Marks and the course
Place a mark by sailing to it and pinging your position, dropping it on a map, or typing coordinates. Save the ones you use every week to the mark library, and any later race can pull them straight back in.
Placing a mark
Open the race and add a mark
Marks belong to a race, so set the race up first.
Choose how to place it
Use Current Location if you are sitting next to it, Drop Mark to place it on the map by touch, or Enter Coordinates if you have them written down.
Name it
Whatever the sailing instructions call it. You will thank yourself in the replay.
Save it to the library
Swipe the mark right and choose Save to Library. Club marks that never move only need entering once, ever.
Reuse it next time
Pull any saved mark into a later race from the library instead of re-entering it.
Which placement method should I use?
| Method | Best for | Accuracy |
|---|---|---|
| Use Current Location | Marks you can sail up to before the start | As good as your GPS, and as close as you got |
| Drop Mark on the map | Marks you can see but cannot reach, or setting a course from the bar | As good as your eye and the chart |
| Enter Coordinates | Marks published in the sailing instructions | Exact |
If the sailing instructions give you coordinates, use them — they are better than anything you can measure from a moving boat, and they are what the race committee is actually using.
What is the mark library for?
Most club racing uses the same handful of permanent marks week after week. The library means you enter each one once and reuse it forever, instead of re-pinging the same buoy every Wednesday.
Save a mark to it by swiping the mark right in the list. Marks in the library are independent of any one race, so deleting a race does not lose them.
Why set a first mark?
Because it changes the start. With a first mark set, SailStats can work out which end of the line is favoured against the course, not just against the wind — and when the first leg is not a dead beat those two answers disagree. The mark is usually the one that pays. See the start guide.
You can set a first mark without a chartplotter, by any of the three methods above.
Can I copy a course to next week’s race?
Yes, and it is the fastest way to set one up. Swipe a race right in the races list and choose Duplicate — you get the whole course, marks and all, ready to adjust for the day’s wind.
How do marks relate to a recorded session?
A race carries the course; a session carries what you actually sailed. When a session is linked to a race, the marks come across with it, so the replay shows your track against the course rather than against nothing. That is what makes it possible to see which rounding cost you the place.