Notes on working out and recording YSC Race Results

 

The calculation

 

From the start of the 2005 season the race results have been calculated on the ysc web site.The formula for adjusting race times to take into account number of laps and handicap (Portsmouth Yardstick) is as follows:

 

����������� T = r x 10000 / p / ((n x L) + E) x L

Where

����������� T �������� is adjusted time

����������� r �������� is race time

����������� p��������� is Portsmouth Yardstick Number

����������� n��������� is number of whole laps

����������� L��������� is number of legs in a whole lap

����������� E��������� is number of legs in the part lap

 

In words, this is equivalent to taking ten times the race time per lap (taking into account the part lap at the beginning) then reducing the figure by the ratio of the boat�s PYN:1,000

 

e.g. Bill Wilson on Wed 27 Apr did 3 laps in 00:58:52There were 6 legs each lap and 5 legs on the part lap and the Solo PYN is 1155

his adjusted time = 58.87 x 10000 / 1155 / (18 + 5) x 6 = 132.96 or 02:12:57

 

Positions are worked out in ascending order of adjusted time.People that retire get given a race time of 24hrs and are automatically put in position 30.Each series has a number of races to count and once someone has completed more than this number the higher finishing position races are discarded.

 

The personal handicap system uses the same formula but multiplies the boat PYN by a personal handicap percent.This figure is worked out for each competitor in each race as the value to make them finish at the average adjusted time for that race (very slow times are discarded).The value then used is a moving average of all the races for that individual (taking 15% of the last handicap figure + 85% of the moving average prior to the race).Clear?

 

Entering results

 

1.       Log in.You will need to log in with sufficient privileges to enter results and edit competitors.If you make a mistake you probably won�t be able to delete an entry but you can let me know and I will.Once logged in you will see various additional menu options.NB to use the �quick entry� system you need to do races in date order it is not efficient to do all the Saturdays for instance.Before you start sort the sheets you want to input into Wed->Sat R1->Sat R2->Sun R1->Sun R2 etc order with the signing on sheets with each race sheet.

 

2.     Check the Signing-in sheet and Race Sheet for each race as follows:

a.       Are the date, time, race title & OODdetails correct?

b.      Have all boats listed on the Race Sheet signed-on? If not, they will get a DNC result, no matter how well they have sailed. (Though sometimes I am lenient if it seems to have been a genuine mistake!)

c.       Did any competitors retire from the race � if so, they should have signed-off � but some forget!The OOD may also have indicated retirement on the Race Sheet.

d.      Were any Herons, Mirrors, Otters or Picos being sailed single-handed.This should be noted on the Race Sheet but sometimes OOD�s forget.The Sign-on Sheet is therefore the best guide as single-handed sailors will not detail a crew.Also did any single-handed Mirrors fly their spinnaker? See declaration/signing-off box on Sign-on Sheet.

e.       Are details of the course sailed and the position of the Start-line recorded on the Race Sheet?

f.       Are there any notes from the OOD regarding wind strength � strong winds and no wind conditions can have huge effects on overall race results.

g.       What proportion of a whole lap was the part-lap?This is entered as the number of legs in each whole lap and the number of legs in the part lap.As the finish line is half way through a leg you will need to use common sense.Occasionally the part lap is longer than a full lap!

h.       How many laps were sailed by the fastest boat and by each subsequent finisher?

i.         Do the lap numbers look �right� � or has a Topper completed more laps than the leading Laser?(Mistakes can be made!)

j.        Check the recording of the Finishing Times and actual Race Times of each boat.Have they been correctly calculated taking into account the 3 and 6 minute starting sequences for Fast and Slow Fleet boats.If not, re-calculate and write your corrections in the margin of the Race Sheet.

3.     Enter Results for Each Race (this is what I do, you might find an alternative way of working suits you better.You can use the mouse and select fields to enter information but I find it easiest to use the tab key for this part (In Internet Explorer you have to do loads of tabs to get to the first input field on the form so I keep the mouse cursor positioned over it and left click after each form has been submitted))

��������� Method A (quick method)Quick entry system.. ������ video

a.       Check all the entries from the signing-on sheet with the race sheet.Watch out for people sailing different boats as the entry screen uses sail number.Get a pen for ticking off results.

b.      The screen doesn�t give you any option to change the race you are entering results for � it is always the earliest race not yet flagged 1

c.       Tab (or mouse click) to the first entry box and start to enter the sail number.This should narrow down the select list in the next box.

d.      When it is down to one (or possibly more if several people have sailed that boat or it is in as single or double handed) tab to the next box and select the relevant boat.If the right competitor isn�t there you will have to add them � see 5 below.This involves going into a different menu option so it�s probably best to go back to the first field and do the next boat leaving this one till later.

e.       Tab to the next box and type in the number of Full laps from the race sheet

f.       Tab to the next box and enter the race time in the format hhmmss i.e. if the OOD has written 61 Mins 45 Secs enter 010145.If someone has retired enter 240000.NB there are no spaces or punctuation in these times.Tick the competitor off on the race sheet.

g.       Press enter and continue as from c.

 

����������� Method B (flexible method) Enter Results for Each Race video

a.       Put the pink signing-on sheet and the race sheet side by side next to you.Get a pen for ticking off results.

b.      All results for all races are held in this one table. Press �Add� at the bottom.

c.       The Race ID should default to the earliest dated race that has not yet been fully posted, so normally you can Tab past this to the Individual ID

d.      Type the initial letter of the Christian name of the next competitor on the signing-on sheet (ie W Wilson type �b�).Then use the down button to the right person and boat combination. (i.e. someone might be in as single and double handed sailing their old Heron, their new Heron and their topper = five entries).

e.       If there is an entry in the drop down list tick them off on the signing-on sheet, if not move on to the next competitor.

f.       Tab on to Nlaps and type in the number of Full laps from the race sheet.

g.       Tab on to Rtime and enter the race time in the format hhmmss i.e. if the OOD has written 61 Mins 45 Secs enter 010145.If someone has retired enter 240000.NB there are no spaces or punctuation in these times.Tick the competitor off on the race sheet.

h.       Tab on twice to �More� until you have entered all the competitors then press �Save� and return to �Main Menu�.If some person/boat combinations weren�t there then you will need to update competitor details

4.       Update Race Details ����������� video

a.       Select the relevant race by setting the radio button at the left hand side.(This is normally the race at the top of the table and already selected but double check as occasionally R2 is above R1.If the race has been posted then a flag (see below) will be set and the record put at the bottom of the table!You sometimes need to move races to the bottom of the list without entering any results for them in order to get the right race to come up in the Quick Entry System)Press the �Change� button at the bottom.

b.      You should just need to enter the Whole legs, Part legs, OOD, AOOD, Wind direction and Wind Strength (use knots).Ideally the �race sheets taken by� field should have been filled in as soon as you arrived home with the Race Sheets!However this means going into this page twice so I don�t normally do this.Just enter your initials.

c.       Type in any brief notes as observed by OOD on the Race Sheet.

d.      Click the �Save� button then return to �Main Menu�

e.       N.B. I normally sort out the missing competitors (5. see below) before I update the race details so I have entered all the results for the race (as in 3. above) by this stage.This means I can put a 1 in the �flag-show� field now and save doing section 6 below.

5.     Update Competitor Details ������������ video

a.       It is a good idea to check first, so when you open the table press the button with a V on it at the top of the leftmost column.This should bring up some boxes at the top to let you filter the data.Either enter part of the name or boat number in the boxes above the relevant columns and press the > button. (i.e. Lee would help find R Lee under �B�, similarly Wilson for W Wilson under �B�)

b.      If you do need to enter a new competitor/boat combination, press the �Add� button at the bottom.

c.       Select the boat type from the drop down list, enter the name, boat number and put 100 in the Personal handicap.

d.      Press the �Save� button.Return to �Main Menu (after update)� then �Main Menu�.

e.       You will then need to go back and enter the missing competitors from the signing-on and race sheets in the �Enter Results for Each Race� option.

 

6.     Producing the Race Results������������� video

a.       In order for the race results to show you need to go back into the �Update Race Details� option, select the race (should still be the top entry) and press �Change�.You need to change the �flag-show� field to 1 to make the race appear in the results table.This also has the effect of making the race go to the bottom of the list so you need to be careful if you enter any more competitors after you have set this flag (you can always un-set it back to 0 if you want to sort something out).

b.      Run �Show Series Results� for the series then click on the heading of the race you just entered.This will show just the results you are interested in, check that they make sense.Make sure that the number of people completing so many laps matches the race sheet and that the relative positions remain the same where number of laps and handicap are the same.

 

7.     Altering an entry����������������� video

a.       This can be done by editing the results table either from 6.b. above or by using the menu item Enter Results for Each Race�.Select just the results for the race you are interested in by using the filter buttons near the top of the page (see Update Competitor Details) then using the drop down list in the RaceID column.

b.      You can alter all the details in the record including competitor and race ID, in which case the result will disappear from the selected list.Don�t get into a muddle.