Quick Start

This is a quick tour through the concept of Velum.
It describes also how a regatta should be structured in the sense of Velum. This desciption just shows the basic functions of Velum for organizing and evaltuating a regatta. You will find more detailed descriptions in the help information of the menues.

  1. Open an existing or create a new race File.

  2. Characterize your regatta: Settings

    Enter the name and a lot more text strings to describe your regatta.

    Define the point system to be used.

    Adapt Velum to your type of regatta by setting the appropriate global options and switches:
    e.g.: which type of scoring will you have: Scoring by class only or handicap scoring,
    do the races last longer than a day (requiring the day in addition to the time), etc.

    Number of races, day and time of the starts are also part of the Settings menu.

    The start time of each race means the day and time of the first start of each race (Startingtime).
    If you have more than one starting group, you can declare individual time offsets with each group!
    However, if you do not know the time yet, you can enter it any time later.

  3. Define the classes

    You should declare appropriate classes as soon as you know which scoring classes and scoring types will be required by your regatta.
    A class comprises a name, a scoring type, optionally a time offset to the 1st start of the regatta, and a couple of things more.

    With registration of the yachts you can manually select the class(es) in which this yacht is to be scored.

    Finally, a very powerfull tool is to link classes together: You can create a new class by combining existing classes! That means that the new class automatically comprises all the yachts that are assigned to the included classes, without any explicit assignment. Of course this new class may achieve any scoring type you want, independed of that what the included classes have.

    If you have an extensive structure of classes, you have the option to define the participation of classes in particular races (User definable participations), e.g. those basic classes that are defined just for building other classes but which are not used for evaluation themselves (class linking).
  4. Enter the yachts

    You can now start to register the yachts.
    It is not necessary to know e.g. all the scoring classes/options in advance. Just type in what is known and complete the list later on.

  5. Assign the yachts to scoring classes

    When entering a yacht, you can directly assign her to one or more scoring class(es) she shall belong to. This is done in the yachts dialog: Select the subpage detail view and there the subpage groups.

    Keep in mind:
    You are only required to select the basic class(es). Afterwards, you can achieve many additional evaluations by creating new classes that link some of the basic classes together (class linking).

  6. Useful to know:

    Don't worry if you enter any incomplete data. You will always have the chance to return and to complete or change the data.
    There is no fixed processing order.

    A check of plausibility is performed each time before a result is calculated.
    If there is some inconsistence or missing data, then you will receive an error message that tells you what kind of problem occurs.
    E.g.: If a yacht was assigned to two classes that have different starting time offsets, you will receive an error message, because one particular yacht cannot take part in two different starting groups!
    Similar, if a yacht is not assigned to at least one class that provides a starting time offset Velum will generate an error message.

  7. Results, Output and Printout

    All available output lists for viewing and printout are accessable over the Views menu.

    You will find yachts lists, finishing-times list, single-race results, race-series results list, and IMS-Handicap-Calculation list.
    A large set of options is applicable to all of them.

    Open as many windows as you like and select the types of listings you want to get (view).

    There is no automatic update of your view window! If you intermediatelly switched to an input dialog and changed the data of your regatta which is shown in a list, the displayed information will not change. You might want to update the view window by pressing its refresh-button.

    According to the process order described in this text, the actual state of your input allows you to generate some yachts-lists, including those that are splitted into classes.


  8. To step forward you need to: Enter the data of a race

    The date and time of the start (1st starting group) is to be entered in the Dialog Settings - Race Settings.
    Please note: If there is more than one starting group, you can declare this in advance by entering the particular offset times for each class.

    The finishing times of the yachts (as well as "status" like DNS, DSQ, etc.) are entered in the Race Dialog

    A listing of the finishing times can be selected within the Views windows

  9. Race Result

    The results lists are accessable through the view windows, which were already introduced (see above).

  10. Enter the 2nd, 3rd, .... race.

  11. Getting out the race series results.

    As you have entered more than one race you can calculate race series results. Calculation is done by adding the points given in the single races.

    The results lists are accessable through the view windows, which were already introduced (see above).

  12. Award ceremony!

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