I am writing with two broad questions. ( I have used SailWave a little bit, but am by no means a power user, or even a comfortable one.)
First, I wonder if you would be willing to undertake an extension to SailWave to permit its use for scoring races in the DN iceboat class. A financial contribution from the class could be made. Currently, major DN events are scored using a Java-based application in Europe and an old DOS-based application in North America. Both are functional applications, but usable only by a limited number of personnel.
SailWave would be usable for scoring today, but for the DN class’ tie-break method (from class by-laws):
“Ties will be broken by the following algorithm: If two or more skippers are tied for a position, the skipper who finishes ahead of the other in the most races wins the tie. If the tie is not broken, the skipper who finished ahead of the other in the last race wins the tie. If necessary, the next to last race will be used to break the tie. If the tie is still not broken, the next previous race will be compared, and so on in reverse order. If the tie is not broken after all races are compared, it will be declared a tie. Note: All races will be considered in breaking ties (including any throwouts).”
Asking the class membership to approve a by-laws change adopting the World Sailing tie-break is unlikely to be successful. (Iceboating is not World Sailing–affiliated.)
Second, I wonder if existing SailWave capabilities would support DN regatta management.
DN’s start races with a ‘Le Mans’ type standing start from a fixed line: literally a starting line or wire with starting position markers spaced 32 feet apart. For the first races in each fleet, starting positions are assigned by draw, after which competitors start in their finishing position in the previous race (odd finishes to the right, on port tack, and even finishers to the left, on starboard tack). Pragmatism and safety considerations limit starts to a maximum of about 50 boats on a one-mile windward leg (50 x 32 ft = a 1600 ft starting line). Big regattas (say 150 competitors) require multiple fleets.
The class has a ranking system based on past results in world or continental championships and (using 150 entries as an example) and would seed the fleets as follows:
Gold (A) fleet: Top 38 ranked entries, plus 12 blank spots
Silver (B) fleet: Next 50 ranked entries, plus 12 blank spots
Bronze © fleet: Next 62 ranked entries and unranked entries.
The first race of a regatta would be the C fleet. The top 12 finishers would be promoted to B fleet and the 13th place finisher in the race would be scored first (and so on). The first B fleet race would have 50 plus 12 promoted starters, and again the top 12 would be promoted to A fleet, and the 13th place finisher would be scored first (and so on). After this, the regatta would proceed with locked-in fleets, with the overall regatta winner being the winner of A fleet. Each fleet would sail in rotation with A, B and C (or even D for a 200 boat fleet) being scored independently… The promotion process is similar to RC yacht sailing, except that promotion only applies to the first race for B, C and if necessary D fleets, and demotion is not applied.
So, would SailWave’s existing capabilities support this ‘seeding’ system, including the promotion of the first 12 boats in the ‘qualifier’ races and the rescoring of other boats after the promotion process? This is probably of less importance than the correct tie-break, but would be of great administrative convenience.
Warren Nethercote
Vice Commodore
International DN Ice Yacht Racing Association