CANDLEWOOD YACHT CLUB
Bouy Zone App
We will use the Buoy Zone app to help the stewards accurately position the marks. This app is an invaluable tool for the Principal Race Officer (PRO), allowing them to see the precise locations of each mark on a map and the lay lines between them. The app is available for both iPhone and Android devices. Its goal is to make the race committee’s “lives easier, by taking out the guesswork when laying a course.” It is a great tool to help decide where the start should be and the best course to use. For more information, please visit their website.
The PRO will enter the course details in the app and then share the course with the stewards. The app will then provide the stewards with exact locations to set the marks. Before the race, the PRO can use the app to determine the best spot for the start and the course length to make sure that none of the marks are positioned too close to the shore or the rock south of Vaughns Neck. This rock is marked on the map with a red dot. There is an orange bar between the rock and Orchard Point. The water is shallow there and you should not lay a course over it. This is particularly useful for the new “L” and “T” courses, since the RC boat needs to be anchored at the downwind end of the course rather than in the middle of the lake. Additionally, for the “O” and “T” courses, the app allows you to see where the jibe mark will be located. For example, with a northerly wind, you can see if the jibe mark will be too close to Candlewood Isle.
Initial setup for the app
After installing the app, you need to do an initial setup:
Allow Buoy Zone to use your location.
Create a free account and join your club.
Register your account.
Country: United States
Search for your club: “Candlewood Yacht Club”
Short distance units: Feet
Long distance units: Nautical miles
Example courses
If it is windy, you want to have a long course. For more moderate winds, the options are more flexible. I created some options for long courses, which are identified by the course type (“T” or “L”) and the compass bearing of the wind. They will provide you with a rough idea of the various possibilities. Although they are only a small sample set, it should be enough to get you started.
Open the app
Tap on “JOIN A COURSE.”
Look through the list to find something similar to what you want to use.
Next to “Signal Committee Boat” tap “JOIN”
It will ask you for your name and mobile number.
This is to help communicate if the radio doesn’t work.
Tap “JOIN”
You cannot alter the course; you only see what it looks like.
You can only modify courses that you create.
Create a course
The app can help you decide on the course and the RC boat's position before the skippers’ meeting.
Open the app
Tap on “Manage a Course.”
Tap the orange + in the bottom right.
“Course code”: Will default to today’s date. You can leave this, unless you have more than one course that day. We need a unique name for each course.
Select course template: select the course configuration you want to use (L, O, T, or W). For this, it doesn’t matter how many laps.
Tap NEXT
On the “Course Settings” page:
Enter course axis: The compass bearing of the wind direction.
Course size: The distance in nautical miles between the windward and leeward marks.
The start line length should be 200 ft for our fleets. This is shorter than it has been in the past. Leave the template setting.
Choose “Manual course location” and then the grey “SELECT ON MAP” button. Don’t tap the orange “SET COURSE” yet.
Then, drag the map around so that the red bulls-eye is positioned where you think you should start the race. You can zoom in or out.
Tap “SELECT” in the upper right corner.
You don’t need to change any of the advanced settings.
Tap the orange “SET COURSE.”
The app will display the course layout over a map of the lake.
Verify that the course looks good.
You can go back and change the settings to try different options.
Tap the gear icon on the right of the screen.
Adjust the course settings as needed.
Tap “Set Course.”
Position the RC Boat for the start
When you are approximately where you will start the race:
If you still have the course displayed, tap the gear icon on the right of the screen.
If not, re-select the course you created.
Change the Start boat location to “Update with my current location.”
Tap “SET COURSE.”
The app will display the course layout over a map of the lake.
Verify that the course looks good.
If you want to reposition the RC Boat,
Move the boat.
Tap the gear icon.
Tap “SET COURSE.”
To use the app for a race
When you are anchored where you will start the race:
Tap the gear icon.
Change the Start boat location to “Update with my current location.”
Tap “SET COURSE.”
Verify that the course looks good.
Tap “SHARE THE COURSE.”
Let the stewards know the course is ready.
For the Stewards
Open the app.
Tap on “Join a Course.”
Choose the course identified by the PRO.
“JOIN” the “Chase Boat”
It will ask for your name and phone number.
This allows the PRO to contact you if the radio doesn’t work.
Tap “JOIN”
The blue dot is your current location. The orange boat represents your Chase Boat. It follows behind the blue dot. This helps show your direction.
To center the map on your current location, tap the bullseye on the right side of the screen.
Setting marks
Once you have joined the course, the blue circle shows your location, and orange circles indicate marks. To center the map on your boat, tap the bulls-eye in the upper right corner of the screen. To set a mark, move the boat to get close to the pin on the map, then zoom in on the map to get a precise location. This is great for all of the marks except for the starting mark.
Setting the starting mark
It is important to set the starting mark exactly square to the wind. If you drop the anchor when you are at the pin on the Bouy Zone app, the wind will push the mark downwind until it is at the end of the anchor rode. This will only be a couple of boat lengths, but that makes a big difference at the start. To set the start mark properly, the Chase Boat should “stream the mark.” The Chase Boat should first move so that it is a few boat lengths downwind of the starting mark position in Bouy Zone. As the Chase Boat operator slowly heads into the wind, the Chase Boat crew should let the mark out at the end of the anchor rode, holding just the anchor. To make sure the rode does not wrap the prop, hold the first couple of feet of the rode to the side of the boat.
The PRO should determine the correct bearing for the starting mark from the committee boat by subtracting 90° from the wind bearing. If the wind is out of the northeast, add 270° (360° - 90°) instead. Then, from the RC flag pole (the starboard end of the starting line), use the hand-bearing compass and sight towards where the start mark should be. As the Chase Boat heads upwind, it will drag the mark behind it. When the mark is at the correct bearing, the PRO should call on the radio, “drop, drop, drop.” The Chase Boat should drop the anchor at this signal. When anchored, the mark should stay at the correct bearing.
If the wind shifts more than 10° before the warning signal, but not enough to justify moving the windward mark, you should reset the starting mark. You can’t move the mark after the prep signal. The RC boat can make minor adjustments for smaller shifts by letting out or pulling in the anchor rode. Make sure that you do not pull in too much rode.
If needed, postpone the race to reset the mark. If the wind moves counterclockwise (backing), the stewards can simply drag the anchor downwind. If the wind moves in a clockwise direction (veering), the stewards need to pick up the anchor and stream it again. It may be easier for the RC Boat to let out more scope to make this adjustment.
Next chapter: Starting Races
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