No race officer sailing

What did the 505 Worlds in Weymouth use a few years ago? I know they all used trackers.

Originally posted by Oli if you make them have a high powered rfid tag and a reciever on a finishing mark they have to round then that could be possibel i guess Chris... seems expensive though and potetnially unreliable in hardware.

Not sure you can do the RFID with that approach.

Runners run over the mat.

If you have a 'gate' that they need to cross through it could have a sensor on each end but you want it not to rotate, have a range of several metres, be able to get data not just a 'tag is present' and have a beam for the line. And presumably the line needs to let at least 3 boats cross overlapping. So 4 or 5 boat widths minimum. Even on an Oppi your gate is 7m wide. Not sure it will unpick 1st and 2nd any better than the GPS solutions.

If you are lap counting you also need to track that.

GPS at least let's you track the whole race to learn from it.

Only reason not to permanently mount the GPS tracker is battery... But it could have solar. And it could have movement sensor to activate it.

May need a WiFi mast near the slipway (or on committee boat?) to download the data when you come ashore. No need to use mobile data to do it, although it wouldn't go amiss for live tracking.

I also wanted to pick up some of what others have said

DSRC will struggle with 40 boats. Possibly. But if you have 40 boats you have a pool of 40 volunteers. Let's assume you decide 2 RIBs double crewed and 3 race team. 12.5% of people running race. Race now 35 boats.   If you have 7 boats, you have 7 volunteers. 2 crew on RIb. 1 guy on committee boat now running a race for 4! You end up OD every second or third week. 43% running the race!   There are clubs running at these kinds of numbers. Simply getting the RO to race,   takes you to 2/3rds racing. 5 racers instead of 4. Those can be enough to make the race worthwhile for the other guy who doesn't normally bother... Soon you have 10 racers...

I like doing RO. I like doing results. I like sailing. One day I might even win a race and decide I like that.

In theory Simon's solution only needs 10 devices for to that club of 10 racers...   That's probably still 5 memberships for those small clubs.

The install this app (free) stick it in this £10 case, secure to boat approach must be quite appealing as a way to get into giving it a go...

Does it need to know if you went round all the marks? At that level of racing - how many times you crossed the gate would be fine. And the time from start to finish. Ideally for a few races. (More short racers better than endurance).

I like DSRC. But it's for race officers. Not a tracker solution.. interesting that no-one has said 'we are doing this' beyond the Simon solution...

Shame (sail) number recognition can't be employed, like at Dartford Crossing. A piece of bespoke software and a camera pointing at the line would be all the tech you'd need. I suppose if there were loads of dosh involved it would have already happened.

It can't read the number on the hidden mainsail any more than ANPR can read mine if I'm behind an artic. Sure the ANPR will get me at the next camera but that isn't going to be available at a club race.

Originally posted by 423zero Numbers will need to be on Hull, front and rear sides and deck.

A laser would just be a blur of numbers!