PHRF Fleet Starting Sequence
Pursuit

If the Nahant PHRF Fleet uses The Pursuit Start regardless of the time of day we will announce via VHF Channel 69 that we are one minute before the Warning signal which starts the five minute count down to the starting signal. The scratch boat, the one with the highest handicap starts at the starting signal. From the sheet below based on the 2018 Charity Race the next boat is a Rhodes 19 which starts 4 minutes later regardless of when the actual 5 minute starting sequence commences.
The following is the sequence and it is followed by an example.

1. Alert: One minute prior to initiating the starting sequence, the Race Management Team (RMT) will alert the racers by several short fast sounds, and
   announce the alert on VHF Channel 69.
2. Warning: One minute later, the RMT will raise the “PHRF” Flag, (5 minutes until the start) and one sound (The starting sequence has begun)
3. Preparatory: At 30 seconds after the warning the RMT starts a 30 second Countdown (30 seconds,20 seconds, 10 seconds, 5,4,3,2,1 “Mark.”) At Mark the RMT will raise “P” Preparatory Flag a Blue Flag White Square and one sound. (4 minutes until the start).
4. One minute to start: 1 & 1/2 minutes until the start: the RMT starts a 30 second countdown (30 seconds, 20 seconds, 10 seconds, 5,4,3,2,1 “Mark.”) At Mark the RMT Will remove the Preparatory Flag and one “long” sound. (1 minute until the start)
5. Start: 30 seconds before the start the RMT starts a 30 second countdown (30 seconds, 20 seconds, 10 seconds, 5,4,3,2,1 “Mark.” At Mark the RMT will remove the Class Flag “PHRF”, and one “long” sound.
6. The official signal is the raising or lowering of the signal flags.
7. The starting line flag is a yellow flag on the port side of the RC boat.
8. The RC boat is always to starboard of the Pin Mark. 
   
   
   PHRF Fleet Pursuit Starting Sequence
   This example is based on the August 4th, 2018 race. As Caper has the highest handicap it is the scratch boat and starts first at the Start signal. And so on until the last-lowest Handicap boat starts 15:30 minutes after the starting signal and Scratch Boat.

Name	Type	Skipper	Handicap	Delay
Caper	Cape Dory 25	Vi Patek	279	0:00 Scratch
	Rhodes 19	​Pat Morse	​234	4:00
Stormy Petrel	Catalina 30	​Ellen Dickerson	204	6:30
Pearl	​First 36.7	​Sandy Burton	​96	15:30

Starting Sequence PHRF Fleet Pursuit Race
Race Committee Handbook
Bob Cusack - Revised August 8, 2018
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