How it works

You supply the required materials (see below). I build a web page that presents the user with said materials and the logic to test their knowledge of the subject matter (specifically, the location or identification of 'things' within a diagram).

If you have several topics you'd like to cover (i.e. pinrails, sail plan, spars, etc.) each can have its own page (see Rose examples).

Your page is served from my server at a data center in Oregon so you don't need a server for your chase pages. You can include your chase page(s) on your ship's web site by simply adding a link(s) to it that point to your chase page(s).

Important: When considering what you'd like to present on your chase page(s), remember that this site and all chase pages presented herein are visible to the public. Therefore, sensative areas of your ship should probably not be included in a chase page!

After reading this page, if you want more info or want to set up a chase page, contact info is given at the bottom of this page.

Why should you do this?

• Its free.
• It's easy to set up.
• For those seasonal boats with a high crew turnover , it's a good way to help get new crew up to speed faster.
• Easy access. Anyone with access to the web can use it anytime.
• Iteractive feed back. Users know immediately if their selection is correct or not and if not, what it really is.
• While not a replacement for hands-on time with the rig, it can help save time in face-to-face training sessions
• If there is a training manual for your boat, you probably already have most of the required material.

Possible Applications

Applications could include (but are not limited to) training on:

• Pin Rails
• Sail plans
• Rigging
• Types of sails and their parts
• Chart reading
• Aids to navigation
• Locations of need-to-know items such as life saving equipment, fire hoses / extinguishers, first aid kits, etc.
• Locations of drill stations (fire, man overboard, etc)
• Signals for bow watch
• ... and almost anything else you can think of that fits the 'diagram / hit-item' model.

What I need from you

In general, materials consist of two things, a diagram and a key or index relating chase items on the diagram to information about them.

• A clear diagram of the chase items. If you have it in GIF or JPEG, that's the best, if not, clear and legible hardcopy will do.
• A keyed list of the hit items. Cleary I will need to know what in the diagram is of interest to the users, where they are, and how they should be labeled. Sometimes this is part of the existing diagram itself.
• (optional) A short blurb of text. Short is the operative word. It should only relate to the diagram.
• (optional) A small image (jpeg) of the boat 'in the wild' or a logo for branding.

Remember: The better the quality of the materials provided, the better your chase page will look.

Making a diagram

If you don't have the toys mentioned below, send me the annotated diagram (or a training manual that has everything in it) and I'll set it up...but it'll take longer to get it on the web. Scans are best, hardcopy will work ... either way the quality should be the best you can get.

If you have Photoshop and a scanner (or know someone who does), you can save me a lot of time by doing the following:

• Create a Photoshop image of your chase diagram (with labels). (If you have printed material showing the diagram and labels, scan it into Photoshop.)
• Create a second layer containing the diagram image (duplicate layer).
• In the second layer, remove the item names from the diagram.
• Important: If the items are of widely varying sizes, add hit indicators to the second layer (like on the Rose Sail Plan Chase). All hit items on a chase page must be square and of the same size, whether you've indicated them with squares on the diagram or not. For example, on the Rose Pin Chase, the pins are of similar size and 'square enough' so they don't need hit rectangles. The Rose Sail Plan page, however, does need them since the sails are not uniform in size or shape.
• Finally, save the file as a Photoshop file and send it to me, I'll handle the rest.

The first layer I use as a key to enter your data, the second is used for the chase diagram. This is how I did the Rose chase pages.

Remember: If you make your own diagram, be sure the image resolution is 72 DPI and the results are a reasonable size for a web page before starting work or your efforts may be unsuable on a web page!

Guidelines

• One page per chase...and the real estate is limited. See the Rose samples, thats basically what you have to work with.
• Each chase page is served through a template so, no, I can't customize the layout or add page elements beyond the basics.
• Keep the number of hit items per page reasonable and reasonably spaced in your diagram. If you pile 2 or 3 items on top of each other, it won't work.

Fees

Ain't none. It's a free service to sailing ships and historic vessels.

Why am I doing this?

To support tall ships and those who keep them at sea.

Contact Info

Want to set up a chase page? Questions? Suggestions? Contact me at this address.