YRR = easier Yacht Racing Results

YRR is software developed specifically for Yacht Clubs

• A computer program developed and used since 2000 to create results for Yacht Clubs.

• It has been used for Club Races, Class Regattas, National Contests, Age-Group Regattas etc.

• It follows the steps normally taken on any race day.

• It enables the race results to be printed before the last yacht hits the shore!

• It is easy to use and manage.

• It prompts you when important information has not been entered.

• It remembers the details of skippers and yachts which have raced at your club previously.

• It provides for both Class and Division racing.

• Any yacht can be entered in any race.

• You can run as many races as you like at the same time.

• It produces both line and/or handicap results for races.

• It produces results for Mark Foy (Pursuit) races.

• It is easy to correct the results for any race.

• It is easy to start a new races with skippers from any previous races. This is especially useful for those who run back-to-back races, or those who are running a Series. It is also easy to add new skippers or remove existing skippers if the fleet has changed for the new races you want to run.

• It produces results for Series, and you can have up to twelve races in a Series.

• It has a Groups feature which enables you to print group information with Series Results. This is very useful for those running regattas where prizes are allocated to contestants according to age group, male, female etc. You can have up to fifteen different groups (eg Male, Female, 6-7 years, 30-39, Over 60, etc) and skippers can be members of as many groups as you wish. So a skipper can be a member of both the Male and Over 60 groups. It can also be used to create categories within a Series such as Lasers with Radial sails or Full sails.

• It produces Mark Foy (Pursuit) starting numbers.

• It produces Web Pages for each race.

• It produces Web Pages for a day's results.

• It produces Web Pages for each Series result. These can be produced progressively as races are completed to show the current status of any Series.

• Look at the Zephyr Nationals page  for typical results.

• It has a Health Concern feature, which keeps details of those with a health concern which could affect their sailing, and it advises you of their details when they race.

• It has a three digit handicapping system. Most yachts only need two digits to provide satisfactory handicapping, and this can be achieved by using a zero as the third digit. The third digit is then available to provide a differential for yachts which are close.

• It has a very good method for enabling you to update handicaps. It produces "Required Handicaps" for each skipper  which enable you to see what handicaps skippers should have been on, and you can use this information to assist you when altering their handicap.

• There are six different methods for calculating Required Handicaps and you can try each to select the best method to use for each race. You will find that it is not possible to get the best results by using only one method as sailors are too inconsistent, and occasionally do stupid things such as capsize! You will no longer get unpleasant surprises from your handicap results. These can be used for any race, line, handicap, or Mark Foy.

• You can choose a scoring system for each Series from the ISAF Low Point or  Bonus Point systems, including their Regatta options, or create your own system.

• It produces printouts  such as First Place for All Races to assist you in awarding trophies.

• Tips and Help are available on most screens to enable you get the best from built in features such as altering the sort order. A lot of Help is hidden below little "?" images and these provide instant help wherever you are in YRR.

• Your Racing Secretary first sets up your Races and Series for the season, if possible, so that they are ready for the Starting Box to use. You can add races at any time however, should you wish.

• On the day, the "Starting Box" initially uses YRR to view the days races and get their Race ID's. After the Start, they then accept or change the start times which were entered when the races were setup. Start Times can be altered at any time, even when halfway through finishing a race, so it is easy to run back-to-back races where the start time depends upon the finishing time of previous races.

• You then select the entrants from your race entry sheets.  If they have sailed before, a click is all that is needed to confirm their entry.  If not, you type in their details. These details are saved automatically so you don't have to enter anyone more than once. You can also change the details of any existing yacht if say, the spelling is wrong or perhaps their crew has changed.

• You enter a Race ID beside each entrant to put them in their race.

• As they finish, you double click in the 'Finishing Time' box to enter the time, or type in the time later if you wish.

• You can identify non-finishers by selecting from comments such as "did not finish".

• Once all times are entered, one click of a button produces the results for all the races.

• You then print and display your results.

• Microsoft Access 2000 or later.

• A monitor with a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels or better. It runs well on our Club's 17 inch monitor, as well as a laptop and several stand-alone pc's.

I have developed this program over the last ten years while using it at my Club. We run aces for both Classes (Optimist, P Class, Laser, etc), and Divisions  (Junior and Senior) .  Before the season starts we enter our racing program, which involves entering the details for each race and series. During the season the program is run by the Start Box volunteers with little input from me.  It is quick and easy to use and generally there are only two steps to follow, as shown on the Example page.

YRR's Main Menu is visible via the Sub-Screens link at the top of this page. When you are there, take a look at the range of features which are available at the click of a button. You can easily correct the results for a race, you can get the entrants for today's races from earlier races, you can create a web page from a day's results, you can go to the Handicapping Control Panel, you can Setup new races, etc.

The program has excellent methods for managing and altering handicaps, but it does not automatically update handicaps so a handicapper is still necessary.  It will produce Mark Foy numbers from the handicaps entered. Handicapping has now become easy, and, because you control it, there are no surprises.

I have provided tips and help on each page, which you view by clicking on headings such as "Choose a Scoring System" or by clicking the wee "?" signs beside the buttons. A lot of screens also have their own Help button to give you an overview for that screen.

I have included a number of printouts which will help your members manage their own racing program. For example you can print out the results for a skipper, or the details of those who won each race.

Creating a program like this is a fine balance between providing everything that anyone wants in their Yacht Racing Results program, and keeping it simple.

Computer Programs have a tendency to grow and gradually become more complex and therefore difficult to use.  While YRR has lots of features, they are neatly  packaged into compartments such as Setup, Handicaps, Results, etc. which makes it easy for the user to know where to go to do something. The prime objective all along has been to make it easy to use.

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