Finish Code Reference

Finish codes override a boat's calculated score with a rule-based result. The points value shown below is for Low Point scoring with N entries in the fleet and assumes Rule A5.2 is in effect. When Rule A5.3 is enabled on the fleet, the effective N for most penalty codes changes to the race-day participant count — see Rule A5.3 below.

For handicap fleets (Time-on-Time, Time-on-Distance), penalty codes override the corrected-time calculation entirely — the boat receives the penalty points regardless of elapsed time.

Rule A5.3 — Race Day Penalty Scoring

Under the default Rule A5.2, every non-finishing penalty code (DNF, DNS, OCS, DSQ, etc.) scores one more than the total number of boats entered in the series. Rule A5.3 is an optional change that may be stated in the Notice of Race.

Enable this only when the Notice of Race explicitly states that Rule A5.3 applies.

What A5.3 Changes

When A5.3 is active, boats that came to the starting area and received a penalty code score one more than the number of boats that came to the starting area for that race, rather than the full series entry list. The practical effect is that in long series with variable attendance, penalty scores stay proportional to actual race-day participation.

The system derives "boats that came to the starting area" for each race as:

Total fleet entries − boats recorded DNC in that race

Codes affected by A5.3 (scoring against race-day count): DNS, OCS, UFD, BFD, DNF, RET, DSQ, DGM, NSC, DNE.

Codes not affected by A5.3: DNC always scores against the full series entry list. RAF, ZFP, SCP, TLE, and AVG are governed by their own rules.

Effect of Correcting a Code

Because the race-day count is derived from DNC records at the time of scoring, correcting a DNC to DNF (or vice versa) changes the starting-area count for that race and automatically updates the scores of every other penalised boat in the same race. Always click Calculate after correcting a finish code when A5.3 is active.

Division-Scoped Counts

When a fleet is scoped to a division or filtered subset of competitors, the starting-area count is computed within that fleet's entry list — not across the whole event. Two fleets on the same event have independent counts.

Enabling A5.3

Toggle Enable Rule A5.3 in the fleet settings form. After saving, click Calculate on the Standings page to recompute scores with the new rule.

Time Limit Expired (TLE) Scoring

TLE applies when the SIs provide for a finishing time limit or finishing window (RRS 35, A5, A10). A boat that starts, sails the course, and crosses the finishing line after the limit is expired receives TLE rather than a clean finish. If no time limit is stated in the SIs, such a boat should be scored DNF instead.

Unlike DNF, a TLE boat retains its recorded elapsed (finish) time. Its points are computed by formula rather than position, and all TLE boats in the same race receive identical points.

Scoring Variants

Select the variant in the fleet settings form. The default — Finishers + 2 — matches the World Sailing standard SI template.

Variant	Formula	When to use
Finishers + 1	Number of boats that finished within the limit, plus 1	SIs specify "the number of boats that finished plus one"
Finishers + 2 (default)	Number of finishers within the limit, plus 2	World Sailing standard SI template (recommended)
Last Finisher + increment	Points scored by the last boat to finish within the limit, plus 1 or 2	Use when the SIs reference the last finisher's score. Note: diverges from Finishers + variants when the last finisher has a ZFP or SCP scoring penalty, or when there are ties.
Average DNF / Last	Average of the DNF score and the last finisher's score	Sailwave-compatible option for event officers migrating from Sailwave

Clamping

A TLE score can never exceed the DNF score for that race. If the formula result would be higher (possible in small fleets where most boats are TLE), the score is clamped to DNF.

Throwouts

TLE scores are throwout-eligible like any other score.

Finishers Within the Limit

Boats with a ZFP or SCP code count as finishers within the limit (they crossed the line with a scoring penalty but did physically finish). Boats with any other non-finishing code are excluded from the finisher count.

Handicap Fleets

Whether a boat finished within the time limit is determined by her elapsed time (actual physical crossing), never by her corrected time. The race officer assigns TLE based on the clock, and handicap correction applies only among boats that finished within the limit. This is the conventional interpretation of RRS 35.

Precedence

TLE cannot be assigned to a boat that is also OCS, UFD, BFD, DSQ, DGM, or DNF — those codes take priority. If you apply a correction that would override one of those codes with TLE, the system will reject it.