Understanding a race start · Five minute, warning signal · Four minute, preparatory signal · One minute, preparatory flag down · Start, class flag down.
The start of a sailing race is usually controlled by a series of flags and sound signals. The typical start sequence for any class of boat is based on a 5 minute countdown sequence which starts and ends with the raising and lowering of your class flag. It is important that you know which class flag relates to you as there may be several classes of boats starting one after the
other. You also want to be close to the start line when the start gun goes - well if you want to have a better chance of winning that is...
Sometimes it is not always possible to hear the start gun, hence the general rule of thumb is that if you cannot hear the gun then you take your mark from the start flags.