Virtual Vendee Globe...

[Tim]

LOL Well I have you as a "friend" (only so I can  keep an eye on you  ;D)

You have a little catching up to do...may i suggest you start with the smallest sails first until you get the hang of it ;) ;D

I'll buy the first beer at Cape Town, if I'm not there when you arrive just wait for me ::)

[CapnK]

Looks like I have some catching up to do! Hopefully you guys will find a big hole down there in the doldrums, and that low brewing off my bow will help slingshot me down into competitiveness. :)

Currently trying an experiment, heading a bit E of S; I lose a knot in boatspeed, but it takes me closer to the line. Slightly W of S, with an extra knot, lost me 192 places in about 15-30 minutes - so it would seem the ranking is at least loosely based on proximity to the ideal line they have on the map.

The boat is holding up well, but wow does she pound, compared to an Ariel... ;D

[Tim]

Suggestion....don't pay any attention to the standings...there are so many boats all over the place out here, that if you blow your nose or go to the head you could gain or lose 1000 places ;D

[dnice]

It would be cool if a few others could join now, to have another group running from the same start point :)

Its nice to have some local competition :) Since the current leaders would have to make some serious mistakes for any of us to catch up. Of course, there's about 2 months of sailing left to do, so anything could happen :D

Anyway, glad you could join capn'! like Tim said, don't worry about positions, just get into the southern ocean ASAP.

[maxiSwede]

Hi Guys!  tried to stay out of this just in case it is addictive.... but what the h**k, you yanks need some competition from a Viking sailor,

;D ;D ;D

RodeOrm is in! How do I find you guys??

12, 2 knots code zero heading 184.... are we going westwards? I mean cape of good Hope on the port side...

forgot thsoe magic mushrooms that helps me stay awake a couple of weeks on and end so I guess I'll hit the bunk right now. Its ten to midnight.

I'll appreciate the tropics now for a little while, outside my house its's freeezing cold and som snow too.  ;D

[Tim]

Just use the search feature (magnifying glass) to find us using the names we gave earlier in this thread, and then you can mark us as "friends" then you can just click on us to find out where we are.

[CapnK]

Game on! ;D

Magnus - that is me just off to your starboard, yours is the red boat. Further west from me is "eliz", who I have been beating for the last few hours. ;D

Hmm, maybe I should put out a smoke screen or an oil slick. I have my SOLAS flares ready, come closer... :D :D :D

[CapnK]

Maybe if a few others join soon we'll have a pack.

Hint, hint. ;D

[dnice]

Hi Guys!  tried to stay out of this just in case it is addictive....

It is indeed addictive...but its sailing :) Its a very slow game, you just need to watch the 12 hour winds and remember that the wind chart is updated at 1200gmt and 0000gmt.

I'm pretty sure this is the slowest moving video game known to man, so there is no need to stay and watch the pulsating circle of light for hours on end :D

and yes, Good Hope to port!

(edit) maybe thats 1000gmt and 2200gmt?

[Tim]

Maybe if a few others join soon we'll have a pack.

Hint, hint. ;D

Capn K, looks like you and Magnus are having a cocktail hour (or two or three) over there! ;D

[dnice]

I don't know how accurate this is, but its the best looking map I can find of the Atlantic Currents.... It also makes sense for those guys running the western route...Head west from canaries, then beat through the doldrums, then downwind into the southern ocean...east....

[maxiSwede]

Ahoy, having breakfast in front of my screen,erhh, navigation station. during the night I gained 9350 positions.  ;D ;D

I'll try and see if I can find you guys, right now I can't see any other boats at all...  and yeah, it is a sloooow game, I'll just check in on it a couple times a day to keep going. That said, it is quite interesting to plan ahead considering the wind forecasts (and currents)

Hope to see you around  :)

[maxiSwede]

[/quote]
Capn K, looks like you and Magnus are having a cocktail hour (or two or three) over there! ;D
[/quote]


??? 8) ::)        :P

[maxiSwede]

Sorry, Kurt, but the cocktail hour seems to be over.... I am 14 miles ahead right now, and you are at sleep  8) ;)

[CapnK]

Sorry, Kurt, but the cocktail hour seems to be over.... I am 14 miles ahead right now, and you are at sleep  8) ;)

Sailfucious say: "He who catch wind shift first, has last laugh."

Eat wake! ;D

[maxiSwede]

CapnK



On my screen I am making 12 knots and you 7,8   ;D

Seems like everyone gets the readings we would like to see, or... ???

I've tried eating wake, tastes quite similar to squid   ;)

[CapnK]

Odd - I am seeing you at 6.2 kts. Have you refreshed your screen?

Look at the "vendee15.jpg" image in the post above. Just over the red stop sign boat in the upper left of that image, next to the Home button, is a Refresh thing you click to make your screen automatically refresh every 10 minutes. Do you have that turned on?

If not, you might be looking at old data. What time is on your clock, at the top? Mine is 15:06 GMT +1.

[maxiSwede]

CapnK

Ouuch!  I am devastated -apparently been looking at the same old screen now and then, thought I still was making a steady 12 knots...
:'( :'(

Nuff wake, here I ´m coming  AAARRGHHH!   ;D

[CapnK]

I see you back there making some sail and course changes... :D

I've gotta hope that no major wind changes happen while I am putting the stick up on that Beneteau 40 this afternoon, lol.

Looks like pretty soon my ranking will drop below 100,000 - so I've passed over 10,000 boats in ~24 hours. ;D

[Godot]

Happily (for those of us who can't stare at the computer non-stop) they only update the weather every 12 hours.  I kinda wished they would do it every hour or so, you know, to keep the realism up; but given the whole work and life thing, it is probably just as well the way they do it now.