Code Flags At The Start
Be sure to have the following flags ready before beginning the start sequence
| Flag or Pennant | Code | Purpose |
 | 1 (One) | Daysailor Fleet |
 | “U” (Uniform) | J-24 Fleet |
 | 7 (Seven) | PHRF Spin Fleet |
 | 5 (Five) | PHRF Non-Spin Fleet |
 | P (Papa) | Preparatory Signal |
 | X (X Ray) | Individual Recall |
 | First Substitute | General Recall |
 | Q (Quebec) | End of Start Line |
Sequence of Events
Through the course of the start the Race Committee should take the following actions:
| Time | RC Action | Expected Sounds / Events |
| Before 18:05:00 | Record weather; Anchor RC Boat; Set Course; Raise RC and Quebec flags | |
| 18:05:00 – 18:14:00 | Record boats in the starting area by Sail Number, Name, and Class flag | |
| 18:14:40 | Turn on Ollie Timer | Ollie begins charging for 20 seconds. Ollie sounds 5 short blasts beginning at 18:14:55 |
| 18:15:00 | Raise Daysailor Class Flag with Ollie sound signal | One sound signal; Daysailors in Warning period. |
| 18:16:00 | Raise flag Papa with Ollie sound signal | One Sound Signal; Daysailors are “racing” (bound by the racing rules, but not yet started) |
| 18:19:00 | Lower flag Papa with Ollie long sound signal | Long Sound Signal |
| 18:20:00 | Lower Daysailor class flag and raise J-24 and PHRF-Spin class flags with Ollie sound signal  Check for any Daysailors over-early and signal recall as appropriate | One sound signal; J-24’s in Warning period. Daysailors on first leg |
| 18:21:00 | Raise flag Papa with Ollie sound signal | One Sound Signal; J-24’s and PHRF-Spin class are “racing” |
| 18:24:00 | Lower flag Papa with Ollie long sound signal | Long Sound Signal. |
| 18:25:00 | Lower J-24 and PHRF-Spin class flags and raise PHRF-Non-Spin class flag with Ollie sound signal  Check for any J-24 or PHRF-Spin over-early and signal recall as appropriate | One sound signal; J-24’s and PHRF-Spin on first leg; PHRF-Non-Spin in warning period. |
| 18:26:00 | Raise flag Papa with Ollie sound signal | One Sound Signal; PHRF Non-Spin class is “racing” |
| 18:29:00 | Lower flag Papa with Ollie long sound signal | Long Sound Signal |
| 18:30:00 | Lower PHRF Non-Spin class flag with Ollie sound signal Check for any PHRF Non-Spin over-early and signal recall as appropriate Turn off Ollie | One sound signal. PHRF Non-Spin on first leg |
| After all boats clear stating area | Depart starting area and return to Tidewater bulkhead to prepare to capture finish times |
Other Signals
Other flags and signals that can be used outside of the routine starting sequence
| Flag | Sound Signal | Purpose |
 | 2 blasts (raising) 1 blast (lowering) | Postponement – Races not started are postponed. The warning signal will be made 1 minute after removal |
 | 3 blasts | Abandonment – All races are abandoned |
| 1 blast (raising) | Individual recall – One or several boats (up to the whole fleet) were on the course side of the start line at the starting signal. Flag remains up until all boats have started properly |
| 2 blasts | General recall – Boats were on the course side of the start line at the starting signal and could not be identified individually, or there was an error in the start sequence requiring restart |
General Information
More information on the Ollie race timer is available at https://www.ecohsystems.com/ollieDescription.html
The Racing Rules of Sailing, including additional race signals and starting instructions are at https://www.sailing.org/tools/documents/WSRRS20212024FinalwithChgsandCorrecns201113-[26798].pdf