Visual signals for race management

http://www.starcrossyc.org.uk/syc1/images/morfeoshow/2006_st arcro-9906/big/427.jpg

For anybody that might be interested, the above is a link to a picture of our racebox, light array, beacons and horn.

(The amber light at the top is missing from the picture.)

Medway Maniac,

My system was designed to help inexperienced race officers to implement the racing rules of sailing without making any mistakes. It used lamps instead of flags because lamps are much easier to automate and have much better contrast than flags. Although I am aware of different codes I chose to use Morse code because it is easy to decode without the aid of a computer. I had strong support from the more intelligent members of our cruiser and the fast dinghy handicap fleet who understood the reason for using it and knew from first hand experience that it worked very well. However I had strong opposition from other club members who did not understand why we needed an automatic system or believed that Morse code was obsolete and should be banned. In an attempt to satisfy these people I implemented an alternative visual display based on traffic lights for use by certain fleets. This had an inadequate repertoire so the committee decided that flags must be used in parallel. The committee also decided that race officers should be able to override the computer and that the lamps were therefore "advisory only". These decisions meant that there was no point in using the system, so we are now back to where we started, with manually operated flags and Klaxon horn. Incidentally the last time we spoke you told me that you did not notice any flags when you raced at our club. I am not in the least surprised. When the wind is strong we cannot hear the Klaxon either. I have given up trying to provide a decent modern system.