What Does Ret Mean In Sailing?

The Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS) provides a suggested mechanism for scoring at regattas, which does not require the use of the RET abbreviation. RET is a notification to the race committee by a boat that she has retired from the race and may be made during the race or after finishing. These boats are scored one more than the number of boats entered in the series.

Retired after finishing is a term used in sailing racing when a boat retires after finishing a race. This means that the sailor only realized at the end of the race that they have broken a rule. A boat that did not start, did not sail the course, did not finish, retired or was disqualified shall be scored points for the finishing place one more than the number of boats entered in the series. The Low Point System will apply unless the notice of race or sailing instructions specify another system.

In motor racing, a competitor is scored RET while the race is still in progress and DNF after the event is finished. A score RET merely means that a boat retired either before or after finishing, which might be for many reasons and most often is unrelated to taking a penalty. Retired RET is the appropriate abbreviation to use for a boat that retires in these circumstances. There is no reason to maintain RAF, as RET covers any retirement, whether before or after finishing.

The protest committee (PC) decides whether to use RET or DNF vs DSQ, with an unpublished US Sailing appeal suggesting that a boat that is RET would be scored RET for Race 1, as that is the nearest race in time to the incident (race 2 having been voided).

Random Leg Course is part of the PHRF rating system, used when the anticipated course is neither windward or majority off wind.