iPhone and Course Setting

   Has anyone used an iPhone to set courses.  
I am looking to measure out .7 mile windward leg and it would be great to be able to drive up the beat at a bearing and drop the mark against a set distance.  
Even better would be something that works out the wing mark position based on an angle and guides me in.  I guess that there may be some apps that do this in a different application, orienteering maybe?
Any suggestions greatly recieved.

If it does not exist, it could be a useful app to develop.

Otherwise I shall resort to traditional methods.

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davidyacht Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 29 Mar 05 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1345	Post Options Post Reply Quote davidyacht Report Post Quote Reply Topic: iPhone and Course Setting Posted: 23 Oct 14 at 9:38am
	Has anyone used an iPhone to set courses. I am looking to measure out .7 mile windward leg and it would be great to be able to drive up the beat at a bearing and drop the mark against a set distance. Even better would be something that works out the wing mark position based on an angle and guides me in. I guess that there may be some apps that do this in a different application, orienteering maybe? Any suggestions greatly recieved. If it does not exist, it could be a useful app to develop. Otherwise I shall resort to traditional methods.

jeffers Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Really should get out more Joined: 29 Mar 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 3048	Post Options Post Reply Quote jeffers Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 23 Oct 14 at 9:42am
	There may be an app, you could probably use something like RunKeeper or similar to get the distance. As wind direction is constantly shifting going using a bearing might not work too well.
	Paul ---------------------- D-Zero GBR 74

gordon1277 Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 24 Mar 10 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 665	Post Options Post Reply Quote gordon1277 Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 23 Oct 14 at 9:47am
	The RYA have a deal on a garmin gps which will do the job and waterproof so less nerve racking!
	Gordon Lossc

davidyacht Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 29 Mar 05 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1345	Post Options Post Reply Quote davidyacht Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 23 Oct 14 at 9:50am
	Thanks Jeffers, Idea was to track out from the start to get the Windward mark at the right distance, then adjust for direction. I am less concerned about wing mark position, since can usually set this up by a bearing, and eye, but thought an app where you track up wind, clock your position, then homes you into a wingmark position based on distance and bearing, would be quite a useful tool, without having to buy and set up a GPS unit. Might be able to use Ski Tracks for the distance though not a lot of vertical (I hope)! We don't run a lot of sea meetings and historically we have set things up by eye, this tends to produce very long beats ... hey I am in the committee boat so the pain does not matter!

RTFM Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Groupie Joined: 23 Nov 10 Online Status: Offline Posts: 41	Post Options Post Reply Quote RTFM Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 23 Oct 14 at 10:36am
	The iphone app iYachtRace https://itunes.apple.com/hk/app/iyachtrace/id453236524?mt=8 Is worth maybe a look at...
	Nobby.

davidyacht Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 29 Mar 05 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1345	Post Options Post Reply Quote davidyacht Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 23 Oct 14 at 10:56am
	Hi Mark, If it works this would be ideal, have contacted them ref compatibility with iphone 4

Brass Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 24 Mar 08 Location: Australia Online Status: Offline Posts: 1151	Post Options Post Reply Quote Brass Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 23 Oct 14 at 1:13pm
	No doubt someone could develop an app if they could be bothered. We recently had a thread about using GPS for mark-laying in the Race Management forum http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=11553&title=garmin-gps-72h The basic functions required were in this post http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=11553&KW=garmin&PID=1367870&title=garmin-gps-72h#1367870 Meanwhile, what you seem to be wanting is a GPS-like display that will enable you to navigate to a Bearing and Distance from a Reference Point I presume there are plenty of basic GPS Apps for iphone. All you need is is PING Waypoint GO TO Waypoint Display with Bearing and Distance to Waypoint Simplest way to do it is to PING the RC Vessel (or other Reference Point designated by the RO), then use the Reciprocal Bearing to that waypoint and the required distance. You can, if you wish use Project Waypoints and the Sequential Waypoints method, but I find that a PIA in a mark-boat: just one PING and GO TO, using Reciprocal Bearing is by far the simplest The RYA provides ready reckoner tables with the bearing and distance from the Reference Point to the Wing Mark for Trap and Triangle courses. 70 Degree Trap and 60 Degree Triangles are really easy using Common Reference Point 70 Degree Trap, Distance to the OW mark equals the Distance to the IW mark, and Bearing (from Reference Point (IL, or Centre of SL) is Bearing of Windward Leg minus 40 degrees. 60 Degree Triangle, Distance to OW equals the Distance to the IW mark, and Bearing is Bearing of Windward Leg minus 60 degrees. Other combinations use the Ready Reckoners.

tgruitt Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 02 Dec 04 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2479	Post Options Post Reply Quote tgruitt Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 23 Oct 14 at 1:17pm
	What does PING stand for?
	Needs to sail more...

Brass Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 24 Mar 08 Location: Australia Online Status: Offline Posts: 1151	Post Options Post Reply Quote Brass Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 23 Oct 14 at 1:48pm
	It's not an acronym: it's a noise. A GPS is a machine that goes PING. To Ping an object is to use a GPS functionality to MARK, or RECORD CURRENT POSITION AS Waypoint.

tgruitt Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 02 Dec 04 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2479	Post Options Post Reply Quote tgruitt Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 23 Oct 14 at 2:09pm
	Ah ok thanks. I've never heard one go ping before, unless my microwave is GPS enabled?
	Needs to sail more...