A1 Number of races
The notice of race or sailing instructions state how many races are scheduled and how many must be scored for the series to count. A race is scored when it was not abandoned and at least one boat sailed the course within the time limit (rule 90.3(a)).
A2 Series scores and discards
A2.1 Discards
By default a boat's series score is the total of her race scores minus her single worst score. Most events change this in the notice of race, typically with a schedule such as no discard until four races are scored, one from four, two from eight. If a boat's worst score appears twice, the earlier race is the one discarded. That choice matters later, because A8.2 looks at race scores in order. A DNE can never be discarded (rule 90.3(b)). Lowest series score wins.
Example: with one discard, scores of 4, 9, 2, 9 count as 4, (9), 2, 9 = 15. Race 2's 9 is discarded because it came first.
A2.2 Everyone entered is in the series
A boat that entered any race of the series is scored in every race, so a boat that only sails day two gets DNC for day one, and counts in the "entries + 1" figure for every race.
A3 Starting times and finishing places
A boat's starting time is her class's starting signal, not when she crossed the line, and her place is the order she finished in. In handicap racing, corrected time decides the place.
The arithmetic of the common corrections:
Time on time: corrected = elapsed × TCF PHRF time on time: TCF = A ÷ (B + rating), commonly A = 650, B = 550 Time on distance: corrected = elapsed − rating (s/nm) × distance (nm) Time on time suits races where the course length is uncertain; time on distance lets a boat work out her standing during the race. Rating rules (IRC, ORC, ORR, PHRF) are class rules for the boats that race under them, and the notice of race says which applies.
The corrected-time calculator loads here when JavaScript is available.
A4 The low point system
First place scores 1 point, second 2, and so on: one point per place. Ties, penalties and non-finishers are covered below.
A5 Scores the race committee decides
A5.1 Without a hearing
The race committee scores, without a hearing, a boat that did not sail the course, broke the Z, U or black flag rule, failed to produce a certificate under rule 78.2, retired, or took a Scoring Penalty. Anything else that makes a boat's score worse needs the protest committee.
A5.2 Entries plus one
A boat that did not sail the course, retired or was disqualified scores the number of boats entered in the series plus one. With 20 entries, DNF, DNC, DSQ and the rest all score 21. ZFP and SCP use the scoring-penalty arithmetic of rule 44.3(c) instead.
A5.3 Boats that came to the starting area
If the notice of race or sailing instructions adopt A5.3, boats that came to the starting area but did not sail the course, retired or were disqualified score one more than the number that came to the starting area. Boats that never came (DNC) still score entries plus one.
Example: 12 entries; 9 came out for race 3. A DNF in race 3 scores 10 under A5.3 instead of 13. The three boats that stayed ashore score 13. A5.3 keeps a big entry list with a small turnout from inflating the penalty for a bad race.
A6 When other boats move up
A6.1 Disqualification, retiring after finishing, NSC
When a boat is disqualified, retires after finishing, or is scored NSC, every boat that finished behind her moves up a place. Eight boats finish; the third-place boat is disqualified. Boats four to eight are re-scored three to seven, and the disqualified boat scores 9.
A6.2 Redress does not move others
If the protest committee gives a boat redress by adjusting her score, other boats keep their scores unless it decides otherwise. Scoring penalties do not move anyone either (rule 44.3(c)), so two boats can end up with the same points in one race.
A7 Race ties
Boats tied at the finish (or on corrected time) share the points for the places involved. Two boats tied for third share 3 + 4 = 7, scoring 3.5 each, and the next boat is fifth. Three tied for first score (1 + 2 + 3) ÷ 3 = 2 each.
A8 Series ties
A8.1 Best scores first, discards ignored
List each tied boat's counted race scores from best to worst. The first place the lists differ decides it, in favour of the better score. Discarded scores are left out.
A8.2 Then the last race, discards included
Still tied? Rank the boats by their score in the last race, then the race before, and so on. Here discarded scores do count.
Worked example, five races, one discard (discards in brackets):
| Place | Boat | R1–R5 | Net | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Romeo | 3, (7), 1, 1, 5 | 10 | Counted scores 1, 1, 3, 5: two firsts beat one (A8.1). |
| 2 | Papa | 2, 1, 4, 3, (6) | 10 | Counted scores 1, 2, 3, 4, the same as Quebec. Last race 6 beats 8 (A8.2). |
| 3 | Quebec | 1, 3, 2, 4, (8) | 10 | Loses to Papa on the last race, which was her discard; A8.2 uses it anyway. |
Change the scores below to try your own tie.
The series tie-break demo loads here when JavaScript is available.
A9 Redress
When the protest committee gives redress by adjusting a score, Appendix A suggests three methods. It may choose another if that is fairer (rule 61.4(c)).
- Average of all other races in the series, to a tenth of a point with 0.05 rounded up. Other races 2, 3 and 3 average 2.67, so the boat scores 2.7. Some committees recalculate this as later races are sailed; the decision should say whether it does.
- Average of the races before the race in question, the same way. Useful when redress must be fixed at once.
- Position at the time of the incident, when it is clear where the boat was.
A10 Scoring abbreviations
The codes scorers must use, with the points each usually earns under A4 and A5. "Entries + 1" means one more than the number of boats entered in the series; "or A5.3" means the lower came-to-the-start figure applies when A5.3 is in force.
| Code | Meaning | Points |
|---|---|---|
DNC | Did not start; did not come to the starting area | Entries + 1 |
DNS | Did not start (other than DNC and OCS) | Entries + 1, or A5.3 |
OCS | On the course side at the start and did not start, or broke rule 30.1 | Entries + 1, or A5.3 |
ZFP | 20% penalty under rule 30.2 | Place + 20% of DNF points |
UFD | Disqualification under rule 30.3 | Entries + 1, or A5.3 |
BFD | Disqualification under rule 30.4 | Entries + 1, or A5.3 |
SCP | Scoring Penalty imposed | Place + penalty (20% of DNF by default) |
NSC | Did not sail the course (other than DNC, DNS, OCS and DNF) | Entries + 1, or A5.3 |
DNF | Did not finish | Entries + 1, or A5.3 |
RET | Retired | Entries + 1, or A5.3 |
DSQ | Disqualification | Entries + 1, or A5.3 |
DNE | Disqualification that is not excludable | Entries + 1, never discarded |
RDG | Redress given | As the protest committee decides |
DPI | Discretionary penalty imposed | As the protest committee decides |
Codes you may see that are not in A10: TLE, the score for a boat that did not
finish within a finishing window, from the Sailing Instructions Guide (it is based on the
places of the boats that did finish in the window, and the sailing instructions must change
rule 35, A5 and A10 to use it); DCT, added by the kiteboarding appendix for
causing a tangle; and DGM, a code from older rulebooks for a gross-misconduct
disqualification, now scored DNE.
Worked example: Scoring Penalty
Twenty boats entered, so DNF scores 21 and the default penalty is 20% of 21 = 4.2 points (rule 44.3(c)). A boat that finishes 6th with a yellow flag scores 10.2. The boats finishing 7th to 20th keep 7 to 20, so the penalized boat sits between the 10th and 11th boats on points. A boat finishing 18th with a scoring penalty would score 22.2, but the cap holds her at 21. The Z flag penalty (ZFP) works the same way; Appendix T's post-race penalty uses 30%.