Far from defunct, these flags (and some others) are the only way you will receive communication from officials during most sailboat races. Some key ones are h

Far from defunct, these flags (and some others) are the only way you will receive communication from officials during most sailboat races. Some key ones are here: http://abyc.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/ISAF_RRS_2013-2016_2.jpg http://abyc.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/ISAF_RRS_2013-2... If you know these well you may pick up a win from time to time when your competitor fails to read the flags and does something wrong. But do note the context dependence as mentioned in TFA. The "L" flag on a race course may mean "Follow this boat" or "There is a notice posted here," but on the open sea it means "Stop immediately," and in port it means "We are diseased." Ain't nobody got time to spell things out.