed over a class signal means: -
"The designated race is cancelled or abandoned."
In 1965 Rule 4.1 was amended to read
'N' - Abandonment Signal
When displayed alone means: -
"All races are abandoned."
When displayed over a class signal means: -
"The designated race is abandoned."
This may have been intended to remove the ability of the race committee to give a signal that racing was cancelled, or that it was thought that abandonment and cancellation were sufficiently the same in effect that 'abandoned' included 'cancelled.
However, in 1969 Rule 4.1 had some additions:
"N" - Abandonment Signal
When displayed alone means: -
"All races are abandoned."
When displayed over a class signal means: -
"The designated race is abandoned."
"N over X" Abandonment and Re-sail Signal
When displayed alone means: -
"All races are abandoned and will shortly be re-sailed. Watch for fresh starting signals."
When displayed over a class signal means: -
"The designated race is abandoned and will shortly be re-sailed. Watch for fresh starting signals."
"N over First Substitute" Cancellation Signal
When displayed alone means: -
"All races are cancelled."
When displayed over a class signal means: -
"The designated race is cancelled."
These defined meanings remained in the rules until 1992
In the 1992 edition of the rules (which was the interim revision pending the complete rewrite in 1995)
From the 1995 Rewrite
RRS 27.3 has empowered the race committee to abandon a race before the starting signal, and
RRS 32 has empowered the race committee to abandon a race after the starting signal.
Which is the present and 2025 situation.
You certainly can abandon the races because RRS 27.3 says
27.3 Before the starting signal, the race committee may for any reason postpone (display flag AP, AP over H, or AP over A, with two sounds) or abandon the race (display flag N over H, or N over A, with three sounds).
Looks like I phrased sthg wrong there. I agree, AP over… applies to fleets not racing and to fleets racing after they have finished racing, not to fleets racing at the time AP over … is displayed which was kind of my point. I hope it is clearer now.
John,
thank you for pointing me to 27.3, i stand corrected. So I can abandon mowing the lawn before even starting to mow it ;-).
Could you point out to me that/how the rule applies even before a warning / Prep signal?
I don't think this is the right question. RRS 27.3 is quite clear: the race committee may abandon a race at any time before the starting signal.
The question or issue is 'how may the race committee signal to competitors that the races not yet in progress are abandoned?'
I disagree, however, with your interpretation of 27.3 in 2025-2028. Because the meaning of the abandonment signals has been changed for the new edition, the inclusion of the N/H and N/A as actions that the race committee can take before the start is no longer correct. Flag N was not included in 27.3 specifically because it only applies after the start. N/H and N/A should now join her as they too will only come into effect after the start.
My view is that either the meanings of N/H and N/A need to be changed to align with the original submission, or these signals should be removed from 27.3. It would be helpful to know if WS intended to change the meaning of these signals by amending the original submission.
I've got a complete run from 1947 to present, with some old material from Vanderbilt 1935, RYA 1927 and some late 19th C.
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