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A number of clubs in the Toronto area are using the course that John Siegel suggested.
By the way I noticed a glitch on the Sail Canada page. The link to the Optimist Trap course with mark roundings is going to the wrong png file. The link without mark roundings is OK.
Thank you Robert. Great work. You may wish to look at how the Moth Course is represented in your list of class courses. The supplied diagram, with top and bottom gates is correct, but the graphic in your list is a simple W/L. But love your work!
Some great comments so far. I'll collect the errata for a few days and send a package of corrections to the SC webmaster.
On Appendix S, there is a problem. Two problems actually. First, Appendix S and the WS Race Management manual are not consistent. Generally, I have followed the WS manual. Second, the course designators do not cover smaller course features, principally gates and finish lines. So, for instance, each L course has at least four variants: gate vs gate, single start/finish line vs separate lines.I will figure out how to best present all four variants and get it published.
Correct me if I am wrong, but all WS courses have alphanumeric triggers--this is a feature of the WS system itself. While I agree that these are really hard to signal using flags, I would respond by suggesting that course boards are more effective.
Just a general comment, Nick - yellow on black is the highest contrast combination for a sign and it doesn't get lost in the visual clutter on a signal boat (which have a lot of white and black). "W"s are not that hard . . .
would love to see 'NR' (No ;) loop, Reaching finish) added. we've recently had some good responses by the sailors for that (single handers, non foiling boats). it's a mix of up&down and T, but with limited space sideways on the water.☒
World Sailing is not consistent on the location of Mark 1a. At first thought, a sensible location for Mark 1a might be so that the outbound rounding vector of Mark 1a aligns with the inbound rounding vector of the next mark. This makes the downwind leg true (at the expense of a slightly skewed upwind leg, which is OK from a race management perspective).
With these diagrams, scale effects mean that some dimensions, alignments and angles will be distorted. Ideally, these distortions should be chosen to matter less than the "correct" dimensions, alignments and angles.
Here is a link to my target time models: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/dpum6zdg3j81cx8/AAC0LQWejFjG3VpY2kqXImEka?dl=0 They are Excel based and for those with Excel skills you can make your own for particular classes. All you need is the times a boat sails 1nm upwind, downwind and reach (if needed) in different wind strengths. The spreadsheet uses a nonlinear regression for the calculations. In addition to the target time the spreadsheet displays the finish time predictions based a mark rounding times.
An update to the L course diagrams. There are at least 44. Not included are the M course, the most basic L course (pin is mark 2), and the slalom variants. Nor have I yet done the WS manual's generic mark trick -- need to work out a good graphic for that.
Great work Robert. Would it be too pedantic to suggest that there is an option for an LG (and variants) finish? And the Match Racing simple L course is a starboard hand rounding.
Thanks Nick. Yup, the WS manual has LG. That adds another four courses. Then, the difference between the WS manual (mark 4) and Appendix S (mark 2) doubles the count. Then there is the most basic course--pin is the leeward mark. Then the W variants. And, then, the slalom variants. Is there more?
These are wonderful and will be really useful. Thank you.
However I work in an area where there is rarely less than 2 knots of current and often over 3. The current is often at 90 degrees to the wind and in lightish winds it is often almost impossible for any but the leading boat to get round the windward mark to Port. We therefore often give ourselves the option to set marks to starboard rather than port.
If you have time sometime would you mind producing some diagrams with starboard roundings, esp mark1, mark1 with offset, trapezoids, trapezoids with a Mark 5 finishing behind the committee boat and Optimist courses?
Wishing you a very Happy New Year and lots of fun events in 2024.
The boards that I make (based on Peter Van Muyden's design) can be ordered here: https://w1dm.com/
A caveat on my boards - shipping outside the USA is prohibitively expensive. Even in the USA it's expensive since freight is based on the size of the box (large), not the weight. For example, a single board, shipped from Detroit, MI to Melbourne, FL weighed only 3 lbs., but the freight was $36.
You can cut the slots in the pipes with a skill saw, but I strongly recommend doing this outside. A friend of mine did it in his basement, and years later, he’s still finding bits of plastic clinging to surfaces due to static.
You can cut the slots in the pipes with a skill saw, but I strongly recommend doing this outside. A friend of mine did it in his basement, and years later, he’s still finding bits of plastic clinging to surfaces due to static
I'll second that. I use furniture grade black PVC pipe from FormuFit and the swarf is everywhere in my shop - even with a good dust removal system. I use a table saw with a 1/8 in (~4 mm) dado blade that's protected with a wood block that has a hole drilled through the middle and a slot on the bottom for the blade. 0707221106.jpg5.93 MB
However, I'd really like to see course WA with gate and finishing line opposite starting line.
I'm not sure what you mean by "gate and finishing line opposite starting line." Could you make a rough sketch?
By the way I noticed a glitch on the Sail Canada page. The link to the Optimist Trap course with mark roundings is going to the wrong png file. The link without mark roundings is OK.
In 2021 Appendix L was removed from the RRS and published separately as Appendix LG.
The diagrams, however, were moved into Apoendix S, where they can still be found.
You courses in Appendix S are designated by alphanumeric triggers, which are almost impossible to signal using flag signals.
Robert,
Do you think the course designations you use should match up with those used in Appendix S?
On Appendix S, there is a problem. Two problems actually. First, Appendix S and the WS Race Management manual are not consistent. Generally, I have followed the WS manual. Second, the course designators do not cover smaller course features, principally gates and finish lines. So, for instance, each L course has at least four variants: gate vs gate, single start/finish line vs separate lines.I will figure out how to best present all four variants and get it published.
Correct me if I am wrong, but all WS courses have alphanumeric triggers--this is a feature of the WS system itself. While I agree that these are really hard to signal using flags, I would respond by suggesting that course boards are more effective.
All hand made! Ws are hard to make so always use L courses.
great work but if you correct litle mistakes, here is another one. Pleace put mark 1a in the direction of the course axxis in stead mark 1
what kind of software did u wrote? platform? GUI / CLI? Git Repo? best regards
With these diagrams, scale effects mean that some dimensions, alignments and angles will be distorted. Ideally, these distortions should be chosen to matter less than the "correct" dimensions, alignments and angles.
realy smart approach! always though about using programmed SVGs, but this seems to be way more reasonable!
These are wonderful and will be really useful. Thank you.
However I work in an area where there is rarely less than 2 knots of current and often over 3. The current is often at 90 degrees to the wind and in lightish winds it is often almost impossible for any but the leading boat to get round the windward mark to Port. We therefore often give ourselves the option to set marks to starboard rather than port.
If you have time sometime would you mind producing some diagrams with starboard roundings, esp mark1, mark1 with offset, trapezoids, trapezoids with a Mark 5 finishing behind the committee boat and Optimist courses?
Wishing you a very Happy New Year and lots of fun events in 2024.
Berst Regards,
Roger
But now I want to see all the course boards and the images are all missing. Does anyone know if there is a way to see them?
The boards that I make (based on Peter Van Muyden's design) can be ordered here: https://w1dm.com/
A caveat on my boards - shipping outside the USA is prohibitively expensive. Even in the USA it's expensive since freight is based on the size of the box (large), not the weight. For example, a single board, shipped from Detroit, MI to Melbourne, FL weighed only 3 lbs., but the freight was $36.
https://www.jpvm.org/Race%20Management/Course%20Boards/Course%20boards.pdf
I'll second that. I use furniture grade black PVC pipe from FormuFit and the swarf is everywhere in my shop - even with a good dust removal system. I use a table saw with a 1/8 in (~4 mm) dado blade that's protected with a wood block that has a hole drilled through the middle and a slot on the bottom for the blade.