In order to lay a good course, the race officer needs to know:
· how to lay a course accurately whether this is, for example, a
sausage triangle, windward-leeward or
trapezoid course.
· the 'sailing wind' when working in tide and so how
to lay the
start line when competitors' tactics are not influenced by
diffiering conditions across the course.
· the downtide offset required for the windward
mark when
working in tide.
· the downtide offset required for the leeward
mark when working
in tide.
· boat speeds with which the course length can be
calculated.
Course Setting includes reference data for laying a trapezoid course and the slalom often laid after the last run and before the finsh. It also has data on the sailing wind in varying degrees of tidal current and wind strengths, as it does the downtide offset required in tidal conditions.
Boat Speeds includes data for calculating the speed of a selection of boats in varying wind conditions allowing the race officer to then calculate the length of the course to be set to meet a prescribed race target time.
Race Management Guides, Manuals and current Policies are invaluable as a reference for all race officers.
