For years, boats participating in up-river racing events have been required to record and submit their finish times. However, relying solely on manual timekeeping can lead to errors and inaccuracies. Fortunately, there is a simple and precise method to capture both your time and location effortlessly, anytime, anywhere.

Utilize Your Smartphone’s Features

Modern smartphones come equipped with internal clocks that are synchronized with the cellular network’s highly accurate time reference. Additionally, smartphones feature built-in GPS capabilities that can tag the location of a photo. By leveraging these features, you can easily ensure accurate time and location tracking.

Setting Automatic Date & Time on Your Smartphone

  • iPhone: Go to Settings > General > Date & time > [Select] Set Automatically.
  • Android: Go to Settings > General Management > Date and Time > [Select] “Automatic date and time” to “On”.

Enabling Geo-Tagging for Photos

  • iPhone: Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services > Camera > [Select] While Using the App.
  • Android: Turn on the camera > click on the settings icon (top left) > [Select] “Location Tags” to “On”.
EXIF Info

EXIF info is data that is tagged to any digital photo. For example the EXIF info for the photo below shows that it was taken 2021-06-27 at 14:21:30, at a lat/long of 45.36374°, -75.82086°; that lat/long is shown to the right, or below, in Google Maps. Even if the location data is not available, the photo itself serves as evidence that the boat was present at the P mark at 14:21:30 and crossed the finish line as described in Part I of the Sailing Instructions. While the location data is an added bonus, it can be particularly useful if the photographer failed to capture the P mark in the photo.

Capturing Proof with Photos

By taking a photo with your smartphone as you cross the finish line, you not only have visual proof of your boat’s presence but also the accurate time tagged to the photo. The location of the photo can also be saved through geo-tagging, further enhancing the record-keeping process.

When submitting your start and/or finish times, attach the corresponding photos to your email. Avoid editing the photos, as most edits can remove the EXIF (Exchangeable Image File) information. Sending the photos at a lower resolution is acceptable, as it won’t affect the EXIF data. For iPhones, a “Large” resolution is usually suitable.

Photographing Other Boats

Boats are encouraged to capture photos of the boats ahead or behind them as they cross the finish line. These images can serve as useful references in case individuals encounter difficulties accurately recording their own finish times.

Race Qs, Navionics & Other Charting Apps

Some racers like to use the free Race Qs App, Navionics, or other apps to record their tracks. With proper GPS coordinates of the start and finish lines, these can also yield remarkably accurate records of a boat’s start and finish times. Be aware, however, that GPS apps can drain your battery faster than usual.

Page maintained by Hugh Morrin.
Page updated 2024-08-09.

Update log:
2020-06-26, HM: Added Page created.
2020-07-29, HM: Added update log, notes about submitting photos, and reference to RaceQs.
2021-06-05, HM: Minor editorial updates. Added reference to EXIF Viewer App.
2021-08-12, HM: Significant re-write; added reference to setting Date & Time automatically. Added new photos showing finish at P mark.
2023-??: Moved to AN. Lots of wording changes, some of which were inappropriate.
2024-08-09, HM: Cleaned up page; fixed misinformation introduced in 2023.
2024-08-10, DS: Fixed geolocation images layout using a 2 side-by-side blocks design.
NOTE: If you are not the owner of this page, please do not edit the page without consulting with its owner.