Covid restrictions have not stopped development at HalSail. I have a number of new features to show you and improvements to old ones. Most of them are explained in videos on the HalSail YouTube Channel, including one on integrating HalSail with SailEvent, the entry and tallying app that I talked about in my last bulletin.
First of all, Racing Rules of Sailing 2021-2024 Appendix A introduces a new status abbreviation: NSC - did not sail the course. That is now in HalSail.
I have made more improvements to the way HalSail is used on phones to run races and enter results. There is a new page counting down the time during the start sequence, showing when each flag is raised or lowered. You can also send WhatsApp messages directly from HalSail containing links to the results you have just put in. Again there is a video explaining these features.
Another new feature is high-points scoring. For many years almost all series scoring has been done using the low-points system set out in Racing Rules of Sailing. But some clubs find this is unfair in long series where some races have many boats participating and other races are sparsely supported. It does not seem right that getting a first place against 3 competitors counts the same as getting first place in a race with 30 competitors. High points is a simple alternative. Boats get a point for competing (coming to the starting area), a point for finishing and a point for each boat they beat. DNC gets no points. The series winner is the boat with most points after discards are taken into account. The final video explains HP scoring.
Stay safe and let's hope we soon see an end to the current restrictions on our favourite activity. Wishing you good sailing in 2021.
Peter Hopford
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