Virtual Vendee Globe...

[maxiSwede]

Betting?

What are the odds?   ;D

[Joe Pyrat]

I'm giving up on the straits.  Just keep running aground and it's stopped being fun. 

Cap'n K, pick a place we can ground and wait for the rest of the fleet.

[Godot]

I'm around the horn and have slowed down some.  Ready to go when everyone else is.

(I'll probably arrive last regardless ... I've been logging on every day and a half on average, and it has really slowed me down).

[ronc98]

I am closing in on the cape.  Maybe 2-3 days out.   if you guys dont want to wait I don't blame ya.

[CapnK]

Ron - You have time. :)

Nowell and Zen are still a ways out, but I don't know if they plan on joining in...?

Below is an image showing the starting line, for clarity. We need to choose a start date/time. Anyone have any input on that?

I will be without internet access Th/Fri Feb 5/6 - Sun 8th (off exploring/camping along the Georgia coast), but Magnus owes me some steering, so I think he could take the helm a bit for me if needed... ;)

[maxiSwede]

Yup, You can count on me CapnK !! 8) ;)

[Tim]

Well I have decided to make a LEFT turn and head for Cuba!

Trying to keep pace is getting tiring ;D and I would like to do a little exploring at my own pace.

[Pablo]

If the winds hold I should be at the cape in about 30 hours.  :D

[Joe Pyrat]

Now there's an idea Tim, who says we have to race to France?  The Caribbean would be a lot more fun.

[ronc98]

That is a great idea.   

[ronc98]

Finally made it there,   I will hang at the start line and wait for the rest.  Have we decided on a final destination?

[dnice]

Time to get organized! :)

Looks like pablo will be in by tonight or tomorow. If we can get everybody together (as close to start line as possible) and decide on a finish line, I say we start the race say, either monday or tuesday?

I'm ok with racing to wherever.

Since CapnK is the official GAR organizer, I think you will need to give the official statement on start time/finish line.

[CapnK]

How about this -

I put a second boat into the race sim a while back, to run it down waaay south to see, well, whatever there was to "see" Down There. :)

The name of that boat is "KR deCap" ;D, and it looks like it should arrive at the Start line sometime Monday late or into Tuesday. How about we make the moment it crosses the Start line the "official" beginning of the GAR?

That kinda fits the timeline David proposes, and anyone could just fall in behind / right along with it in order to not be over the Start line early.

Other ideas, if you don't like that one?

As far as changing the Finish point, my vote would be for something like The Lizard (after first rounding Great Britain, coming back down through the English Channel?), or maybe Falsterbo, Sweden (I hear the beer, food, and hospitality there is great.... ;D). I suggest those because they might allow a closer, more 'fun' finish by trimming back any big lead someone might have gotten.

But - Y'all tell me, and I'll go there. :)

[Godot]

I say shoot for the original destination.  Use the features of the sim.  Since it will likely record the completion ranking, we will have a real feel for how things finish.  Plus, the sim was put up to do the Vendee, it seems kind of cheap to go and screw with everything.  That, and I put weeks into the darn thing and want to finish!

[maxiSwede]

How about this -

I put a second boat into the race sim a while back, to run it down waaay south to see, well, whatever there was to "see" Down There. :)

The name of that boat is "KR deCap" ;D, and it looks like it should arrive at the Start line sometime Monday late or into Tuesday. How about we make the moment it crosses the Start line the "official" beginning of the GAR?

That kinda fits the timeline David proposes, and anyone could just fall in behind / right along with it in order to not be over the Start line early.

Other ideas, if you don't like that one?

As far as changing the Finish point, my vote would be for something like The Lizard (after first rounding Great Britain, coming back down through the English Channel?), or maybe Falsterbo, Sweden (I hear the beer, food, and hospitality there is great.... ;D). I suggest those because they might allow a closer, more 'fun' finish by trimming back any big lead someone might have gotten.

But - Y'all tell me, and I'll go there. :)

I have been, uhrrm, kinda busy finishing all the beer on board for a couple of days in the Falklands. Great local guys over there...  ::)  OK, hauled the hook and steering south so I can be a part of the ra-hickup-ace  ;D

[dnice]

I say shoot for the original destination.  Use the features of the sim.  Since it will likely record the completion ranking, we will have a real feel for how things finish.  Plus, the sim was put up to do the Vendee, it seems kind of cheap to go and screw with everything.  That, and I put weeks into the darn thing and want to finish!

I also would prefer the original destination. But, I am ok with whatever/wherever you guys decide, I'll just have to finish the race from there (obviously time is not an issue). There are still 200,000 boats who have not passed us yet :), so I don't think it will hurt the sim any. I would just like to finish what I started, regardless of the break we're taking to have fun.

we could compromise... Maybe set a waypoint and make it a two leg race. first leg to the caribbean then second leg to the finish?

[dnice]

well heck... I guess we could do the whole sailfar cup race :)

make everybody happy, leg to caribbean, then over to sveden, down to GB and on to france for the finale.

any other ideas?

[Joe Pyrat]

I'm sailing through the channel in the Falklands, will head south ASA I clear the end, but probably won't make it by Monday which is today.

[CapnK]

OK then - the majority seems to say go to the original mark. Sounds good to me. :)

It's gonna take that boat a while to get to our Start line - at least 2 more days. Winds have really died out - I jinxed it. ;D

If y'all want to start earlier, that's fine we me also. Pick a time and date, it doesn't matter to me when...

I shot Nowell an email to see if he was in, but the lucky dog is working in Singapore for the next few weeks, so he can't. He said to tell all "Hi!".

[Godot]

We are all pretty much ready to go, right?  I propose we start at the 4pm weather change on Wednesday (I figure it is too late to say Tuesday).  Actually, I think 4am would be better; but I would hate to punish those in the western time zones.