MCSA BOARD ANNOUCEMENT- ELECTRONICS
The MCSA has made a temporary rule change to allow MC sailors to fully understand the impact of using Automated Race Management Systems (ARMS). ARMS starts the countdown timer for you, and provides for instantaneous OCS notification to competitors.
This is how it will affect you:
Unless the NOR states otherwise, all MCs can use speed, heel, trim, compass, shift tracking, and timing while racing.
When Automated Race Management (ARMS) is used (Racesense or other), distance to line can also be displayed for those running a capable device (eg. Vakaros Atlas2). Distance to line function is not available with the Vakaros Edge device. We anticipate that future MCSA sanctioned regattas will use ARMS. This will require all competitors to have a device either by way of purchase or rental. We expect that any device rental fees will be the sailor's responsibility unless other arrangements have been made elsewhere.
June 3, 2025
Formal Motion: Launch an experimental test thru 2027 to allow the use of an Automated Race Management System (ARMS) for GPS enabled starting, automatic notification to Competitors and Race Committee of all OCS yachts, fleet tracking around the course and automated finishes, as well as expanded data display and device functionality beyond the existing limitations of compass and timer only.
Expanded display functions would increase to allow:
- Shift Tracking
- Speed over Ground (SOG)
- Heel / Trim
- Distance and Time to Line (DTL) only for when ARMS system is in use
External peripheral devices are allowed if data is available to all competitors.
MCSA Electronics Clarification 2024 - August 19 2024
The following is a clarification of the MCSA Rule Book and Scantlings dated August 17, 2013.
This clarification specifically addresses Article IX Specifications of Yacht, Section 2 Hull, Part F Electronic Equipment.
F. Electronic Equipment
i) Only the following electronic personal equipment items are permitted for use during racing:
a. Personal medical devices
b. Compass, orientation, timing device, telemetry logging, or a combination provided that it/they can only provide information relating to the heading, and time (current and/or elapsed) to the sailor while racing are allowed.
i. The display of distance to the starting line, time on distance, speed or any other measurement not listed above is expressly prohibited.
ii. Devices must either be limited to the permitted features at time of manufacture or able to comply through software feature toggles and verifiable on-premise by an immutable timestamped log.
iii. Any device that complies through software feature toggles must be always comply while on the water on race days.
iv. The penalty for using a non-class approved device or using a class approved device in a non-class legal mode will be disqualification (DSQ) from all races where the device was used in a non-conforming manner. The DSQ(s) will not be able to be dropped from the scores for the series or regatta.
c. Hand-held communication devices (cellular phones, pagers, radios, etc.). Except for emergencies, the use of such devices including any application or function which allows determining a competitor’s position relative to a starting line or other competitors on the racecourse, marking waypoints, tracking wind shifts, receiving or sending SMS or email communications, or otherwise locating GPS coordinates is not permitted while racing This restriction does not apply to VHF radio communication to or from the Race Committee and from competitors on a predetermined radio channel.
d. Photographic equipment limited to self-contained cameras, including cameras built into cellular telephones.
i. Such cameras may record still images or video images with or without audio.
ii. Data that is recorded onto the camera storage media or uploaded to the cloud in real time may only be reviewed on shore after racing.