Sail Racing Abbreviations

There have been occasions when we have looked at the results of a yacht race or a regatta and have seen an abbreviation or an acronym that has a had us wondering about its meaning, most of the time these Sail Racing Abbreviations are self explanatory, however on some occasions they can be somewhat obscure.

After compiling this list it struck us that race documents (Sailing Instructions etc) are littered with acronyms, many of these are now included in the list of Sail Racing Abbrevitions.

The table below is an effort to bring these abreviations and acronyms together. This list may be a little “AussieCentric” as that is where we live and take most interest in race results, also one of the resources used was the Top Yacht Scoring system that is popular with sailing clubs in Australia. There are a few acronyms in sailing and  abbreviations in sailing that appear to have the same interpretation, probably due to differing scoring regimes in different jurisdictions, they may have subtly different results.

So what do all these abbreviations  in sailing mean? The list is sortable by clicking on the column title.

Please feel free to contact us with any comments or suggestions regarding  this list.

Abbreviation/ Symbol	Acronym/ Abbrevation	Meaning
#		No Data. Data is missing (or questionable) from the results system.
[x] [xy] [x.y] [x.y] Score in brackets [ ] { } ( )		Discarded Race score not included in series results. e.g. race dropped as per SIs.
B (Tie Breaker)		Tie broken by one boat bettering another. (No I don't understand this either).
L		Late Entrant. Boat joined series after first race.
P		Protest pending.
R (Tie Breaker)		Tie broken by one boat having a better score in a later race.
S (Tie Breaker)		Tie broken by one boat having more of a particular score. E.g firsts.
T (Tie Breaker)		Tie broken by one boat having more of a particular score. E.g firsts.
	AIS	Automated Identification System.
	AP	Code Flag Answering Pennant, used to indicate a postponement.
	AHC	Allocated Handicap. The Handicap allocated before the start of the scored race.
A	ARB	Arbitrated protest result.
	AMS	Australian Measurement System.
V	AVE AVG	Average points given.
	BCE	Back Calculated Elapsed time The time a boat needed to sail faster in their elapsed time to be as fast as the winning boat.
	BCH	Back Handicap A calculated handicap that would have resulted in all boats having the same corrected time for the scored race.
	BCR	Back Calculated Rating The yardstick a boat would have needed to be as fast as the winning boat.
B	BFD	Disqualification Under Black Flag Start.
	BOW	Bow Number. A number fixed to the bow of a boat .normally when there is no sail number, e..g a charter boat, normally RC allocated.
	BSF	Time on Distance Handicap process. (e.g. anticipated seconds a boat takes to travel one Nautical Mile).
	CBCH	Clamped Back Handicap. Same as BHC but with preset limits on the amount of adjustment from the AHC.
	CBH	Class based Handicap.
	CHC	Calculated Handicap The handicap that will be applicable to the next race.
	CL	Class Class or Division the boat is competing in.
	Cor'dT	Corrected Time. Elapsed time after application of handicap.
	CV	Committee Vessel.
M	DGM	Disqualified under rule 69.1. (Gross Misconduct).
	DidNot	Reason for a boat receiving a score greater than the number of finishers e.g. DNF, DSQ, etc.
	Div Div No	Division Description of or the number of the Division the boat is competing in.
C	DNC	Did Not Compete. Entered for the race but did not show up to the start area.
D	DNE	Disqualification (other than DGM). Not Excludable under rule 90.3.
F	DNF	Did not finish. Not too sure of the difference to RET however in motor racing a competitor is scored RET while the race is still in progress and DNF after the event is finished.
S	DNS	Did not start. Was at the starting area but did not start.
I	DPI	Discretionary penalty.
Q	DSQ	Disqualified.
W	DUT	Duty Crew. Points awarded to a boat that was unable to compete due to their duty crew responsibilities.
	Elapsd	Elapsed time. Boats time from start to finish.
N	ENP	Event Specific penalty. As defined in the Sailing Instructions.
E	ESP	Disqualified but not excluded.
	ET	Elapsed Time. Start time subtracted from Finish time.
	ETO ETord	Elapsed Time Order. Elapsed Time Order. The order of finishing based on elapsed time.
X	EXC	Race results excluded. The results of a particular race are exclude for all boats.
	Fin Tim	Finish Time. Finish time at time of day. as opposed to elapsed time.
	Fleet	Fleet Subject boat's situation overall (in the Fleet), irrespective of Class/Division.
	HC	Handicap.
	HPS	Handicap Points Score.
	IMS	International Measurement System.
	IOR	International Offshore Rule.
	IRC	International Racing Conference. A measurement based handicap rating system.
	ISAF	International Sailing Federation (Now known as "World Sailing").
	LBCHD LBCHL LBCHU	Limited Back Handicap Discard. Limited Back Handicap Lower. Limited Back Handicap Upper. Same as CBCH but with preset limits on the amount of Upper or Lower adjustment or when the result will be discarded.
	LM	Laid mark.
	LOA	Length Overall.
	LTP	Performance based handicap system for sports boats.
A	MED	Mediated protest result. See also ARB.
	MOB	Man Over Board.
	MPZ	Moving Prohibited Zone.
	NHC	National Handicap for Cruisers Based on the boat's previous performances.
	NM	Nautical mile.
	NOR	Notice of Race.
	NSC	Did not sail course.
	OA	Organising Authority.
O	OCS	On Course Side or On Course at Start. Over the line at the start.
	OD	One Design.
	ODM	Outer Distance Mark.
	OOD	Officer Of the Day.
	ORC	Off Shore Racing Conference. A measurement based handicap rating system.
	ORCc	Off Shore Racing Conference - Club A measurement based handicap rating system. Based on honesty self measurement.
	OV	Overall Subject boat's situation overall, irrespective of Class/Division.
	PBH	Performance Based Handicap Based on the boat's previous performances.
	PHRF	Performance Handicap Racing Fleet. Handicap system Based on the previous performances of all boats of a particular class, design or Model.
	PHS	Performance Handicap System. Based on the boat's previous performances.
	PP	Protest Panel.
	PRO	Principal Race Officer.
	PY	Portsmouth Yardstick A empirical handicap system first developed in (believe it or not) Portsmouth.
R	RAF	Retired After Finishing.
	RC	Race Committee.
	RD	Race Director.
G	RDG	Redress given. Points awarded to a boat that due to exceptional circumstances achieved a result worse than the points given. E.G. provided assistance to another boat in difficulty.
R	RET	Retired. Not too sure of the difference to DNF however in Motor racing a competitor is scored RET while the race is still in progress and DNF after the event is finished.
	RO	Race Officer.
	RR	Racing Rule.
	RRS	Racing Rules of Sailing Or to those that like to remember before electronic publishing; The Blue Book (In Australia).
	SCD	Safety Compliance Delaration.
Y	SCP	Scoring penalty taken Rule 44.3.
	SI SIS SIs	Sailing Instructions.
	SMS	Sport Boat Measurement System.
	TCC	Time on Time Handicap.
	TCF	Time Correction Factor Handicap value to determine corrected time.
T	TLE	Time Limit Exceeded. Finished outside of the time limit applicable to that race.
	TLP	Time Limit Penalty.
	TOD	Time on Distance Handicap process. (e.g. anticipated seconds a boat takes to travel one Nautical Mile).
	TOT	Time on Time Handicap.
U	UFD	Scoring penalty, RRS 30.3 (U flag).
	UFP	Scoring penalty, RRS 30.1 (I flag).
	USSER	US Safety Equipment Regulations.
	VHF	Very High Frequency Radio. Often expressed as: VHF channel 77 or VHF 77.
	Vis Vs	Visitor. Possibly not collect series points or affect other competitors points.
	W/L	Windward/Leeward.
	WM	Windward Mark.
	WS	World Sailing.
	YRSA	Yacht Racing Services Association.
Z	ZFP	Scoring penalty, RRS 30.2 (Z flag).

G-whizz Elan 340