Retired after finishing

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. Since the consequences of the infringed rule can no longer be applied, the sailors receive the rank "RAF", or retired after finish. This holds the same consequences as receiving a "DNF"; usually a score of the number of boats in the fleet plus one. Such errors may include missing a mark, rounding to the wrong side, ignoring a protest from another boat, etc.

References

• http://www.gulfsailing.com/page.asp?id=32
• http://www.sailingworld.com/from-the-experts/rules/the-rules-are-rarely-black-and-white-43161.html