Forum: Race Officers
RRS 41(c) - allow cloud based routing
Stefan Kunstmann
Certifications:
- International Race Officer
0
Hi
for Long Offshore Races, we're trying to essentially allow any external comms with the exception of an additional crew in the form of a navigator or tactician working from the comfort of their home.
Would you mind throwing a glance at the SI below, replacing 41(c)
41(c)
for Long Offshore Races, we're trying to essentially allow any external comms with the exception of an additional crew in the form of a navigator or tactician working from the comfort of their home.
Would you mind throwing a glance at the SI below, replacing 41(c)
41(c)
RRS 41(c) is replaced by: A boat shall not receive help from any outside source, except (c) help in the form of information which is available on a public domain, free or by paid subscription. This shall include navigational, weather, tide or current information from any source which is readily available to all boats whether or not by payment of a fee or subscription, but shall not include information gathered or the subject of interpretation by, or any advice received from, any direct human input not on board the boat and which is specific to the boat and her situation.
By way of an example and interpretation, any publicly-offered Internet weather data, forecasts, or cloud routing service available to all competitors, whether on a subscription or free basis, is permitted. Permissible Internet-sourced weather data, forecasts, or cloud routing services accessed by a yacht while racing must be computer-generated and free from any direct human input from off the boat.
The previous wording worked for a number of years, but cloud-based routing, such as through PredictWinds services, requires the boat to send their position, time and polars through to the service, so the previous "specific to the boat and her situation" doesn't cut it anymore. This was the previous wording:
A boat shall not receive help from any outside source, except (c) help in the form of information which is freely available to all boats, which shall include navigational, weather, tide or current information from any source which is available to all boats whether or not by payment of a fee or subscription, but shall not include information gathered or the subject of interpretation by, or any advice received from, any source not on board the boat and which is specific to the boat and her situation.
By way of an example and interpretation, downloading charts, weather and/or tidal GRIB files from subscription services, or having such information passed to the boat in its pure form, is permitted but receiving messages or information which is the result of interpretation as it applies to the boat is not permitted.
I'd be grateful for some feedback on what you think.
Comments
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As an off-shore racer, and navigator. I just wanted to through a little technical 2 cents in on why this makes sense and is a good way to define it.... Off-shore internet is now widely available, but most of us are EXTEREMLY limited on bandwidth. Downloading a racecourse wide Grib file (let alone 2 or 3) can be difficult at times with connection being lost, reset. etc. The predict wind routing, however, is a small series of waypoints with the weather only on those points and as such can be quickly and easily obtained. Sometimes it's literally all I can get. This also levels the playing field a little for small budget boats without premium software and bandwidth to get full resolution files.
I'd love a better term for "free from any direct human input from off the boat" - "not on board" can't be used together with the "free from any" wording.
Suggestions would be very welcome.