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Really cool new software! - RaceQs

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Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5881 Posts

Initially Posted - 05/22/2015 : 06:46:49

Check out this video of the tracks of the boats in a recent Wednesday night beer can race. (Unfortunately, this recording was started late, after the spinnaker fleet had already started, and just after the starting signal for the non-spin fleet, but it gives you an idea of how it works.https://youtu.be/sfYRNnLd9aE

You download the app to your cellphone, and then just start it just prior to the start of the race by pushing one "button." Only boats that start the app from their cellphone will be recorded.

Short How-To for Recording RaceQs Replays:

1. If you don't have it already, download the Google Chrome browser ( https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95346?hl=en)

2. Visit www.raceqs.com and log in to your account

3. Click on your Journal, find the race/track of interest. Hover over the gear icon in the upper right near the race of interest. Select the play option

4. You will be redirected to a page asking you download Google Earth. Ignore this. Instead click on the link in the pink box to the right entitled "Try beta version of raceQs regatta replay based on Cesium". If for some reason you don't see this option, you can get to the beta version of RaceQs by directly modifying the URL.
Change: http://raceqs.com/tv/tv.htm#<MORE URL AFTER THIS> to
http://raceqs.com/tv-beta/#<MORE URL AFTER THIS>

5. At this point you should be at the main replay interface. After setting up marks, start lines, boat vs boat, etc. Open your favorite screen recording software. Quicktime (on Mac OS X) is a great choice. It allows you to select and area of the screen to record. Select the window or screen, hit record, then press play on the replay.

6. After the recording is finished, save the video. Log into your YouTube account. Select the file for upload. Wait until the video is uploaded. Processing may take up to 30 minutes. Copy the provided links and share with friends and family.

Steve Milby J/24 "Captiva Wind"
previously C&C 35, Cal 25, C25 TR/FK, C22
Past Commodore

Edited by - Steve Milby on 05/22/2015 06:51:25

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Djibouti
9044 Posts

Response Posted - 05/22/2015 : 07:42:09

So where's 'n�gen??

Dave Bristle
Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT
PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired),
Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

USA
5881 Posts

Response Posted - 05/22/2015 : 09:22:18

quote:
Originally posted by Stinkpotter

So where's 'n�gen??

I was crewing on Healing Powers, a Jenneau 45, in that race. She finished first in non-spin. You can't really tell from the video, but Healing Powers started 5 minutes after the spinnaker fleet, and half the spinnaker fleet was behind her at the finish. I think she has finished first in all but one race so far this season.

I'll be racing Fahrvernugen one design from Annapolis to St. Michaels tomorrow. We finished 2nd in the race last year. Light air is predicted for tomorrow, and I like light air, so I'm hopeful, but know that anything can happen. So far as I know, nobody in the Cal 25 fleet will be using RaceQs this year. RaceQs is apparently new to this area, but I think it will become popular when more people learn about it.

Steve Milby J/24 "Captiva Wind"
previously C&C 35, Cal 25, C25 TR/FK, C22
Past Commodore

Edited by - Steve Milby on 05/22/2015 09:49:39

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

USA
5881 Posts

Response Posted - 05/24/2015 : 04:40:22

Fahrvernugen finished in second place in the Annapolis to St. Michaels race yesterday. We hoisted the spinnaker immediately after the start, in about 8-14 kt winds and held the spinnaker past Bloody Point Light until we rounded the first mark in Eastern Bay. Then we dropped the chute and raced up the Bay on genoa and mainsail, where the wind gradually lightened. We were able to stay within striking distance of most of the leaders, but in 3rd or 4th place, until the wind just went away, and, on top of it, we were fighting against an adverse current that, at times, drove us backwards. We lost so much ground to the tidal current that we considered anchoring.

Remember, yesterday I said "I like light air, so I'm hopeful." We struggled to keep the boat moving toward the next mark in the light air, and were able to drive ahead of all but one boat, to finish second. For us, the key was to figure out how to maximize our progress against the current, when the wind was barely strong enough to drive the boat fast enough to counteract the adverse current flow. It must have taken us 3-4 hours, or possibly even more, just to round the last mark for the final leg to the finish line. We only finished about 20 minutes before the deadline for our class. All the boats racing in the Cal 25 class finished the race, but scores of boats in other classes withdrew in frustration. It was a long day. We left the dock just before 8:30 am, and didn't get back to the dock until about 10:30 pm., totally exhausted. I still had a 1 1/2 hour drive back to my marina, to my other boat.

Steve Milby J/24 "Captiva Wind"
previously C&C 35, Cal 25, C25 TR/FK, C22
Past Commodore

Edited by - Steve Milby on 05/24/2015 04:45:04

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Djibouti
9044 Posts

Response Posted - 05/24/2015 : 08:05:56

That's perseverance! Congrats! What boat took the bullet?

Currents always make things more "interesting". I once crewed in a match race where the other skipper had figured out how to snake through some big submerged rocks to minimize a foul current, and my skipper hadn't... A short race, but shorter for them than for us! ("What's he doing over there??" ...and then, "How'd he get up there??")

Dave Bristle
Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT
PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired),
Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 05/24/2015 08:15:32

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

USA
5881 Posts

Response Posted - 05/24/2015 : 10:06:10

quote:
Originally posted by Stinkpotter

That's perseverance! Congrats! What boat took the bullet?

The winner was "Ronin," co-owned by friends of mine. I crewed for them 2 years ago, before I bought my Cal 25, and one of them gave me the helm in frustration, when he wasn't doing well. I made up his losses and drove the boat to their first win. I showed him why he wasn't doing well. He was too heavy-handed on the tiller. I showed him where his hand was positioned while he was steering to windward. It was almost touching the cockpit seat. Then I showed him my hand. It was very slightly to windward of the centerline of the boat. By holding the tiller too far off the centerline, he was creating enormous drag, slowing the boat and preventing it from pointing. He worked on developing a lighter touch and has since won some races on his own. It's a bitter pill when you help out a friend, and he beats you up in return!

Steve Milby J/24 "Captiva Wind"
previously C&C 35, Cal 25, C25 TR/FK, C22
Past Commodore

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Djibouti
9044 Posts

Response Posted - 05/24/2015 : 13:28:34

Yup--"no good deed goes unpunished!"

You must have also included some suggestions for trim and/or rig tuning so that the heavy helm wasn't required. Otherwise, tiller centered, it would seem he would end up sailing in circles.

Dave Bristle
Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT
PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired),
Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

USA
5881 Posts

Response Posted - 05/24/2015 : 15:00:58

quote:
Originally posted by Stinkpotter

Yup--"no good deed goes unpunished!"

You must have also included some suggestions for trim and/or rig tuning so that the heavy helm wasn't required. Otherwise, tiller centered, it would seem he would end up sailing in circles.

When I took the helm of his boat, I didn't change the sail trim or anything else, but the boat came to life. The only difference was in his very heavy hand on the tiller and my light hand. Mine was slightly off the centerline, and his was way off, and he was creating strong and continuous drag. When I watched him steer, it was very apparent, with his hand almost touching the cockpit seat. While he was steering, he constantly fell further behind the other boats, and he couldn't point with them. With only a change in helmsmanship, we pointed higher and footed faster than the leaders, and passed them to finish first.

Watch different helmsmen, and how they react to wind pressures and resultant tiller pressures. In a gust, when helmsmen feel an increase in tiller pressure, many, if not most, pull a wee bit harder on the tiller to counteract the increase that they feel in tiller pressure. They believe that, if they ease the tiller pressure, it will reduce the power being generated by the sails. That is true, of course, but there are two components of boat speed. One component is the generation of power in the sails. The other component is the reduction of drag as the boat glides through the water. As the boat becomes overpowered by the sails, the boat's angle of heel increases, and likewise, the amount of drag increases greatly. At that point, if you want to sail even faster, you have to reduce the sail power, and likewise reduce drag. As drag decreases, speed increases, despite the slight reduction in the amount of power that is generated by the sails.

Remember that the sails are capable of generating more power than a sailboat is capable of using efficiently. If the sails are already generating more power than the boat can use efficiently, and, if you increase the power even more, all you have accomplished is to increase drag.

When you feel tiller pressure, that tells you that there is an increase in the amount of drag. By pulling against it, you are increasing drag even more. By easing your pull on the tiller slightly, you are releasing that pressure, and decreasing drag. By bleeding off some of that excess power, the boat stands more upright, and the boat sails faster and points higher. That's why the best racing sailors keep the boat on it's feet. Instead of constantly striving to maximize sail power, they strive to balance the forces on the sail plan, fore and aft, and let the boat stand upright, which keeps a more symmetrical hull shape in contact with the water. When the boat heels excessively, the hull shape becomes asymmetrical, and that creates drag. My friend was a skilled racer in every way except helmsmanship.

All of this becomes the most apparent at the point when the boat is on the verge of being overpowered, but it can also have a pronounced effect even in light air conditions. I played the mainsheet traveler on a big fractional rig race boat, which is primarily driven by it's huge mainsail. The mainsail is so powerful that, in light air, it can overpower it's #1 genoa, creating an imbalance between the fore and aft pressures on the sailplan. That imbalance can also create drag, because it requires too much (drag-creating) rudder to keep the boat on course. You can decrease that drag by balancing the fore and aft pressures. On that boat, you can increase it's boat speed in light air by anywhere from 1/3 to nearly a full knot by playing the mainsheet traveler up and down in the light puffs. By playing the traveler, the boat will sail with a practically neutral helm, instead of having the rudder cocked slightly, to keep it on course.

Steve Milby J/24 "Captiva Wind"
previously C&C 35, Cal 25, C25 TR/FK, C22
Past Commodore

Edited by - Steve Milby on 05/24/2015 15:12:38

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

USA
5881 Posts

Response Posted - 05/24/2015 : 16:31:27

I just checked the results for the race back to Annapolis, that took place today. It appears that there was a 3 way tie in the Cal 25 class. I don't think I've ever seen a 3 way tie in a 16+ mile sailboat race. It must have been a really exciting finish!

Steve Milby J/24 "Captiva Wind"
previously C&C 35, Cal 25, C25 TR/FK, C22
Past Commodore

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Djibouti
9044 Posts

Response Posted - 05/24/2015 : 19:23:32

That sounds like some legs of the Volvo, racing thousands of miles and finishing within sight of each other! But a 3-way tie sounds like a cop-out by the RC, and something that will only work in a friendly, not-very-competitive environment. Was nobody really watching? No cell phone cameras?

Dave Bristle
Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT
PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired),
Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 05/24/2015 19:29:14

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

USA
5881 Posts

Response Posted - 05/25/2015 : 04:00:19

quote:
Originally posted by Stinkpotter

That sounds like some legs of the Volvo, racing thousands of miles and finishing within sight of each other! But a 3-way tie sounds like a cop-out by the RC, and something that will only work in a friendly, not-very-competitive environment. Was nobody really watching? No cell phone cameras?

This is Annapolis, Dave, where they take their yacht racing seriously. Each race committee is led by a US Sailing trained and certified Principle Race Officer (PRO). They don't video record races, but it isn't uncommon for them to audio record the calls of the RC, especially in a big race. They can replay the sequence in which each boat is called over at the finish. I was working RC once in a big race when we had a half dozen boats of all different sizes and classes hit the finish line at the same time. Some of the smaller boats were completely hidden behind the sails of the big boats when they actually crossed the line, so the RC had to estimate the moment when the smaller boat crossed the plane of the line based on it's speed and it's position in relation to the bigger boat. It can get harried at the finish line in a big race, but their calls are reliable, and it's extremely rare that anyone complains about the RC. I've never seen a friendly call by a RC. It's all very properly impartial.

Steve Milby J/24 "Captiva Wind"
previously C&C 35, Cal 25, C25 TR/FK, C22
Past Commodore

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

USA
5881 Posts

Response Posted - 05/25/2015 : 04:34:46

Aha! Dave, your instincts were pretty good. I just received an email from my friend this morning, explaining that "...Charlie and I were granted redress for assisting in a man overboard situation on Harlequin." No favoritism there, but Charlie and Chris (my friend) were probably fighting for the lead when they broke off to help the man overboard, and the RC gave them redress, calling it a 3 way tie, to give them the results, as nearly as possible, that they probably would have had if they had not stopped to help.

Steve Milby J/24 "Captiva Wind"
previously C&C 35, Cal 25, C25 TR/FK, C22
Past Commodore

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Djibouti
9044 Posts

Response Posted - 05/25/2015 : 09:24:41

quote:
Originally posted by Steve Milby

This is Annapolis, Dave, where they take their yacht racing seriously...

I know! That's why I was surprised...

Good moves by your friend and the RC.

Dave Bristle
Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT
PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired),
Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 05/25/2015 09:26:01

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

USA
5881 Posts

Response Posted - 05/25/2015 : 09:38:26

quote:
Originally posted by Stinkpotter

quote:
Originally posted by Steve Milby

This is Annapolis, Dave, where they take their yacht racing seriously...
I know! That's why I was surprised... Good moves by your friend and the RC.

Yes, it's good to know you're racing against decent, selfless people, who will forget about the race if the need arises.

Steve Milby J/24 "Captiva Wind"
previously C&C 35, Cal 25, C25 TR/FK, C22
Past Commodore

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Djibouti
9044 Posts

Response Posted - 05/25/2015 : 09:53:49

That's the first rule of seamanship! (...and codified in maritime laws.) A friend of mine broke off from the Sydney-Hobart race to render assistance... That's a really serious (and perilous) race. But laws or no laws, it's good to recognize and reward the effort.

Dave Bristle
Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT
PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired),
Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 05/25/2015 10:02:01

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