Hi Peter,
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.

Thank you Lorenz.
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.

Peter, they did the same thing with Preamble to Part 2 Section C At Marks and Obstructions.

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 passed started and left them astern.

Submission E06-24

Section C rules do not apply at between boats when the mark or obstruction is a starting mark surrounded by navigable water or at its anchor line, from the time the boats are approaching it them to start until they have started and left it astern passed them.

Reason

It 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.

Lorenz,  I think your lawn mowing analogy is a good basis for discussion, but RRS 27.3 makes it clear that the race committee can abandon a race that  has not started.

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.  

Cancellation - A cancelled race is one that the race committee decides will not be sailed thereafter.

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. 

Lorenz, "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."

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). 

Peter,
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?

But from 2025 you can't display flag N because according to Race Signals, that only applies to races in progress.

How does the unchanged 27.3 fit in though or rather, when is a race in progress? From 5,4 or the start? I’d put my hand up for Prep/4 since that is the time from which a boat is racing, which would give 27.3 at least a lifespan of 4 minutes. 

Lorenz,  "How does the unchanged 27.3 fit in"
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?'

John, you certainly have an impressive collection of editions of the RRS!
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.

Peter, you certainly have an impressive collection of editions of the RRS!
I've got a complete run from 1947 to present, with some old material from Vanderbilt 1935, RYA 1927 and some late 19th C.

John Allan, The Scroll Keeper!!  :-)

Generated by Meta AI :-)

"Make a picture of an old man in a room of ancient books ans scrolls.  He is sitting at a desk reading one of the ancient books"

It seems clear to me under the new rules that if we need to send competitors in, say because a thunderstorm is about to overrun the course, and we have one fleet that has a race in progress and others awaiting their turn, that we have to display both AP over H or A and N over H or A.  Is there a mechanism to persuade the powers that be to allow the use of N over AP over H or A when we encounter this situation?  

In my experience, most committee boats don't have unlimited supplies of H and A flags and too much laundry confuses the competitors.

Tom, I think AP and N flown high above a single A or H on a lower hoist meets the requirement.

Peter, in our little discussion about yachting libraries, I see that I did not respond to your substantive point.

You said

I don't think RRS 27.3 requires much interpretation, at least as far as the power of the race committee to abandon a race that has not yet started:

Before the starting signal the race committee may ... abandon the race ...

I agree. I didn't mean to say otherwise.

Take a look at the changes to RRS 32:  they 'unembedded' the signals for shortening and abandoning from the main paragraph and made a separate paragraph about signaling abandoning.

That looks like an orderly and logical thing to do.

I think not doing it in RRS 27.3 was an oversight.

Thank you John.   I must confess that the vexillologist in me doesn't find the two executive signals (N and AP) sharing a hoist an elegant solution.   An alternative approach in events where this scenario might occur, is to add something along the following lines to the SIs;

[DP]  When flags AP over H are displayed from a race committee vessel, races not started are postponed and those boats shall immediately return ashore and wait there for further signals.   When flags N over H are displayed from a race committee vessel, all races are abandoned and all boats shall immediately return ashore and wait there for further signals.   This changes Race Signals AP over H and N over H.

This has the added advantage that it compels the boats to go ashore, and not use the opportunity to get in some heavy weather training!

N over AP over H. Is that five sound signals when displayed, and two when removed?

Two signals (N and AP) sharing a hoist seems to have some problems. 

On the sounds, dont be so cute.  Three to put it up, and one to bring it down.  On the feeling that we dont want to combine teo executive signals, why not?  They're for distinct audiences, and don't overlap. Moreover, competitors would entirely get it.  On writing SIs to change signal meanings, is that actually allowed?

I'm starting to think it's not all that bad.

I think N over A/H is actually enough to send everyone home. 

This is based on forcing myself to see things a little differently to what I have in the past. 

For example, seeing that N doesn't stop working after the initial 3 hoots. Instead, any time N is up, there can't be a race. 

The "clarity" added in 2025 makes relying on "N" tricky.  N only applies once there is a race, so you have to start one to apply it.  I;m still in the world of a combined signal, now that "N" over "A/H" and "AP" over "A/H". Don't overlap.  Using such a signal doesn't violate the prohibition on changing the meaning of the flag sinals, because the signal isn't defined or described in the RRS.

SI words to make it happen follow:

'The Race Committee may display "N" over "AP" over "H" or"A" with three sounds.  This signal has the same meaning as the simultaneous display of "N" over "A" or "H" and "AP" over "A" or "H", with appropriate sounds.

Where "N" over "AP" over "H" is displayed ashore, one sound will be made when it is removed. '

Sorry about the typos.

By the way, I agree that consultation with Race Officers who operate at sub-international level, where there isn't unlimited equipment with experienced personnel on the Committee boat to match, would have been helpful.

I've been thinking and it came to me in a dream a couple of nights ago.

Some think that abandon means to abort. Others may think abandon can broadly extend to mean discarding an idea or plan. Understandable, and was me too until recently.  Afterall, both of these can be said to be the common use meanings, right?

Neither is correct.  Abandon is a defined word in the RRS.

In which case when we read it we must eliminate our own meaning and replace with the RRS definition. (This does take some will power.)

So ignore any practical meaning (like 'stopping a process') for the moment.

Well, the RRS definition alludes to the administrative status and records of the race proceedings in the competition. To abandon, according to the RRS, is to effectively delete (void) the race from the records, but leave a placeholder for the future.

With this in mind I can now see how, in the RRS world, a race can be 'administratively voidable' (and thus administratively abandoned) before it's start signal. Records and matters of a race commence before the start signal. Precisely when exactly is not important. It's the concept that matters.  Abandon means to delete everything to do with that race (course instructions, start flags, some prestart penalty scores and anything else) from the competition.

Again, it takes will power to stick to the RRS administrative definition and not revert to a practical common use of the same term.

The N flag abandons (deletes/voids) races in progress. Not races which have finished nor races yet to come after it has been removed nor races on future days. (That's the 2025 clarification.) Just like how Halon gas instantly extinguishes any fire that's burning, but is not a permanent measure after the gas has escaped!

Although the RRS definition of abandon doesn't contain any practical instructions, the flags convey the practical instructions and information. (Stop racing and wait. Or stop, go back to shore and wait. Or stop go to shore and pack up your boat.)

A side bonus of halon gas is, if dispersed into a room without a fire, it will prevent any fire from being started while it is there.

Similar to the halon fire extinguisher, the effect of flying N flag even when no races are in progress is that no races can start. (The slightest whiff of anything starting is immediately extinguished by the N flag.) The N flag is to races as halon is to fire.

The result being that the N flag may be used to announce an intention to suppress any further racing even before a race has started, without compromising it's actual meaning. Once it's up with A/H there is no taking it down. Use them wisely. 

It is not an improper act to use the N flag in this way (as a 'race suppressant'). In fact, 27.3 encourages and provides so.

The above ties together the signals challenge which have been on my mind for a few years now. By rigidly applying the RRS definition it's possible to release one's self from the common practical 'meaning' constraints which lead to the unsatisfying interpretation as discussed.

In summary, I'm satisfied with the following:

To answer OP then,

No comments? 

Ben re: No comments?

Uhhh ... cool pic? ;-). Just kidding. 

I follow your drift in what you wrote.  Makes sense. 

A thought I had was why it's important to be able to restart a race that's abandoned? Both administratively and functionally. 

If you have a "distance" race around govt marks and only 1 race is scheduled, maybe the wind dies just after the start ... but wind is expected maybe a bit later.  An RC can abandon, void and get a do over. 

When it's a regatta .. it's not so obvious until you consider the NoR could have set a maximum # and minimum # of races.  Being able to abandon race 3 and restart later as race 3 doesn't burn a race-slot ... or having an abandoned race counts toward the minimum. 

So there is function within the void-power. 

PS: I think we have a new forum record ... 2 AI generated images in one thread lol.