The uses for the Sailcomp's many features during a race are listed below in order of
how you would use them in a race.
1. Shooting the Wind
You can use the
Off-Course Mode
to shoot the wind before a race. While the boat is
head to wind, you can push the crs button when in Off-Course Mode so that the
Sailcomp will remember the bearing for you. This way, the next time you shoot the
wind, it will show you graphically if the wind has gone left or right. If you are in a
small, light boat, you may want to reduce the damping on the compass to position #1
so that the display will give you fast information. This ensures that you will be able to
take a quick accurate reading before your boat goes into irons.
2. The Starting Line
You can use the accuracy of the digital compass to precisely determine which end of
the line is favored and exploit this to your advantage. By carefully sighting the wind
and then the starting line, even a 2 or 3 degree favor can be detected. The mechanics
of this operation are quite simple. First, point your boat into the wind and remember
the heading. Next, run the starting line from one end to the other and again note your
compass heading. Now, subtract the two numbers. If the line is perfectly square, the
difference should be 90 degrees. If it's more than 90 you were heading away from the
favored end. If it is less than 90, you were heading toward the favored end. To most
sailors, this is nothing new. True enough, but having the exact number on a digital
readout makes it easier to do the math and more accurate than some of the other meth-
ods now in vogue. Detecting a 3 degree favor may not seem that important, but if the
starting line is 1000 feet long (typical for a 30-40 boat fleet), then you would be starting
72 feet ahead of someone at the other end. Those 2 or 3 boat lengths will mean the dif-
ference between clean and dirty air for the first part of the beat.
3. The Start
Obviously, being at the starting line when the gun goes off is your goal. By using the
Starting Timer Mode
, both crew and skipper can see how much time is left by a mere
glance at the display. And if you need to see the compass heading or any other data
within the 10 minute pre-race time, press the desired mode's button to access this
mode's data. When you press the timer button again, the countdown will reappear
with the time remaining on the display.
The graphic display of the last 8 seconds-until-start has been designed to catch the
frantic crew's attention with a graphic countdown on the upper bar graph display.
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IV. RACING WITH THE SAILCOMP
