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No race officer sailing |
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Late starter
Far too distracted from work Joined: 24 Feb 07 Online Status: Offline Posts: 481 |
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Topic: No race officer sailing Posted: 17 Jan 21 at 9:42pm |
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Yes, that's sort of the point I was trying to make but you've summarised it better than I did. When I'm OOD at the club (I've done PRO at big events like Inlands, agree they are different and can see the value of tech more) I do loads of different things. Writing the results up for 10 boats isn't difficult, and I can't get too excited at tech saving me some of the 5 or 10 minutes that might take. And someone telling me my life will improve due to some results programme brings out the cynical senior IT exec in me, as it reminds me of the snake oil I get from IT vendors in the day job ! IT needs to meet a business need otherwise it's just tech for someone to play with, and frankly it's not a business need I have as an OOD at my small SC.
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Grumpycat
Far too distracted from work Joined: 29 Sep 20 Online Status: Offline Posts: 497 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 17 Jan 21 at 9:42pm | |
Spot on . Me too .
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423zero
Really should get out more Joined: 08 Jan 15 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 3406 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 17 Jan 21 at 9:37pm | |
Haven't seen anything to persuade me you can get away without having a OOD, three minimum, two on the safety boat and OOD, OOD will run whole club.
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Robert
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Rupert
Really should get out more Joined: 11 Aug 04 Location: Whitefriars sc Online Status: Offline Posts: 8956 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 17 Jan 21 at 9:00pm | |
Looks like from the above comments we need more than added technology to have a change. My OOD day would be similar but not identical to Late Starter. Only a small part of it is actually doing the but that an app could do.
So what else would need to change? Looks like the concept of a duty team. Firstly, there are plenty of people who know the routines. Who ever gets there first unlocks the club, puts the tea urn on. Once there are a few there, powerboats can be fetched, launched, whatever. If there are only a few racers that can do the tech, one of them sets up the start sequence. Then everyone rigs and goes racing, bar the safety crew. The kitchen duty is got rid of. Bring lunch, have a cake rota. I can see a few snags with this, from a safety point of view. With no one on shore, no one is on the end of a radio from the safety boat. No one to help bring a casualty ashore, to call 999. But so long as there is an understanding that if something serious happens, the racers abandon the race to help, then maybe it works, at least on a small lake. |
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polc1410
Posting king Joined: 10 Jan 08 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 147 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 17 Jan 21 at 8:01pm | |
OK, we obviously have to get past the "tech needs to work" phase. But I guess people said the same when the telephone was invented.
Such as chase up missing duty crews, - presumably needs done before the race starts. So you can still race when they arrive? drive the tractor, launch the com and safety boats, drop the start marks - possible they don't need com boat? Safety team can drop a mark. Or you can before the race. set the course, - someone still needs to do that. advise newbie racers, - still done. For those who race from boxes, it likely isn't the OOD doing it currently.. tell the safety crew Fred had capsized, - Why don't they know? look at an approaching weather front and shorten the course, - There will need to be a process. It could be done by safety? The bad weather may actually be less of a pain than the dropping wind! mediate at a protest hearing, - technically the race officer shouldn't be! They could after all protest you! In 20 years of club racing. I know if 2 protests. I know other clubs are more aggressive with them. Would need to be a plan obviously. Because if you raced even less likely to be right that you chair the protest committee. But safety could? So perhaps your OOD is actually on the safety boat and one of the safety guys gets to race. One less duty overall? put the kit away for next time - race is over. Doesn't stop you. Or doesn't stop everyone helping. I'm thinking of small clubs like mine - this is a solution looking for a problem. - I suspect very small clubs with very low turn out and low numbers then this may help. Medium clubs who get 15+ boats in a race it may be less of an issue. You have more people to draw from to volunteer. But I also suspect there are a number of clubs with people who do these slots very regularly. Perhaps they don't race anymore as they got older and health reduced. Is there a batch of keen replacements behind them? |
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Late starter
Far too distracted from work Joined: 24 Feb 07 Online Status: Offline Posts: 481 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 16 Jan 21 at 5:48pm | |
I appreciate the sentiment, but having spent 30 odd years in senior tech roles I'll believe it when I see it !! And even if the tech wasn't lost, broken, or stolen how does it help me as OOD do the million and one other things that I do? Such as chase up missing duty crews, drive the tractor, launch the com and safety boats, drop the start marks, set the course, advise newbie racers, tell the safety crew Fred had capsized, look at an approaching weather front and shorten the course, mediate at a protest hearing, put the kit away for next time etc etc. IMHO - and I'm thinking of small clubs like mine - this is a solution looking for a problem. And I work in tech so god knows how some other duty crews would react. Sometimes the right answer is still pen and pencil..
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polc1410
Posting king Joined: 10 Jan 08 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 147 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 16 Jan 21 at 4:49pm | |
Late starter...
What if that tech, meant you and the AOD could actually... Sail? |
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Late starter
Far too distracted from work Joined: 24 Feb 07 Online Status: Offline Posts: 481 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 16 Jan 21 at 11:29am | |
I guess the level of tech needed/desired to run races might change according to the number of competitors/level of the event, as others have said. My experience has largely been running races at a small club. My typical day as OOD goes something like this. I rock up a couple of hours before the start, clean the spiders and other creepy crawlys out of the race box, try to find some flags as there are usually a few missing, try to find pen, paper, sign on and results sheets, wonder where my assistant OOD is, wonder where my safety crew is, try and find the keys to the safety boat shed, eventually find said keys and try and start tractor and launch com boat and safety boats, find radios. In the meantime a few competitors rock up and ask what the course is, and if I'm lucky perhaps my assistant OOD and a safety boat crew have turned up. At this point I'm thinking I'd rather be at work doing my paid day job in a nice warm and clean office. However, I've done this for years so eventually we muddle through, and at the end of the days sailing it's write the results up, put boats and kit away and lock up. The competitors occasionally thank the duty team, but sometimes there's a protest to consider or some other issue to look at. So it can be a fairly full on day, and god knows what less experienced duty teams make of it. Would IT help, probably not as it would just be one more thing to worry about, is the laptop charged, what's the password again. oh look its spending 15 minutes doing a windows update just as I'm about to sound the 5 minute signal..
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polc1410
Posting king Joined: 10 Jan 08 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 147 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 16 Jan 21 at 10:04am | |
Been pondering the "standards" question since it was raised. A few observations:
- the governing body has little interest. At top level racing they have plenty of race officials (that's my perception - happy to be corrected) - I suspect many sports get their tech from "media" requirements or coaching wants.) - top level racing is class based. They don't need times. Just a finish order so an spec would presumably only require that - top level racing can dual operate, and have as much tech and set up as required. If you want to track Olympic lasers - someone from a tracking company will be on-site, install, test, download, reset etc. For grassroots sailing. You are much more likely to need: - finish time - number of laps (but perhaps happy enough with honesty for sailing proper course?) - automation for charge, download and start - some means to say what boat (or rig) the result is from. For events in between - Live tracking Live results For team racing - Some ability to know who is on which boat! |
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Sam.Spoons
Really should get out more Joined: 07 Mar 12 Location: Manchester UK Online Status: Offline Posts: 3398 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 12 Jan 21 at 10:36pm | |
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