Setting courses using a GPS

   Several people at the club have mentioned that a GPS could be used for laying out courses. I'm not sure what the benefits would be unless course length was important.....Anyone out there using or thinking of using GPS

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Guests Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Guest Group	Post Options Post Reply Quote Guests Quote Reply Topic: Setting courses using a GPS Posted: 20 Mar 08 at 5:45pm
	Several people at the club have mentioned that a GPS could be used for laying out courses. I'm not sure what the benefits would be unless course length was important.....Anyone out there using or thinking of using GPS

Contender443 Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Really should get out more Joined: 01 Oct 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 1211	Post Options Post Reply Quote Contender443 Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 21 Mar 08 at 8:31am
	For dinghy courses a trained eye, wind direction indicator, local knowledge and a rib are all you need. Any RO that uses a GPS to set a course is too picky in my opinion. It will take longer to calculate the positions required than actually setting the course. Also if the wind direction changes then they will need to recalculate the GPS positions.
	Bonnie Lass Contender 1764

Guests Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Guest Group	Post Options Post Reply Quote Guests Quote Reply Posted: 21 Mar 08 at 7:50pm
	as I thought.... We do have a long distance race on our calendar that has the same course layout each year, a borrowed one might prove useful for that.

ChrisJ Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Far too distracted from work Joined: 07 May 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 337	Post Options Post Reply Quote ChrisJ Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 23 Mar 08 at 7:44pm
	I know some clubs that have buoys scattered over 6 or 7 miles of an estuary, that are retrieved each year for maintenance. They use a GPS to get them back in the right place for the next year. They can then plot the buoys on a chart, and then calculate the 16 fixed courses they use. The Race Officer then reads the wind from the compass, and sets the course appropriately, knowing that a lot of effort (??) has gone into getting the best course for that wind direction.

Stuart O Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 22 Jul 07 Online Status: Offline Posts: 514	Post Options Post Reply Quote Stuart O Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 24 Mar 08 at 6:30pm
	Several of the cat long distance race eg East Coast Piers Race do use GPS positioning for the approx position of the marks...most useful IF you have a GPS.