Sydney Flying Squadron Australia's oldest open boat sailing club, est. 1891

Handicap start signals

In a handicap start the boats go one at a time, the slowest first and the scratch boat last at 2.30pm. A numbered board on the start boat counts down the minutes. When the board showing your handicap drops, you start.

Read the board as a clock with the seconds hidden. The number is the minutes left until the scratch boat starts. The seconds are running where you cannot see them, and when they run out the board drops and the next number goes up. Your board goes up a minute before your start, so when your number appears, you have one minute.

Watch a real start

The fleet from Race 18, 7 March 2026, the Sydney Harbour Regatta, Autumn Series Heat 3, on the handicaps they started on. Clock times are for the usual 2.30pm scratch start.

The fleet, in starting order

  1. The Mistake Off 16 minutes, starts at 14:14
  2. Tangalooma Off 14 minutes, starts at 14:16
  3. Scot Off 12 minutes, starts at 14:18
  4. Australia Off 12 minutes, starts at 14:18
  5. Alruth Off 10 minutes, starts at 14:20
  6. Aberdare Off 7 minutes, starts at 14:23
  7. Australia IV Off 5 minutes, starts at 14:25
  8. Yendys Scratch, starts at 14:30

Every minute of the sequence

The full sequence for the 20 minute limit, with the boats from Race 18, 7 March 2026 against the board they started on.

All 23 signals, 14:08 to 14:30
  1. 14:08 Hooter 21 board up
  2. 14:09 21 down, 20 up
  3. 14:10 20 down, 19 up
  4. 14:11 19 down, 18 up
  5. 14:12 18 down, 17 up
  6. 14:13 17 down, 16 up
  7. 14:14 16 down, 15 up The Mistake starts
  8. 14:15 15 down, 14 up
  9. 14:16 14 down, 13 up Tangalooma starts
  10. 14:17 13 down, 12 up
  11. 14:18 12 down, 11 up Scot starts Australia starts
  12. 14:19 11 down, 10 up
  13. 14:20 10 down, 9 up Alruth starts
  14. 14:21 9 down, 8 up
  15. 14:22 8 down, 7 up
  16. 14:23 7 down, 6 up Aberdare starts
  17. 14:24 6 down, 5 up
  18. 14:25 5 down, 4 up Australia IV starts
  19. 14:26 4 down, 3 up
  20. 14:27 3 down, 2 up
  21. 14:28 2 down, 1 up
  22. 14:29 1 down, 0 up
  23. 14:30 Scratch board down: the scratch boat starts Yendys starts

How your handicap changes after each race is on the handicap system page. The handicaps in the example are from the Race 18 race report (PDF).

Rigging Tangles, the club sailing manual (PDF)
The club's original document, October 2019. This page is transcribed from it. The manual gives the sequence for the old 15 minute limit, opening with the 16 minute board at 14:13. This page applies the same pattern to the 20 minute limit, which has not yet been confirmed against the start boat.