BFD - what catfan said - but it tricked me for a while too until I thought about it. Black Flag Disqualification. Without the ISAF speak it means a PRO can raise the black flag as part of the starting sequence to indicate that anyone over the line in the last minute is disqalified. It's the next stage on from using code flag I which forces dip starters to go around the end of the line and restart. I've seen it used in big fleets where everyone is super keen and there have been multiple general recalls. The sight of it usually calms the boys down quite a bit..............

Nikita - now there's a nice boat - saw one in the flesh at the last Worlds.

Cheers
John Dowling
AUS 9