Thinking of the data SailRacer has, could it be used to make things easier for PROs?. 

With the SailRacer data surely it's a step away to create a course evaluation tool, a google maps add-in type thing. You drop buoys and state their rounding on a map (like RaceQs), enter the wind speed and direction and the app will tell you where the boats will be at target finish time. This would be especially handy when you can only shorten the course at the race box or committee boat, or in pursuit races where you want the fleet on a reach at the finish (to be honest, with the VMG for leg for class for wind speed data that SR has, this could be done in spreadsheet).  

With all the data SR has, it could even tell you which class the course favours, so the PRO can then play around until the course is relatively neutral. Instead of dynamic handicaps, we could have dynamic courses. 

Which course do you prefer in the classes you've sailed and why? Which course do you view as 'fair'?

Saying that, when I sailed a very shifty club I used to set a beat and a couple of fetches that could conceivably become beats. Of course you'd still get the odd day where nothing would go to plan. 

It's not any extra work for the RO, they have to set a course anyway, and they could overide it / not use the app / ignore it. I was envisaging the club would already have the marks input, so the PRO just selects them in the order they choose. App would then tell them where the lead boat will be after X amount of time and which classes the course favours so they can then amend as they see fit. 

Two frequent situations arise at my club (and a lot of none-racing members who do duties). 

1) Pursuit race ends on a long beat. In an ideal world the start of a pursuit would be beating and running dominated and the end reaching to make life easier for the RO whilst still having a selection of legs. 

2) Races passes the box at 45 minutes, then again a 1:30... race is either too long or too short. 

If SailRacer can analyse to with confidence to know classes VMG for a leg of a specific angle, for a given wind strength, then it's the same maths to do this?

How can you randomly select marks ?

We have 7 buoys in fixed positions, then the start buoys which are moved to suit wind direction.

First leg is a beat, then a turn to port, so next mark will also be port. in course setting rules you also have to have, a run, a reach, a gybe and a tack, no stipulation to use every mark, our longest leg is from number 1 buoy to number 4, I will always try to include this.

Well, like I wrote, if it's too shifty to predict a beat...

Originally posted by mozzy If it's a shifty enough that you can't predict a beat, then i'll admit it's not really worth while. But then aren't you just randomly selecting marks anyway?

If you don't know which leg will be what, then surely all you're doing is randomly selecting a series of marks. 

Now, obviously, if your club has a set course, then fine, or if your club is such a small lake that you can never have the fleet a few miles away at the desired finish time, or spread out over a mile long beat, then no i wouldn't imagine this will solve any problems you have. 

I'm also not suggesting you'd use the app to suggest changes mid race and then have the PRO affect them. I was more suggesting something like this: PRO goes up to race box, knowing they want a course which is about an hour long for each of the three fleets. They input the wind strength and direction from club anemometer, then depending on processing power, either it spits out a course, or he selects his marks and the app gives the forecast finish time / location. It could also say which types of boat the course / conditions are favouring so you can ensure it's mixed up over a series. 

I'm suggesting the app would use the information to set suitable courses to begin with, not change them mid race. The thread name is more tongue in cheek as it a different way of applying the same information. I'm not really talking about something that makes racing fairer for sailors (because I don't think it ever will be in handicap) but easier for RO. 

I don't see anything in the SR post which suggests handicaps will be dynamic moment to moment, but only race to race based upon the types of legs and average wind speed.