Now I understand ....

Do you think the "education process" could be started at the "Havasue" North American's ... some pic's taken ... and a "Hotline" article generated. This would set the standard for next years racing in the HCA-NA educating both RC officials and individual racers.

The combining of seperate start/finish lines and the use of the "C" over "class" really keep the pace of the races moving w/ minimal delays.

And I will give the Div11 racers a "pat on the back", not a single racer had a problem or misunderstood what was being done even though I don't think any of us had seen this particular signal flag sequence/usage. And to Mr John Macielag who took the unusual step of verbally communicating with the racers .... a step that in past years that was "verbotten" .... the RC never ever talked to the racers when I started racing .....

I do like the changes over the last several years ... they have improved the racing!!!!!

Harry

Lots of good stuff here.

Other issues with a mid-course s/f line include having the line open vs. closed, interference with starts, etc. And as Matt mentioned, lots more to move if the wind shifts significantly.

As Harry eludes to here, the general trend I am seeing (at cat and mono events) is much, much more communication between the RC and the competitors. The competitors at all levels of the game are expecting this now.

VHF communication is one of the most effective means of getting this done (and don't kid yourself, even on 42 foot boats, they're not in the cabin listening to the boat radio, it's all done on handhelds). Competitors are expecting us to broadcast course info, our plans on how long until the next start, OCS boats, and even mid-race course change info. Of course, this is all backup to the visual signals which are still primary, but it really makes for much cleaner comunication.

We are still expected (at most events) not to answer questions directly, as this can be construed as outside help (by those who would choose to win by redress). The way we handle this is, if we hear a question that warrants an answer (most do), we make a general announcement to the fleet.

There are still many classes (including Hobie Cats) that do not allow VHF except for emergencies, but use of VHF for RC communication is a trend that seems to make sense, and would be nice if it starts to proliferate even more. The argument against VHF has always been about cost; this is a red herring, you can get a VHF for $100, new Hobie 16s are close to $10,000.

Mike

Mike,

I agree, this is a great thread for both PRO's and racers who will get a better idea of what's going on the race course and what to look for from the PRO and RC on the course.

One issue that has not been mentioned that I find at the regattas is the size of the flags used. Large flags prove to be a pain in the butt for RC boats which tend not to be dedicated vessels.

On big boat races... you tend to keep well clear of the starting line for safety reasons but the small flags used make it difficult to stay in touch with the sequence. Average size or small flags are less of a problem at beach cat or dinghy regattas where you can stay close to the line and you don't have 150 boats going off in a rolling starting sequence.

The radio communication is a great way to get around this flag problem. You can stay well clear of the line and still know exactly what's going on when the RC counts down to a signal and announces which class flag has just gone up.

As a single handed sailor... I always keep a waterproof vhf in my life jacket for safety. It would be trivial to tune in to the RC announcements.

At the F18 Canadians, I made the organizers change the NOR so that they could at least carry a VHF on board. The SIs specified that it was only to be used in an emergency.

The first day of the event was windy and cool. My mark/safety boat resources were thin (only 2 boats in the morning). At the skippers' meeting I told the crowd that I strongly encouraged them to take a radio out; I told them what channel we would be on and I told them to wear it on their person.

The boat will not call me on the radio when you get separated from it.

We had several people call us to tell us they were retiring. On the second day, we had a person in the water for about 15 minutes when they got separated from their boat (and weren't wearing a radio). They were picked up by another competitor who was rewarded redress handsomely by the jury (at the request of the RC).

The problem with this is that it's unpredictable. We may not have a significant shift during a starting sequence at the HAVAMEGA, so that photo op may never happen.

I'm tackling one issue at a time - right now it's to get people used to the "green triangle - red square" course change placard displayed at the gate. PU was determined not to use it, but it makes too much sense for small boats that don't use navigational electronics. It's also a lot easier on the gate boat, since they don't have to write anything on a white board.


Then those changes have been worthwhile.

Green Triangle-Red Square ????

Those are used to mark the Inland Waterway in New Jersey ... usually tacked onto a spindley stick and leaning at some angle .....

Could you take a moment to explain what the green triangle-red square placards means on a race course, at a "gate"???

This will be new to me.

Thanks
Harry

Take your 2009-2012 Racing Rules of Sailing rule book and look inside the back cover (fold out). These are the Race Signals, which are just as much rules as any other part of the rule book.

You'll find a section like this:

I have a plastic board with the green triangle painted on one side and the red square on the other. The gate boat will hold it up to display the appropriate symbol for the direction of the change mark. It's so much faster and easier than having them write a compass heading on a white board.

As a competitor, I've gotten to the point where I hardly look at the boat signalling the change. If I hear the horns, I start looking for the change mark. I certainly don't have the time to read a compass heading, remember the compass heading at the start and mentally figure out which way the mark's been moved. If I see green - mark's moved right; red mark's moved left. That's easy.

This stuff is not new. It's been in the last couple of rule books and is even on the HCA Flag Signals stickers (although I think the two different shapes didn't get introduced until 2004 - the different shapes are for people who're color blind.)

You know the last time I looked at a "fold-out" it was in a issue of "Playboy" .... let's see, here is my NEW copy of the RRS's ... pretty dark blue borders I see .... back cover ... folds out, Yes ... Mmmmmm, there it is ... Rt hand column, 3rd down ...... very interesting ....

Note to self: Important/Remember!!!!!


Hey Matt .... which side is Starboard???? (yuk, yuk,yuk).... so "Red" is counter-clockwise ... "Green" is clock-wise ...

As a example: Would you display a "+ Green/Triangle" using both types of symbols at a the same time??? {shift to the Starb/right/clock-wise ... longer leg)

Thank-you, Sir
Harry

The symbols have nothing to do with the direction marks are rounded.

They merely indicate which direction the new mark is in relation to the old mark. They are mutally exclusive and never shown at the same time. That's why I have one on one side of the board and one on the other.

I was the sailor separated. Left a VHF radio in my car...
First time beeing separated from the boat, I will make sure to carry it from now on.

Let me clarify .....

Let's say I'm approaching a leeward gate sailing downwind ... and what do I see but a "Mark Boat" displaying a placard ... let's say a "red square" for example, Ok?

That indicates a course change to "port", correct?

But if I look aft "to port" (over my port side) do I see a change mark??? No .... because my boat and I are heading/facing the wrong direction.

So the way I think about this is .... which way has the central axis of the race course rotated/pivoted ... or if you wish, which way has the new course rotated about the compass .... clock-wise or counterclock-wise from the origonal course.

So looking aft I will start my scan for the "change mark" by looking at the origonal Windward mark and slowly scanning/looking clock-wise or counter clock-wise depending on the placard displayed. What I'm doing is not trying to make the simple mistake of referencing the course change to my vessel's port/starb but to the origonal compass course itself to the windward mark.

So in my mind I link the course change to a compass rose ... and picture it, viewing it in my mind from above ... trying to work out how my plans/tactics have to change due to the course change .... (from entering the center of the gate) which gate mark seems to be favored if either .... how much traffic is at that gate mark .... do I want to round it or go the other way and do a short tack ... etc etc ...

I don't think that there is anyway of changing a course from a port rounding course to a starboard rounding or visa-versa w/o abandoning the race. Is there????

What I was asking was ... do you display the + or - and the red square or green triangle at the same time??? I would assume you can but .....

Harry

Harry, yes, you can have a direction and distance change at the same time.

Don't get hung up on rotating, etc. While that does apply to 90% of our racing on "circle" courses, it will screw you up in a point-to-point race (although this is rarely used).

The direction of the change is to starboard (right) if you imagine standing on the mark where the signal is being made, and looking at the location of the new mark (vs the old location).

Having said all of that, I wholeheartedly agree with Matt, and have been saying this for at least 5 years (and PU has been saying it longer). It really is just this simple: When you see the change flag, go to the new mark. Especially since most of our racing is on windward/leeward courses, just look upwind (in the new wind), that's where the new upwind mark should be.

Mike

Yes, I do think this Red/Green, +/- placards will be easier to understand and improve the racing. And it will make life easier for the RC and Mark Boats.

I guess it is due to my education in Mech Eng that I find that I can think in degrees, and rotation ... I remember problems in Statics/Structures where everything was stated in different units and on different axial orientations .... first you had to convert everything to common units and axises. Then you could solve the problem.

When you first see a mark boat signaling a course change at a gate, the boat and you are usually traveling in the opposite direction to the axial orientation of the course change signals ....this means port/starb referencing the course vs port/starb referencing your vessel are opposite .... this could be confusing to some people in the action/excitment of a gate rounding. So personally I prefer to use port/starb in terms of the boat .... and try not to use similiar terms referenced to the course. Also, I do not want to wait until after rounding through the gate to fiqure out which way I need to go, therefore I'm forced to think in reverse (port is starb ... starb is port)while still heading downwind, so I eliminate in my (feeble) mind port/starb when referencing the race course and instead use the terms counter clock-wise or clock-wise to discribe the change to the race course. I try to have "my plan" in my mind before I reach the gate and start the next leg. (Sometimes the plans work ... sometimes they don't ... Oh well)

But this reflects my personal thinking process .... that many individuals think is slightly "skewed" to say the least ....


Harry

If the wind shift is significant enough to warrant a mid-race change, you should have already noticed it well before you got to the gate.

Even with World Championship-level RCs, we need to identify the shift, determine if it will stay, and get the change equipment and teams in place to make the change (obviously, some of this should be simultaneous). Meanwhile, the sailors have been sailing in this new wind. By the time the change is signalled, it's old news to the sailors (ie, the downwind leg is a reach because of the shift).

Also, it only matters if you're the first boat or two at the gate. If you are, you're good enough to have picked this up. If not, you're following the leaders anyway, so just follow them to the new mark.

Mike