1. Setting up your course

Open the Course tab (first tab at the top). You will see the Course Setup section.

1. Tap Course Card and choose the card displayed on the committee boat (for example, "CARD 4").
2. Tap Wind Direction and choose the wind direction shown on the committee boat board (for example, "NE").
3. Tap Course # and choose the course number from the committee boat board (for example, "Course 2").

The chart, leg list and all bearings will update automatically as soon as you make each selection. You do not need to press any confirm button.

💡 Tip: If you know the exact wind direction in degrees (for example, 047°), type it into the True Wind Direction box. This gives you more accurate wind angle information on each leg.

2. Reading the course chart

The chart shows Dublin Bay with all race marks plotted. The current course legs are drawn as lines between marks.

• Tide arrows — small arrows on the chart show the direction the tide is running. The number next to each arrow is the tide speed in knots.
• Tap a leg in the leg list to highlight it on the chart and jump to the bearing details for that leg.
• ⛶ Fullscreen — tap the expand icon (bottom-right of the chart) to open the chart full screen. Tap again to close it.

3. Race start timer

Open the Start tab. This tab helps you count down to the starting gun.

1. The timer starts at 5 minutes by default — this is the standard DBSC warning signal time.
2. Tap ▶ Start sequence when the warning signal is made. The countdown begins.
3. If your watch shows a slightly different time, use −1 min or +1 min to adjust. Tap ⚓ Sync to round the time to the nearest whole minute.
4. The signal strip at the bottom of the screen shows the four standard RRS signals (Warning, Preparatory, 1-minute, Starting gun). Each row highlights as its time approaches.
5. At zero, the app automatically switches to the Course tab and opens the Race Overview and Chart so you are ready to race.
6. Tap 🏁 Finish race when you cross the finish line. Your elapsed race time will be shown.
7. Tap ↺ Reset at any time to go back to the beginning.

💡 Tip: The countdown turns amber when there is less than 1 minute to the gun.

4. Racing — tracking your legs

The Race Overview section at the top of the Course tab shows your current leg at all times.

• Current leg — the leg you are on right now, with the bearing to steer and the distance to the next mark.
• Rounding — it tells you whether to leave the next mark to Port (left) or Starboard (right).
• ✓ Mark rounded — tap this button each time you round a mark. The app moves to the next leg automatically.
• ↶ Undo — if you tap "Mark rounded" too soon, tap Undo to go back one step.

5. GPS and compass

These features add live position information to the chart.

• 📍 Use GPS — tap this to show your boat's position on the chart. The app will then display the distance and true bearing from your position to the next mark. GPS turns off automatically after 30 minutes to save battery.
• 🧭 Compass — on mobile phones and tablets, this overlays your heading on the chart. Your device must have a compass sensor. You may be asked to grant permission.

💡 Tip: Bearings are always true bearings (not magnetic). Distances are in nautical miles.

6. Race Finder tab

Use the Race Finder tab to look up the details of any DBSC race.

1. Select the date of the race.
2. Select your class.
3. The app shows the course card, the VHF channel for the committee boat, the warning flag colour, and the time of your warning signal.
4. Tap Open this course card to jump straight to the Course tab with that card pre-selected.

7. Documents tab

The Docs tab gives you quick access to:

• Sailing Instructions — the official race rules for DBSC races.
• Notice of Race (NoR) — the advance notice for the racing season.
• Mark charts — a chart showing the position of all DBSC racing marks.
• Course cards — the full set of course cards for reference.

Tap any document to open it. After the first time you open a document, it is saved on your device and can be viewed without an internet connection.

8. Layout and settings

• ☀ / 🌙 Theme — tap the sun/moon icon in the top right to switch between light and dark mode.
• ⚙ Settings — tap the gear icon to rearrange the panels on the Course tab (for example, move the chart to the right column on a wide screen).
• Installing the app — if you see an Add to Home Screen option, tap it. The app will then appear on your home screen like any other app and work fully offline.