Decoding Sailing Scoring

If you’re new to racing, looking at a set of results can feel a bit like math class when the teacher suddenly swapped numbers for letters. Instead of a neat “3” or “7,” you’ll see things like OCS, BFD, or RET. Don’t panic—these codes aren’t there to confuse you; they’re shorthand for how the race committee applied the rules.

Most of the time, they come straight from the Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS). But remember: your Notice of Race (NOR) and Sailing Instructions (SIs) can add to or modify them, so always double-check those documents for adjustments to RRS Appendix A.

The Most Common Codes You’ll See

Here’s a quick guide to the most common notations you’ll find on a results sheet, along with a note on how they’re scored and their real-life context:

• DNC – Did Not Compete: You did not come to the starting area.
• DNS – Did Not Start: You didn’t cross the starting line.
• OCS – On Course Side: You were over the starting line early and didn’t clear the line properly.
• ZFP – Z-Flag Penalty: Under rule 30.2, you started in the triangle and get a 20% penalty. No hearing is required.
• UFD – U-Flag Disqualification: You broke the U-flag rule (30.3), you started in the triangle and get scored a DSQ unless the race is restarted.
• BFD – Black Flag Disqualification: You crossed early under the Black Flag (30.4). Even if the race is restarted, you’re scored a DSQ for the race.
• DNF – Did Not Finish: You started, but you never crossed the finish line.
• NSC – Not Sailing the Course: You missed a mark or sailed the wrong route.
• RET – Retired: You withdrew voluntarily, often after a rules breach, or due to injury or major equipment failure.
• RAF – Retired After Finishing: This code is now largely obsolete. It was used when a boat finished a race but then voluntarily retired after crossing the finish line, often because they realized they had broken a rule. The current rules now use RET to cover all retirements, whether they happen before or after finishing.
• DSQ – Disqualified: A general rules breach, often assigned by the protest committee after a hearing.
• DNE – Disqualification Not Excludable: A DSQ that must count in your series score (RRS 90.3(b)), meaning you can’t discard it.
• SCP – Scoring Penalty: Applied under RRS 44.3 or Appendix T. This could be a percentage increase in points, depending on the SIs.
• DPI – Discretionary Penalty: The protest committee decides the penalty (RRS 64.6). It’s often used for errors like failing to carry required safety gear.
• RDG – Redress Given: The protest committee awards you a score because something outside your control affected your race.
• TLE – Time Limit Expired: You finished, but outside the specified time limit or finishing window after the first boat in the Division.

Preparatory Flag Variations

Most sailors learn early on to watch the P flag during the starting sequence. When it’s flying, the rules are simple: just don’t be over the line when the start gun goes.

But race committees have other flags available for the start sequence. Depending on conditions (or how frisky the fleet is), they may swap P for a stricter Preparatory flag. These four — I, Z, U, and Black — each invoke a different part of the Racing Rules of Sailing, and each changes the consequences and scoring sheet codes for pushing the line too early.

P Flag (Rule 26 – Standard Start)

• Rule: No special starting penalties apply beyond the standard rule (RRS 29.1, “On the Course Side”). If you’re OCS (On Course Side) at the start, you can dip back behind the line and restart cleanly. No further penalty.
• Takeaway: This is the “gentle” start flag. Mistakes are fixable.

I Flag (Rule 30.1 – “Round-the-Ends Rule”)

• Rule: If you’re OCS in the last minute, you must sail completely around either end of the starting line to restart legally–no quick dips in the middle of the line.
• Takeaway: Adds time if you’re early. If you mess up, you’ll lose more ground regaining a legal start.

Z Flag (Rule 30.2 – 20% Scoring Penalty)

• Rule: If you’re in the “triangle” (the line between the ends and the first mark) during the last minute before the start, you automatically get a 20% scoring penalty no matter how well you sail afterward. No hearing required.
• Takeaway: Think of it as a built-in tax on being aggressive.

U Flag (Rule 30.3 – U-Flag Rule)

• Rule: If you’re in the triangle in the last minute before the start, you’re disqualified.
• Important nuance: Unlike Black Flag, the DSQ only applies if the race actually starts. If the race has a general recall or is abandoned, you’re clear to restart.
• Takeaway: Harsher than Z, but a little softer than Black.

Black Flag (Rule 30.4 – Black Flag Rule)

• Rule: If you’re in the triangle during the final minute before the start, you’re disqualified and you stay disqualified, even if the race is recalled or restarted. If there’s a general recall or abandonment after the start, the RC must post your sail number before the next warning. You are not allowed to restart that race. If you ignore that and start in the resail anyway, then your BFD cannot be discarded in series scoring.
• Takeaway: The committee is done being nice. Push the line at your peril.

Why This Matters

Race committees choose these flags to manage behavior on the line. If a fleet keeps crowding or “barging” early, you’ll quickly see P replaced by I, Z, U, or even Black. Knowing the difference is critical:

• Under P, you can bail yourself out.
• Under I, you’ll burn time looping around the ends.
• Under Z, your score takes a hit.
• Under U, you’re out (unless there’s a restart).
• Under Black, you’re really out, no matter what.

Understanding the Penalties

The scoring for these codes is a crucial part of the results. Here’s how it breaks down:

• The Default Score: For DNS, OCS, DNF, RET, NSC, and most DSQ codes, the standard score is the number of boats that came to the starting area, plus one point. For example, if 15 boats are present and 10 finish, the DNF boat gets 16 points. The exception is a DNC, which is scored as the number of boats entered in the series plus one.
• Non-Discardable Penalties: DNE is an especially harsh penalty because it cannot be dropped as your worst score in a series. A BFD is normally discardable like other DSQ codes, but if you start in a resail when you’re not entitled to, that BFD becomes non-excludable.
• Other Penalties:
  • ZFP: Your finishing place is multiplied by 1.2. A 5th place finish, for instance, becomes 5×1.2=6.0 points.
  • SCP / DPI: The penalty is as defined in the NOR/SIs or by the protest committee.
  • RDG: The score is given by the protest committee (often an average of your other scores at the regatta).
  • TLE: The scoring for this is entirely dependent on the Sailing Instructions for the race. One common variation is the number of boats that finished within the time limit, plus one point. For example, if 15 boats are present and 10 finish, the TLE boat gets 11 points.

Recent Updates (RRS 2025–2028)

• Penalty Rounding: The new rules clarify that scoring penalties, like a ZFP, now use tenths of a point instead of rounding to a whole number.
• Definitions: Updates to the definitions of “Finish” and “Sailing the Course” provide greater clarity on how NSC and DNF are applied.

Learning these codes is part of becoming race-savvy. They’re not there to trip you up—they’re there so everyone knows exactly what happened on the water. Keep this guide handy, listen carefully at the Skipper’s Meeting, and remember: a three-letter code doesn’t end your regatta, but it might be the push you need to nail the next start.

Have another rules question? Whether it’s tied to this topic or another part of the RRS, drop it in the comments—your question might be the focus of a future article.