Facebook

Login

Support Sailonline

If you haven't already - join the SAILONLINE YACHT CLUB!

Please also consider making a donation - all amounts are greatly appreciated!

Board » General Discussion » RRS rules about mark roundings

28.2 A string representing a boat’s track from the time she begins to
approach the starting line from its pre-start side to start until she
finishes shall, when drawn taut,
(a) pass each mark on the required side and in the correct order,
(b) touch each rounding mark, and
(c) pass between the marks of a gate from the direction of the
previous mark.
She may correct any errors to comply with this rule, provided she has
not finished.

This was in response to a question that arose in the Practice Race at Kiele on 23 June 2014.
Do the SOL rules state it the same?

--- Last Edited by Rod at 2015-06-23 20:40:08 ---
If it breaks, it's not strong enough--if it doesn't, it's too heavy.
No.

One difference is that sol uses rhumb lines between marks. I'm sure that when drawing this imaginary string taut, it would follow a GC line, not a rhumb line. There might be more differences (I'm not sure because I find the RRS rule ambiguous).

In sol the course to be sailed in drawn on screen, order of roundings and direction of roundings is clear. While racing you can either round the next mark, or unround the previous, other marks are not in play.

Unrounding happens* when you cross the rounding line in the wrong direction and after crossing you've crossed the rounding line as many times in the correct direction as in the incorrect direction.

Rounding happens* when you cross the rounding line in the correct direction and before crossing you've crossed the rounding line as many times in the correct direction as in the incorrect direction.

Say we have marks A, B, C (in that order), then the rounding line of B is a line starting at B, moving away from A, B and C. Additionally, the rounding line lays on the bisector of angle ABC.

*) This is how I understand it should happen. I'm not entirely sure that this is the case when you sail multiple laps around the mark.

In any case, you should be able to round your next mark by sailing around it in the correct direction until it says "rounded", i.e. there's no "going in the wrong direction to unround". If you have trouble rounding the mark, it means you've already rounded in the wrong direction, all that's left is sailing around the mark in the correct direction.

----

Two more things:
- I don't like the RRS wording/theory.

- PRs are different.

--- Last Edited by kroppyer at 2015-06-23 23:34:20 ---
My interest stemmed from a consideration of the logic behind ANY mark rounding rule on the computer. If the SOL rule was to be applied to a spherical Earth, the projected 'rounding line' would circle the Earth and enter the mark from the rear, thus making the "miss, return and round correctly" of the RRS impossible. The field of action would have to be limited in total area to make it possible.
If the map used was to be a Mercator's projection, then no area limitation would be required.
In the case in point, if the turn mark had been just a small distance (3 pixels?) off shore, then the island could indeed have been rounded the "wrong" way,and all requirements for a successful rounding could have been met.
If it breaks, it's not strong enough--if it doesn't, it's too heavy.
Rounding lines in SOL are loxodromic (straight on Mercator projection). This has previously resulted in some weird DTF numbers. It is indeed very hard to define rounding a mark on a sphere. Gates almost always work, so I'd say that rounding a mark is similar to sailing through a gate with the mark to be rounded on one side, and some point on the course boundary on the other.

If there is a mark 3px offshore from an island, and only the rounding direction of the mark is specified (nothing about the island), you could indeed round the mark correctly, while 1) not rounding the island or 2) rounding is opposite to the mark. Sol doesn't work with islands that way. If we want to have a course round an island, we place the mark on the island, forcing your to round the entire island.

Please login to post a reply.

Races

Next Race: 00d 00h 00m


Current Races:

Aeolian Cruise 2025


This is the final race of the ARCH 2025 series and your last chance to improve your ranking. It promises to be an exciting 210nm slalom through the beautiful landscapes of the Aeolian Islands. Our Moody S38's will take off from Tropea and sail west between successive islands to reach the finish line in the Gulf of Palermo.
Fair Winds.
Race #1991
INFO from brainaid.de
Moody S38 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking:
ARQ4 - ARCH - SUPSOL - SYC
Race starts: Dec 15th 17:00 Registration will open soon
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Chatham Island TIMED Chase 2025

The final TIMED race of 2025 takes us to the isolated and mysterious Chatham Islands archipelago 430 nm east of New Zealand’s South Island. There promises to be plenty of breeze from every point on the compass as we sail the Farr 38 around Chatham Island, Pitt Island, and The Forty Fours on this 124 nm course. This is a TIMEDrace so you may RE-REGISTER HEREto try again after finishing a run. You will have 13 days and 11 hours to test your skill and decision making after the race opens.
Race #1990
INFOby brainaid.de
Farr 38 Particulars
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking:
TRQ4 - TRCH - SUPSOL - SYC
RACE CLOSE: Saturday,
27 December at 23:00 UTC
Race starts: Dec 14th 12:00 Registration will open soon
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Great Bear Ice Race 2025


You can fly to Great Bear Lake Airport, but if the ice is good, instead hire a pick-up truck, load your disassembled DN into the cargo bed and drive, first following the McKenzie River north, and then straight across the lake to the start of our final Ice Boat series race of roughly 100nm in length. The Airport authorities have agreed to leave all lights on, so you should just about be able to see where you are going as you zing and rumble, PL-free over the ice!
Race #1853
INFOby brainaid.de
DN PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: DN - SYC
RACE CLOSE: Friday,
December 12 at 2300 UTC.
Race starts: Dec 07th 09:00 Registration Closed
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Christmas to Christmas Island 2025

Two waypoints, start and finish, and between them 5827 NM of two oceans. Not much time if we want to sit at the Christmas Eve table. You will need to maintain an average speed of over 10 knots, maybe quite possible with this Maxi Trimaran, but prepare your vessel well and choose the best of the many possible routes. Hands up everyone who knew there were TWO Christmas Islands?! OK, maybe you have sailed this Sailonline course before... but it's time to get ready for the 2025 challenge of racing between Christmas Island in the Pacific to Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean! It also marks the conclusion of our prestigious Ocean Race Championship 2025. Please have fun! Fair winds!
PRIZE: SMPF
Race #1967
INFO by brainaid.de
Maxi Trimaran PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: OCQ4 - OCCH - SUPSOL - SYC
Race starts: Dec 01st 11:00 Registration Closed
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Go to race archive

SYC Ranking

  1. Sailonline Yacht Club Member KaSToR
  2. Sailonline Yacht Club Member CriticalHippo
  3. Sailonline Yacht Club Member WRmirekd
  4. Sailonline Yacht Club Member rafa
  5. Sailonline Yacht Club Member vida
  6. Sailonline Yacht Club Member CollegeFund
  7. Sailonline Yacht Club Member bonknhoot
  8. Sailonline Yacht Club Member Panpyc
  9. Sailonline Yacht Club Member sassy63
  10. Sailonline Yacht Club Member BRENTGRAY

View full list

Series

Mobile Client

SYC members have the benefit of access to our mobile/lightweight web client!

The mobile client