Michael,
Just an interesting observation -
Use of the current technology assumes that
- everyone coming to the event has a cell phone
- their phones are compatible with the country they are in
- their phone plan allows them access without a heavy surcharge
- they have the app that can read the codes
- the band width available can support the expected use

maybe the NOR should give an advance warning of the communication method

Otherwise - we know that is the direction we are all going

They work well though the code needs to be printed well, high quality, otherwise strong sunlight can compete with the scanner to get a reading. Also, competitors need a smartphone to use them and an app that can scan. At a recent event we allowed a late Request (the day after) as the competitor only had access to the results when they got back to their accommodation.

Good practice seems to be to have a scrolling large screen showing the results at the venue and access via a code. Hope this helps.

I had a few events where I posted a QR code at the notice board to get protests and rule 42 penalties online and tracked the usage in the statistics:
hardly anyone came to the online protests or rule 42 penalties via the QR code - from all visitors maybe 1-2, and the statistics showed that most competitors went to the online system daily.

“I was told that young sailors do not listen to briefings nor read information posted unless it is a picture with only three words”.

(1) if the above is true, it is a very dismal comment on today’s young people;

(2) before accepting the above, I’d like to see credible, peer-reviewed research documenting such illiteracy. Frankly, it sounds like a lazy attempt to stereotype a large group, which of course is composed of many individuals with varying intellects and different learning styles.

Michael,

Are they useful? Sure. They take up little space and they are very easy to generate. Here in the Chesapeake Bay the races are published in our Green Book .. and a couple years ago all the NOR's had QR codes. That has now gone to just a few. Below is an example.

Ang

PS .. even at the reduced resolution of the NOR below, the QR code still works .. even straight-off the computer screen ... it's pretty cool tech. With an iPhone, you don't even have to open a special app as the imbedded camera app is always looking for QR's and will ask you to open the webpage if it sees one.

""don't even have to open a special app as the imbedded camera app is always looking for QR's and will ask you to open the webpage if it sees one.""
Wow, Angelo, I was not aware of this, but it is true.
No more fumbling for the QR app. These forums are so useful in so many ways. :)

Also: In reference to the access objections listed above, the QR code-linked info should never contain any information that is not available on the physical Notice Board.

I've just been using QR codes at the RS Games at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy in UK. See the RS200 and RS500 event posts. The RS200s finished yesterday and the RS500 is ongoing.

Its an excellent way of enabling sailors to see the protest time limit, post protests, notify protestees that a protest has been filed and to see the protest document, post a hearing schedule and decisions. Organisers are in the loop so decisions can be very rapidly accessed by scorers.

However it does rely on sailor information being correctly loaded into the system - and this then relies on organisers having correct data. Not always the case.

But extraordinary potential as a service to competitors. I claim no credit in introducing the system, that goes to the resident judge at WPNSA.

To that extent it wasn't possible to dispense with paper protest time limits or hearing schedules/decisions