Anyone else racing in the virtual Vendee Globe? It's not too late to get in.
http://www.virtualregatta.com/index_vendee.php
(Just what we need, more ways to sail when we can't really be sailing... :) Don't let the boss see you though!)
QuoteVirtual Vendee'ers
VV Boat Names - sailFar Names
WanderBird - Bill NH
cruisenews - skylark
Continuous Moon - godot
Morning Dove - Tim
CapnK - ?
RodeOrm - Rode Orm
Vega176 - nowell
Pyrat - Joe Pyrat
devnull - dnice
Zenkaze - Zen
Vega176 if you want to add me as a friend! ;D
Thanks, cruisenews here
OK. I'll try.
Continuous Moon
(a reference from a play I once worked on: The Real Inspector Hound by Tom Stoppard)
I'm in as "WanderBird"... friended you guys. Nice to know at least a couple of the 80,000+ boats in the race!
I haven't bought any of the "upgrades" (wind pilot steering, programmable autopilot, etc) - just sailing the frugal yankee way!
One thing that I've noticed already, this simulator is very good practice at making the same type of weather/tactics decisions as are made continuously on a passage, with the availability of weather forecasts up to 36 hours out. The polars on the sail combinations seem pretty representative as well. The real WanderBird has never gone this fast though! Yee-hah! ;D
OK I am in as "Morning Dove"
Bill you seem to be hanging out in the Canaries and Adam I do not know where you are but it seems to be pretty far north! ;)
Exactly where are we supposed to be going ??? (As you can tell I am not real big on reading directions)
In any case I have my spinnaker up and I'm flying ::)
Why did you turn back toward Africa, was the wind direction against you?
Quote from: skylark on November 14, 2008, 09:16:20 PM
Why did you turn back toward Africa, was the wind direction against you?
If your asking me, I was just riding the reach out to better wind, im making almost 15 on the light spin now. Will probably try and cut between the Canary's, but depends on if the wind keeps up
I'm not sure I understand how they chose start points. Might have something to do with not starting at the start time. Dunno. I read that you can throw out the worst three "legs". On a non stop race, what qualifies as a leg?
I'm too poor for extras, too, so we'll see how things work out. I suspect I might get stuck when the wind changes. I can't be online constantly for the next several weeks, after all. I wonder if they simulate blown spinnakers and such.
Quote from: s/v godot on November 14, 2008, 09:46:37 PM
I'm not sure I understand how they chose start points. Might have something to do with not starting at the start time. Dunno. I read that you can throw out the worst three "legs". On a non stop race, what qualifies as a leg?
I'm too poor for extras, too, so we'll see how things work out. I suspect I might get stuck when the wind changes. I can't be online constantly for the next several weeks, after all. I wonder if they simulate blown spinnakers and such.
Well the SailFar fleet is all together, so just send out the call and im sure we can turn back and get ya righted so you can meet us at the palm tree in the Canaries!
This gives me a thought ...
Are there any suggestions for an ocean sailing simulator where I could simulate the Scoot? It would be interesting to play with strategy based on various forecasts. Ideally, I'd be able to define a boat similar to my own (actually, ideally it would already have my boat simulated; but I think that is asking a bit much) and a start and end point.
I'll play!!
"devnull"
Got you guys added. I too won't be using any of the extra's, and can't stay online 24/7 (although I'm getting close :) ) so we'll just see how it goes!
Quote from: s/v godot on November 14, 2008, 10:26:42 PM
This gives me a thought ...
Are there any suggestions for an ocean sailing simulator where I could simulate the Scoot? It would be interesting to play with strategy based on various forecasts. Ideally, I'd be able to define a boat similar to my own (actually, ideally it would already have my boat simulated; but I think that is asking a bit much) and a start and end point.
Virtual Sailor (http://www.hangsim.com/vs/)
I havent tried it, I wish I could though, I have a Mac and I am just SOL when it comes to stuff like this. (Not to mention money!)
A quick google search shows quite a few SIM's, but I am pretty sure Virtual Sailor is the best there is. Most of them cost$$ though..
Virtual Skipper 5, has a free demo (http://www.virtualskipper-game.com/en/index.php?lang=en&rub=news_info&id=9) But I don't think it as customizable as Virtual Sailor, Maybe worth checking out though....
Quote from: skylark on November 14, 2008, 09:16:20 PM
Why did you turn back toward Africa, was the wind direction against you?
The "news" post on Wednesday said the Canary Islands were not part of the course. I mistakenly assumed that meant I couldn't go through them, so altered course to pass between them and Africa, giving up a really nice slant. By the time I realized that other boats were going through the islands I had lost over 4000 places... >:(
Quote from: Tim on November 14, 2008, 09:15:42 PM
Exactly where are we supposed to be going ??? (As you can tell I am not real big on reading directions)
In any case I have my spinnaker up and I'm flying ::)
Around the world, leaving all capes to port and then back to the start! ;D
Quote from: Bill NH on November 15, 2008, 06:28:03 AM
Quote from: Tim on November 14, 2008, 09:15:42 PM
Exactly where are we supposed to be going ??? (As you can tell I am not real big on reading directions)
In any case I have my spinnaker up and I'm flying ::)
Around the world, leaving all capes to port and then back to the start! ;D
;D OK I got it port port port (mumbling on his way)
(http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~arndt/atlantic/images/Canaryis.gif)
So how are you getting through the Canaries? Looking at the wind charts, I'm thinking between Tenerife and Gran Canaria
Go here and click on The Race - Race Tracker
http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/weather/
Quote from: skylark on November 15, 2008, 10:36:33 AM
(http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~arndt/atlantic/images/Canaryis.gif)
So how are you getting through the Canaries? Looking at the wind charts, I'm thinking between Tenerife and Gran Canaria
That is where my present course will take me, and it does not look as though winds will change before then.
I have done polar analysis on three sails in the 15 to 20 Kts windspeed range.
Following are the wind angles at which the sail is the best performer:
Code 0: 41 to 119.
Gennaker: 120 to 144; 150 to 169.
Spinnaker: 145 to 149; 170 to 180.
I have not had a chance to try the jib yet, it may excel in the lower wind angles.
Quote from: skylark on November 15, 2008, 08:40:23 PM
I have done polar analysis on three sails in the 15 to 20 Kts windspeed range.
Following are the wind angles at which the sail is the best performer:
Code 0: 41 to 119.
Gennaker: 120 to 144; 150 to 169.
Spinnaker: 145 to 149; 170 to 180.
I have not had a chance to try the jib yet, it may excel in the lower wind angles.
I concur, I am getting my best out of the Gennaker right now at 133
The doldrums are in place between the Canaries and the Equator, it will be difficult to keep up momentum, will have to watch windspeeds very closely and follow the highest wind path.
Hmm have to consider moving to the outside of the Canaries, there won't be anything right below them in 36 hrs
I'm sorta heading west of the canaries now (be there in 24 hours or so). It is a frustrating course to take as I keep falling further behind in the standings. Will I make it up? Dunno. I think I will still hit the doldrums (unless I keep turning further west which I don't think I have the nerve to do given what will happen to the short term standings); but maybe I will have some more options going further out and can gain back some lost miles. Or, I'll just end up sailing further for no gain. I've never really played on a scale this large, so it is a learning experience.
I'm going to try to pass close to Gran Canaria, not sure which side, probably the east side. Then head west a bit to avoid a 0.5Kt windrose, maybe catch a beam reach for a little while, then follow the spinnaker along the coast of Africa to the Equator, when it looks like the wind should pick up again. I may spend a day at 4 Kts. Right now I have a good wind, we will see what happens in about 12 hours when I approach the Canaries. Hopefully I am around the house when this all happens so I can steer it where I want to go.
I did not see where you could buy an engine ;) There is some guy right below the islands right now moving 9.5 kn in a 7 kn wind :o ::)
Upon further revue it looks as though there is some current action there
LOL I also just noticed a boat that had run into in island, who had payed for the auto pilot and other programmable upgrades! :D Must have been relying on them a little too much ;D
do we have to avoid collisions with other boats? I was assuming we had to,
but last night I saw the #2 and #3 boats in a T-Bone position on the chart, they were literally on top of each other, not just close..I also saw a boat into an island last night... thought maybe he just stopped for happy hour :)
I can understand avoiding the islands but I wonder... is turning off your radar the equivilant of having no other boats out there?... I mean, theres over 80,000 of these boats and so far I have seen maybe 30 on the chart.
I've had to alter course a few times to avoid running down continuous moon ;D should I just not worry about the other boats and stay my course?
Or maybe its just that the charts are not exactly accurate?
Given how many people are on the course, it would be a nightmare if they tried to deal with boat collisions. I think they only show your friends plus a few random additional boats. Besides, the scale we are looking at, two boats could look like they are right on top of each other but be miles apart. I wouldn't worry about trying not to run into me, if I where you.
As to running into islands ... it does seem like there should at least be a penalty. Are the boats able to sail right through the islands? If that is the case I could drastically change my strategy and take a short cut right across Africa (after all, what is a continent but a really huge island?). That would probably help my standings a bit.
I don't think you have to worry about other boats, like you said there are so many boats out there and they randomly show them on the screen.
LOL Adam, It does appear that land masses stop boats.
Looks like you guys on the outside maintained some decent wind overnight, I'm just glad I did not run into the island :D
Has anyone else logged in to find their boat DIW? This has happened to me twice now. Once I lost almost 5000 places overnight. This morning I caught it within a short time and was able to get moving again before too much damage. Happened when sailing about 170 to the wind both times.
I was wishing for an autopilot last friday when I had to alter course through the Canaries right in the middle of a class I was teaching... >:( Had to take a less than optimal route so I could delay the course change...
I have noticed a few DIWs but it has not happened to me yet while on watch. I did get shadowed by a boat yesterday though, sailing right on top of me, it had about 11 nts of wind and I had 8 >:( :D Which was funny because until I got the name of it I could not see it!
If the sail you selected is outside of its effective wind angle, you go dead in the water.
The Code 0 has the highest range of effective wind angle of the sails that I have used, from 41 to 180. Might be a good sail to choose when winds are fluky and you won't be back to the computer to check for a while.
Looks like that early offshore tack paid off for you guys. I am stuck in the doldrums playing the wind shifts.
We'll see. The wind is dropping now.
This is highly addictive :)
Watching the boat 'Hurricane', he was the race leader since I joined, but now took a long tack offshore to find heavier winds, and lost almost 400 places... It'll be interesting to see if that pays off for him, since the guys he's competing with are all pretty close together and seem to have done this before :)
It looks like the 24hour wind predictions from yesterday are coming in a bit lighter, so I don't know if sailing towards the 36 hour predictions are a good idea...
I haven't found myself DIW yet, but I have watched my boat speed drop from 16kts to 8kts with no change in wind speed or direction. I guess they are accounting for alot of things we can't see. They mention stuff like sleep management, and accounting for being a singlehander and sail management.. so who knows what they are throwing at you.
Well so much for Hurricane :'(
He's either completely lost, or completely relying on teh autopilot/windvane... same difference :)
Quote from: s/v godot on November 14, 2008, 10:26:42 PM
This gives me a thought ...
Are there any suggestions for an ocean sailing simulator where I could simulate the Scoot? It would be interesting to play with strategy based on various forecasts. Ideally, I'd be able to define a boat similar to my own (actually, ideally it would already have my boat simulated; but I think that is asking a bit much) and a start and end point.
posey yacht designs (http://www.poseysail.com/) has simulators for several different occasions... they are expensive ($58), but I just noticed today, that they have free demo's available, and they have OSX versions (yay!!).. I'm gonna try one and see how it is.
Quote from: dnice on November 18, 2008, 12:39:46 AM
Quote from: s/v godot on November 14, 2008, 10:26:42 PM
This gives me a thought ...
Are there any suggestions for an ocean sailing simulator where I could simulate the Scoot? It would be interesting to play with strategy based on various forecasts. Ideally, I'd be able to define a boat similar to my own (actually, ideally it would already have my boat simulated; but I think that is asking a bit much) and a start and end point.
posey yacht designs (http://www.poseysail.com/) has simulators for several different occasions... they are expensive ($58), but I just noticed today, that they have free demo's available, and they have OSX versions (yay!!).. I'm gonna try one and see how it is.
Well its not worth the money thats for sure :/ It is however very good software, its a very accurate simulator and has too many options and actions to list. It really has everything, from adjusting the tension on the rig, to positioning the crew for balance and speed. But the interface is just simply too generic. It is not fun at all. I would much prefer something either in the realm of 'video game' or something as simple as this vendee race software.
Actually, after using this, I think I would definately prefer something similar to the vendee.... With a chart based view, and substantially tactical oriented...obviously alot more control and information than what we are seeing on this race...but similar.
As far as Posey's software goes; the demo only lasts about a minute for each scenario, the graphics and the entire interface in general, are so completely generic it makes the whole thing frustrating and boring.
On the other hand, it is very complete, very accurate, and well programmed (considering its TINY footprint and multi-platform design)... I can see it as a good learning tool, but then... why would anybody need to learn sailing in such detail on a computer?
It is definately not good for route simulation or tactical 'fun'.
Anyway, back to teh Vendee!!!
Dove and Moon are doing exactly what I want to do, cross the dotted yellow line then head 180. I am losing thousands of rankplaces while cutting to the west. Oh well, I hope to make it up with one loooooooong tack down the coast of Africa.
I would be interested in doing a virtual Scoot. It should be a little more realistic, like getting buckets of water thrown at you and having to wake up every 15 minutes to look around.
I thought for awhile that I had a great angle down the coast of Africa, but then looked closer at the forecast. Once again, light winds are in the way. So I guess I'm going to tack further offshore again and thread through the Cape Verde islands and hope to avoid most of the light winds. I wonder, though, if the extra distance is gonna kill me. A funny thing, when I do something like this my position in the standings rapidly drops (and my nerve); but I do seem to make it back later. This might be too much, though. Ah, well. Nothing for it but to give it a try.
I agree it is time to move west for a better angle on the winds and also to avoid the wind hole developing under the bulge of Africa.
I lost 20,000 places in my recent tack to the west, from about 49k to over 70k. I am winning back little by little. I don't put much stock in the placing though. Someone close to Africa but at the same latitude may have a better placing but I know I am much better off here to the west.
My theory is that the red line track is the general path to follow, and given current wind conditions, I want to be a few degrees to the west of the track. At our latitude, I think it would be ideal to be at 23W. I wouldn't go too much further, note that you have to pass through the gate south of Africa at 1E to 11E, so the further west you go, the more you have to make up.
The South Atlantic winds look like they are dead on the nose, we will get some tacking practice there. It would be nice to be set up to do a long tack down to the gate but its risky, what if the wind shifts and suddenly the easterly fleet gets an advantage.
See this pdf while it lasts:
http://cruisenews.net/whacked/SailPerformance.pdf
I think its a good idea, thats what I'm doing now. The problem with heading down the coast will come after we cross the equator and all the wind is from the south/south east :)
I would rather head west now while the gettin's good, then head south and tack east as much as possible when the wind is right.
I thought 'Hurricane' was out of his mind when he took off west and lost about 10,000 positions. But now I think he's making a smart move. The other race leaders are floundering around in that low wind area near the coast, and still have the entire uphill climb into the southern ocean to deal with.
The other thing to think about... I noticed a set of buoys south west of Good Hope (and I think 2 more sets of them in the Southern Ocean), I am wondering if we have to pass through those to stay in the race. The rhumb line detours into the second set of buoys suggesting that we have to touch it.
So if we do have to go through them, you won't want to be hugging the coast until the last minute anyway.
(edit) skylark answered my question while I was typing :)
I don't know for sure!
Well this should get interesting ;)
I am figuring that currents are going to come into play. Get on the west side of the Cape Verdes and the North Equatorial Current will be pulling you westward. Staying fairly tight to the continent should keep you in the Guinea and Equatorial Counter currents until one hits the South Equatorial Current which will once again be pulling west.
My plan is to stay tight to the east until at least 5 degrees N. and then see what it feels like, that appears to be what the 4 or 5 leaders at present did.
Perhaps we can hear from Bill who is down there now.
I am finding this to be very enlightening, I care little about what place I am in but really want to sail it like I would if I was cruising around the world. 8)
I have heard that people get addicted to those virtual games... Do not forget to eat, and sleep, the real skippers out there doing it right now take some time for those things...Are you playing in front of your computer with foulweather gear on ? that would be more realistic too, beside having your wife or kid throwing some glasses of very cold and slightly salted water on your face once in a while. OK... I am just envious, would love to play too, but get too frustrated in front of a computer :D
Well the no wind zone suddenly disappeared from the 36 hr forecast. Plenty of wind but on the nose. Looks like a tacking exercise south to the cape.
I wouldn't put too much stock in the 36 hour forecast, they update the wind charts from NOAA every 12 hours. alot could change in a 24 hour time period.
Of course, it could change more to your advantage...so who knows.
Quote from: dnice on November 20, 2008, 11:30:16 AM
I wouldn't put too much stock in the 36 hour forecast, they update the wind charts from NOAA every 12 hours. alot could change in a 24 hour time period.
Of course, it could change more to your advantage...so who knows.
That may be true, but I don't know what else we have to work with in navigating :) though knowledge of the currents may come into play.
I am not sure that I want to just go for the fastest wind at the time, because as you say it WILL change.
Quote from: Tim on November 19, 2008, 11:44:04 PM
Perhaps we can hear from Bill who is down there now.
Just hoping that big wind hole closes sooner rather than later. I chose to sail on the edge of it hoping that a breeze will fill in, and it looks like that's happening. It should save me a few miles on the leaders in the end. Just hope it doesn't wait too long as I've been dropping places since lunchtime...
Judging by the number of course changes some boats are making, there's alot of folks who aren't getting too much done at work these days... ;)
Quote
Judging by the number of course changes some boats are making, there's alot of folks who aren't getting too much done at work these days... ;)
Work is used for my creating my "to do" list on the boat, research, sailfar, and Virtual Regatta! Besides, I work for an Investment Bank, and everyone knows how THAT's going. ;D
OMG! I have to get home and trim my sails!!! :D
Have you guys read the latest news thread? (http://www.virtualregatta.com/news.php?id_news=102) Is he actually saying that we could have gone west toward cape horn?
I sure wish they would get around to posting the rules before the race is over :-\
I don't believe the "west route" is west around the planet, I think it means those who head west, further offshore rather than stay east near the coast. I think. Although it sure looks like Hurricane is going the wrong way around.
It does sound like we have to go through the gates, though.
That's the way i read it Adam. :) There is a group that when leaving France headed out to the west side of the Atlantic to gain the the favorable winds and currents over there. But they will have to come back eastward.
I think that because of our start near Spain, our only logical choice was to stay over here in the east and it does not look that bad right now (of course right now is a long ways away from the bottom of Africa ;)
Anyway I am happy that it appears the wind will pick back up and I will be able to stay the course.
I think you're right, I just read a generalized version of the actual Vendee rules...and they definately have to go around antarctica clockwise.
I would like to see where this guy 'Aldabra' is, but unfortunately it wont let me search for players today.. I can't tell if Hurricane is nuts or what :) There are a few other boats over there near Hurricane on my chart, So I am assuming that is the west route pack.
It made sense to me at the beginning, to head west a little offshore then south.. but they are just a few hundred miles off brazil!! It seems like a lot of miles to have to make up for, the time it takes to go west, then the time to make it up in the southern ocean.. but I guess they know what they are doing. The real vendee racers are pretty far out there aswell.
I guess I'll stick to sailing with whatever wind I have and hoping for the best...
(edit) Sorry I guess I missed this whole paragraph :)
"So, Will this descent along the Brazilian end up being catastrophic for my fellow partners from the West?
Are we going to find a low that carry us back to the East at full pace?
Remember the Gate is located very close to the Eastern Group's route? Anyhow, we better find something good down there as we will have to cover many more miles than the boat close to South Africa."
Go here:
http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/news/
Click on The Race and Race Tracker.
The western group is not too far off of the real racer track.
Have hit the SE winds, started a 211 tack toward Brazil. What do you think, wise move, or...?
Looking at the wind charts, there are SE winds all over the South Atlantic until well below the Cape of Good Hope. This will probably change but I have no idea what to expect or where to go to position for a dash to the gate.
What I'm doing now is to maximize hull speed and make as much progress south as possible.
Well I am still able to keep it under 180° but I am racing the disappearing wind.
I'm doing the exact same thing. I'm not sure I would have if I didn't see where the real racers are hanging. Going fast is good. Going west just feels wrong.
I tried to download the pilot charts for the south Atlantic; but apparently they aren't digitized yet. Bummer. I figure I'm still a couple of weeks away from the first ice gate (Heck, I'm still looking forward to the equator), so looking at current weather is pointless. I wouldn't mind checking on the December trends, though.
Yarrrr! I'm in the race! CapnK
Tomorrow, when I haven't had 3 glasses of red wine, I'll try and figure this thing out. ;D ;D ;D (Yes, I am doing it Frank-style, so far!)
In the meanwhile, you guys better get it figured out - I just read "The Race", so I am up on the RTW tactics! ;D
(PS - A la Chichester, my maxi-racing-cat is beer ballasted - so the farther we get, the faster it will go!)
Beware!!!
;D
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 ::)
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
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
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.
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
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.
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
Maybe if a few others join soon we'll have a pack.
Hint, hint. ;D
Quote from: maxiSwede on November 23, 2008, 05:48:52 PM
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?
Quote from: CapnK on November 23, 2008, 06:55:01 PM
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
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....
(https://wrc.navair-rdte.navy.mil/warfighter_enc/oceans/Atlantic/images/atlmap.gif)
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 :)
[/quote]
Capn K, looks like you and Magnus are having a cocktail hour (or two or three) over there! ;D
[/quote]
??? 8) ::) :P
Sorry, Kurt, but the cocktail hour seems to be over.... I am 14 miles ahead right now, and you are at sleep 8) ;)
Quote from: maxiSwede on November 24, 2008, 03:55:23 AM
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
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 ;)
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.
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
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
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.
*raises jolly roger*
How do you calculate what the best angle is when you can't go in the direction you want?
Hmm, it is just a liitle more interesting than watching the grass growing now, isn't it?
As soon as you're away from the screen a while the boat speed is down to 2-4 knots.... I guess they simply want you to buy the 'extras' A-P's etc.
Worst of all, I am slipping behind CapnK, and that´s obviously more than I can take... ;D ;) ;D
Quote from: maxiSwede on November 25, 2008, 08:17:16 AM
Worst of all, I am slipping behind CapnK, and that´s obviously more than I can take... ;D ;) ;D
Actually, your shadowing him, for when he gets de-masted because of his cowboy tactics! That way, not only do you rescue him, but you also have a galley mate so you can arrive in style! ;D ;D
Magnus you guys are still up in area that requires sail changes pretty regularly as the wind shifts around, once you get below the Equator the wind holds a little more consistent. For the the last 24 or more hours I have been able to lay back relax and even get some sleep :)
Skylark it is really just about how much longitude you are willing to give up for speed. Ultimately it is going to be a tacking exercise eastward.
Quote from: skylark on November 24, 2008, 11:04:53 PM
How do you calculate what the best angle is when you can't go in the direction you want?
Paul - When you make a course change, prior to "committing" it, the software shows you 12 and 24 hr projections of your course and distance traveled on same. I'm using that and the wind forecasts to try and divine which way to point the boat.
Magnus - "slipping behind"??? I think you are confusing that with "
getting trounced by superior piloting and seamanship". ;D Giddyup! YEEHAH! lol
I have noticed that although the Official Forecast only changes every 12 hours, there are small variations in the wind direction and/or strength between forecasts. They don't show up in the 'arrows', you can find them by playing with the sail and course parameters, though. That's why my course changes so often, just a little. I look to see if I can pick up an extra 10th or two of a knot every so often, and often can, after having been on a straight line for an hour or two.
If the forecast wind doesn't change much, looks like I will become a shellback in a little over 24 hours. :)
Quote from: CapnK on November 25, 2008, 09:21:09 AM
That's why my course changes so often, just a little. I look to see if I can pick up an extra 10th or two of a knot every so often, and often can, after having been on a straight line for an hour or two.
RIGHT!!!!!!!
(I think most of us know what the "weaving" is all about ;)
Donno CapnK, if this crappy wind im having and its forcasted direction keeps moving out, your going to have a hard beat to get between those markers. Im making some agressive moves today to try and catch a favorable beam reach all the way through the markers.
[quote author=nowell link=topic=2017.msg20777#msg20777 date=122761993
Actually, your shadowing him, for when he gets de-masted because of his cowboy tactics! That way, not only do you rescue him, but you also have a galley mate so you can arrive in style! ;D ;D
[/quote]
Now that's a nice way to see it. Some decent cooking will definetely be sought after to withstand the challenge of the southern ocean. Also, I really like the idea of going around in 'Chichester style' i e with the mecessary equipment onboard for a couple of draught bears a day. Chichester also had a substantial supply of Gin onboard. Those were the days, when Gentlemen could perform in 'Gentlemen's sports' :)
Later it became known that he already suffered from cancer when he took off... grog to him!
Quote from: CapnK on November 25, 2008, 09:21:09 AM
Magnus - "slipping behind"??? I think you are confusing that with "getting trounced by superior piloting and seamanship". ;D Giddyup! YEEHAH! lol
Hah! See U in the roaring 40's AAArrrgh! ;D
Here's a tip for squeezing out that extra 10th of a knot or so of boat speed.
right click and zoom in on the compass, its much easier to make those 1 degree adjustments, especially if you're on a laptop or using a trackpad or something (pretty useful on those downwind legs).
Jut in case nobody noticed.. they updated the software today, and they put up a news bulletin about the ice gates. apparently as long you keep one point of the gate to starboard it counts. I assume that means you can pass completely to the north of the gates as well.
Dear Magnus -
NO! Cape HOPE is on the OTHER side of the Atlantic. The one you are aimed at is Cape HORN. Turn to Port.
Signed:
Your Friend -
CapnK (the guy in that boat way up over there, towards the South and East)*
--------------------------
*All of the above written in the full knowledge that I might yet eat those words, but still, so much fun is had in the meanwhile... ;D
Hey - is that an Albin Vega I see over there? 8)
;D ;D
Dearest Kurt, I might eat wake for a looong time to follow.
But, I am actually following a guy who has SOME previous experience in this - and as a tactician too.
http://fr.sports.yahoo.com/voile/vendee-globe-challenge/blog/
If you want to see where he is right now (seemingly towards Cape Horn) try to find 'destremau'
Incidentally, I am pointing right at him now, while still at my morning cup of coffee.
---------------------------
My onboard Bar facilities won't open until noon of course ;D
I noticed that guy when I first started, way out west, far far away from everyone else, and wondered what the heck he was doing over there... :) Interesting gamble! I guess the success of it will be completely contingent on catching a good low pressure or frontal system. Time to start looking at southern hemisphere weather forecasts, eh? :)
He should definetely be one of those who DO have a clue.
OTOH, he says on his blog that the present weather pattern is VERY unusual, with a BIG high and no lows in sight. Needless to say, if the expected low won't appear it will be 'a long way home'. He says that they 'always' take that route though.
I'll have a shot at it- dec10-dec 16 I won't have access to internet anyway, so I will not be able to do the whole race... :-\
see you in VOR ? ;)
I signed up but it might be tough to really stay on top of things from the boat. I think I passed someone so I'm not in last, or at least I wasn't the last time I looked. Guess I'd better pay it a visit. :) Boat name is Pyrat.
So, its a bit late in the game for this... but here are the general rules and prize information.
(translated by babelfish)
I'll sum it up :)
The course is dictated by the actual race...cheating is not allowed...first 25 players over the line gets a prize. (prizes listed at bottom)
Quote
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APPENDIX 1 - EQUIPMENTS
For 1st:
10.000 € (offered by Many Players)
1st with 5th:
1 Quirao purchase order of a value of 250 €
1 licence boat (value: 400€)
1 DVD the abyssals zone (value: 16.99€)
6th with 10th:
1 Quirao purchase order of a value of 250 €
1 DVD the Abyssals zone (value: 16.99€)
11th with 17th:
1 DVD the Abyssals zone (value: 16.99€)
1 book of island in island (value: 39,90€)
18th with 20th:
1 DVD the Abyssals zone (value: 16.99€)
1 universal calendar (value: 29,00€)
21st with 24th:
1 universal calendar (value: 29,00€)
1 book most beautiful cargo liners of the world
The 25th one with 27th:
1 book most beautiful cargo liners of the world 29,00€
It looks like a weather change is on its way, the westerlies which are currently down around 38S are predicted to rise up to 34S in the 36 hour forecast. If you can get there in time, you can start running with the wind (I am looking at about 20W). This would be a huge break if the forecasts are right.
I saw the same thing and am making a run for it. If the forecast holds it should be a big boost to boats that can get through the variables in time!
I'm hot on your tail Bill ;)
I'm running up the latitude ladder as well, hoping to sneak between the low wind areas and catch a boost from the west eventually. Magnus is closing the gap, especially after I accidentally left my small spinnaker up too long overnight!
And now Zen is in the race - look for "Zenkaze". :)
ugh!
I've been stuck in these fluky winds for 2 days now...I've made about 50 miles in 36 hours >:(
I should have kept heading south like I planned (to 40'S) but when everyone else turned east I couldn't handle the frustration of watching them sail away and loosing a few thousand positions a day.. I'm paying for it now though! :D
oh well, its looking up for this afternoons forecast.
Tactical math
Math experts, is this correct?
Lets say I have a desired direction I want to travel. However, wind direction means that I can go faster in other directions. If I want to compare the forward progress of various headings, is this calculation correct?
Angle = proposed heading - desired direction
Distance along desired heading = Cosine of Angle times boat speed
Repeat calculation with a number of different proposed heading/boat speed combinations to find the best heading.
Is this a good way to determine which angle to sail at?
I am no math guy Paul, but I think you need to factor in what the wind direction and speed is going to be like when you get to wherever ;)
Getting in the wrong place seems to be the biggest hamper to speed, I know because I am there ;D
Well CapnK and Magnus you'all have done a pretty good job of catchin' up. Of course we have been languishing down here waiting for you! ;) Maybe you will bring a little of that breeze with you!
That Magnus guy, he just keeps following me. I lost him for a while, but then he snuck back up on a long period of favorable (for him) winds, and now I can't shake the bugger... ::)
;D ;D ;D
Joe Pyrat is only abot 1/2 day behind me and Magnus, and Zen is maybe a day and a half, but - wow - he is booking along at 21+ kts at the moment...! Looks like we might be able to 'meet up' with nowell and dnice down around Gate 1, perhaps...
Quote from: CapnK on December 04, 2008, 10:13:55 AM
Looks like we might be able to 'meet up' with nowell and dnice down around Gate 1, perhaps...
I caught some bad wind and I see you trucking along at around 20 knots. I don't think it will be long before im chasing your rudder also!
I don't know if I'll ever make it to the gate!
Every time I get some forward momentum going, the 'no wind zone' moves just in front of me. The wind south of me isn't very appealing atm and heading into it could cost me alot more than making east at a slow pace. So I'll just keep chugging along and hope for the best.... According the forecast, I should be in the clear by tonight...but then again, I thought the same thing 3 days ago :-[
This is an interesting sim, but limited in some respects. I emailed them to find out if the currents were accurately represented and they said they were not included in the sim only the wind, which scrapped my original sailing plan. The wind sim does seem to be challenging though.
"A pirate attack is really a test of seamanship..."
Blackbeard, Terror at Sea by National Geographic
On this latest reload, I find that it turns out that I am sailing alongside one of my heroes from when I was a kid... ;D
Of course, he apparently has an Open 60 now, and not a tri. ;)
Quote from: CapnK on December 04, 2008, 10:13:55 AM
That Magnus guy, he just keeps following me. I lost him for a while, but then he snuck back up on a long period of favorable (for him) winds, and now I can't shake the bugger... ::)
;D ;D ;D
Who, me? following you?!? As far as I am concerned your vessel is just some flaoting debris that incidentally is between me and that goal... erh, gate ;D ;) ;D
It looks like the leaders are sailing into a low wind zone when the wind map changes about an hour from now. ??? Maybe I am reading coordinated universal time wrong but it looks like they may have miscalculated badly.
I am planning on sticking to 40S latitude for a while, to avoid the big low wind zone.
Quote from: CapnK on December 04, 2008, 12:23:12 PM
On this latest reload, I find that it turns out that I am sailing alongside one of my heroes from when I was a kid... ;D
Of course, he apparently has an Open 60 now, and not a tri. ;)
Not Tabarly? He was truly an amazing sailor.
BTW, would you like a bear when I come alongside you? ::) :P :-X
Quote from: CapnK on December 04, 2008, 12:23:12 PM
On this latest reload, I find that it turns out that I am sailing alongside one of my heroes from when I was a kid... ;D
Is that the Lone Ranger or Tonto?
Aww, c'mon guys - "Moxie"?!? I know that CJ knows that boat name and who her skipper was, and maybe a few others... :D
I'll be bumping against 40S in a few hours, Paul, and it does look like a good slot for a while. You called it right - the top 5 are all running slower now, between 10-15kts, and you can see the grouping has spread, I would assume as they take different 'strategeries' to find better speeds...
"Destremau" is staying up near 40S for now, too. He lost a lot of places going so far west, but made most of them up. It is up to Bill : get him and beat him! You can do it!!! Show these race guys what a sailFarer can do! ;D I'm doing my best to get up there and give you a hand, but I think it just might still be a little while yet... ;)
Looks like dnice, Joe Pyrat, and Nowell could wind up near each other at the gate. Bend on the canvas and catch 'em, Zen, so that it's a real furball then! ;D
Fair winds and planing speeds, everyone!
OK Capn if I stop holding back now? ::) Actually I think this shows how much more of a cruiser than a racer I am. I seem to have navigated a smooth, direct, SLOW course >:(
But now that the REAL race is on, I'm tuggin' on the sheets.
Finally found the wind again, I only lost 65,000 places ;D
No problem!
There was about 5 French guys who thought I was one of their pack and friended me, little do they know! I'll be leaving them behind to retake my position back in the sailfar pack :)
I don't know, they could have been pirates trying to steal my icemaker and my satellite array!!! ARGGG!
Quote from: dnice on December 05, 2008, 11:04:14 AM
Finally found the wind again, I only lost 65,000 places ;D
I feel your pain, a couple of days ago I thought I was about to break under 10,000 :D
Now I am back to 40,000 ???
CapnK, how about a sticky at the top of this thread listing all the SailFar boats by name?
I keep forgetting who is who. I added my boat name to my sig. I'll leave it there until the end of the race.
I'm mostly watching Skylark/Cruisenews right now. We where even. Then I was ahead as he took off further south. Funny how things change. It's gonna be awhile, I think, before I'll have an opportunity to make any serious gains on him. Oh, well. And now Morning Dove is gaining again. I was around 22000 and gaining quick. Now I'm down to 35000 and losing fast.
Done - first post in thread has a name list now. :)
I have been very lucky with the wind, not due to any strategy. In fact I have changed my strategy many times. I am also spending too much time on this game. It has been snowing for a week and is predicted to continue so its not like I can go out and do much. They are not plowing and salting the roads here due to budget cuts!
Right now I want to get down to 46S because I think the winds will be better there for the long haul across the bottom of the Indian Ocean. However it will be tough because the wind angle is not good for making south. So maybe every time a good angle shows up in a wind square I will take what I can get. Other than that I will try to follow high winds, I check the 36 hour forecast very often and plan a path to where the wind is supposed to be.
scratch 46S, the forecast shows a low wind zone covering that area! Run like heck along 44S to escape the low wind zone!
Good idea Adam on the name, I'll add it in just a minute.
It is kind of frustrating how things vary. Graphically it looks like I'm even or even ahead of Lifesaver, but the stats have me about 44 behind. I think they rank it based on their track and not on direction overall.
Its based on remaining miles and I think where you start affects remaining miles. Us late starters may have to do a penalty lap.
I'm doing my best to catch Destremau, been pretty close with him for a few days now. He has all the auto-extras though, so its tough keeping up when you actually want to have a life, or sleep, or stuff like that. Only thing he doesn't have is auto-tactics, so I just gotta wait for him to make a mistake and then go for it.
It's annoying being near his boat with the gold star on it - when I accidentally mouse over it his personal blog keeps opening up. I'm ready to run out the cannons! >:(
And BTW, doesn't everybody know about Phil Weld and Moxie??? If you don't, Phil's book is a story worth reading!
All I can say, is there sure are a lot of boats out here! :o
There are four of us grouped right together, and yet there is a 12,000 boat difference in standing ;D
Get him, Bill!!! ;D
I have seen you ahead of him in the rankings today. :)
Skylark - you are sleepy; very very sleepy. Sooooo sleepy!!! Take a nap for a bit, it won't hurt. You need a good 12 hours of deep sleeeeep... ;D
Speaking of which, it looks like Magnus was asleep, last wind update - he's headed E @ 5kts for a while now... HEY MAGNUS, WAKE UP!!! Tim and Adam are leaving you behind! :)
i know. i'm stuck in a low wind area for a while, couldn't dodge it.
The wind is fluky... Does anyone have an good online source for weather/wind predictions at these latitudes? Wish they had a VMG and DMG readouts, it'd be more helpful than just straight boat speed.
There does not appear to be any area where you can go to and be assured of westerlies. I was thinking of going way south to find the best wind but they are fluky from Antarctica to Africa. I think the strategy is just going to be head east and try to hit top speed at whatever direction the wind will let you go. Then watch the forecasts and try to stay out of the way of calms.
As CaptK said earlier, there are slight variations in local wind and I'm tempted to buy the premium package so I can keep my angle to the wind constant. :(
CapnK, did you change your profile name to add sailfar.net? if so how?
I'm about ready to turn the corner and head for Antarctica for a while. The next gate is at 53S so I'm probably going to head south for a while.
I just added it into my Profile, after my name in that same field. Easy-peasy! :) I noticed another boat which had it done that way last night, and tried it...
Man, I can't wait to get around this next gate. :P I think this is the one that was moved W and N due to 'berg sightings. It being so close to due E is a pain... Especially since I've got these boats following me (stalking me, really...ahem ::)), and I can't shake the buggers without some searoom to do my magic. ;D This time tomorrow though I think I'll be headed for the high lat's. 8)
Looks like Bill is in position to do a number on Destremau, who's temporarily in light(er) winds. Get 'im, Bill! :)
the 'nickname' field has disappeared from my profile page. I know it was there before as I was concidering changing my boat name a while back (devnull was just my go-to name for when I am feeling uncreative), but its not there now....
Maybe it will come back tomorrow :D
Quote from: CapnK on December 08, 2008, 09:01:36 PM
Man, I can't wait to get around this next gate. :P I think this is the one that was moved W and N due to 'berg sightings. It being so close to due E is a pain... Especially since I've got these boats following me (stalking me, really...ahem ::)), and I can't shake the buggers without some searoom to do my magic. ;D This time tomorrow though I think I'll be headed for the high lat's. 8)
Tell me about it, I turned the corner, C Youse Later
If I was Destremouse, I think I would have at least combed my hair before they took my picture, its pretty embarassing.
Quote from: CapnK on December 08, 2008, 09:01:36 PM
Looks like Bill is in position to do a number on Destremau, who's temporarily in light(er) winds. Get 'im, Bill! :)
Well I've finally pulled ahead of Destremau, and now I look ahead of me and see the wind shifting nearly 90 degrees over the next four wind arrows but a bit at a time... bummer, I KNOW I'm going to wake up going 5 kts and will have to catch the bugger all over again! >:(
I refuse to send him 10 euros each for the auto-gizmos though... we'll do this the old fashioned way!
Quote from: Bill NH on December 09, 2008, 09:05:15 PM
Well I've finally pulled ahead of Destremau, and now I look ahead of me and see the wind shifting nearly 90 degrees over the next four wind arrows but a bit at a time... bummer, I KNOW I'm going to wake up going 5 kts and will have to catch the bugger all over again! >:(
I refuse to send him 10 euros each for the auto-gizmos though... we'll do this the old fashioned way!
Good for you Bill, besides whose got euros sitting in there pockets anyway ;)
Wind forecast looking excellent here at 50S
Loick Peyron lost the rig on his Open 60 Gitana Eighty today... check out his audio report at http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/media/audios/4854/special-audio-broadcast-loick-peyron-gitana-eighty.html
He's jury-rigging his boom as a mast (only 1.5m stub of mast left) and weighing options where he might be able to sail to. If he can't point high enough he might have to sail all the way to Australia this way.
... and the Southern Ocean seems so easy in our game, just find the big arrows...
Quote from: Bill NH on December 10, 2008, 08:22:50 PM
... and the Southern Ocean seems so easy in our game, just find the big arrows...
Yep, haven't felt the least bit seasick yet ;D
This big low about to run over the grouped sailFarers has lots of big arrows. :) I wonder if we will see some 50+ kt winds during this thing? Since we won't have to heave-to or do 'normal' boat things in these virtual craft, I wonder if we'll be able to fly spinnakers and such...
...maybe break the 50kt barrier in a virtual Open 60. ;D
Quote from: CapnK on December 13, 2008, 09:37:23 AM
...maybe break the 50kt barrier in a virtual Open 60. ;D
I'm counting on it ;) Better get your tail in gear! ;D
...And you should, too! You are a "Tim sammich" ;) since I am driving 'Rodeorm' for the next few days (until Magnus returns), so you need to be looking both forwards *and* back... ;D
::) GULP ::)
From "Race HQ":
QuoteSpecial operation on December 16!!
14 Dec - Starts this Sunday @ 23h
Do not count on me to tell you anything more about it but we would like this special operation to be global and it concerns all of the Vendee Globe afficionados.
'Rendez-vous' at the weather updates on Sunday 14 (evening) to know the whole story.
I promise that it will be great story and we'd like all of the 250 000 players to be part of it ... so pass the word around you.
In case you do not know where to find me ... you can follow the star of my boat.
Sebastien Destremau
I think that his server just melted down. ;D
LOL I keep getting "server time outs" can't get my sails changed I guess the "special notice" was a trick by Destremau
Quote from: Tim on December 14, 2008, 05:08:59 PM
LOL I keep getting "server time outs" can't get my sails changed I guess the "special notice" was a trick by Destremau
He needed to do this to be able to get past Bill. ;D
What weather update is he talking about anyway?, the only one I have is for the Vendee Globe race
http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/weather/
My impression is that he meant at this 5PM EST (23:00 UT) regular wind update.
Well then I think he is a French terrorist! ::)
On the one hand, I am more than ready to go wash off the fiberglass and plywood dust, so I wish he would get it back up.
On the other, if things are continuing as they were prior to 5, then the longer this takes, the better angle I'll get bearing off past Kerguelen Island successfully if that is what the wind calls for doing. :)
Edit: It's back up. Yippee! ;)
Back on
Time to head north boys, the next gate is at 47S and there is a nasty low wind zone showing up on the 36 hour forecast, good luck getting to the other side before it appears.
All things considered I am pretty impressed with how well they have kept this freebee up and running.
Quote from: skylark on December 14, 2008, 06:27:27 PM
Time to head north boys, the next gate is at 47S and there is a nasty low wind zone showing up on the 36 hour forecast, good luck getting to the other side before it appears.
I can tell I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for the next day. :D
Have any of y'all seen what this big huge gigantic announcement is yet? I've checked the news page, put my mouse over Sebatians boat to check his pop-up, haven't seen anything anywhere...
Sebastien's blog via google translation:
Quote
The story about a great man ...His nickname is 'Bilou'
This is a story about a man, a great skipper, who needs our help to overcome his fear about December 16. But what is this circus I hear you asking? Read this extraordinary story and judge for yourself whether this guy needs a boost from us all or not!
Crewing with some of the greatest skippers during his "classes", and then turning a talented skipper in his own right, Roland had his share of luck in his career. The jovial and friendly "Bigouden did not fail the "tradition of being lucky" during his extraordinary career as a sailor.
However, there is a day where Bilou's luck runs out. He knows it, he is stressed about it and this day is fast approaching ... December 16 it is!
Vendee Globe 2000/2001: Aboard "Sill, Roland made a remarkable comeback and is fighting for the lead with Michel Desjoyeaux. He has a better boat, he enjoyed sailing across the Indian Ocean, Bilou is perfectly comfortable.
On 16 December, he is sailing with a reef in the mainsail when the track on the mast pulls out. Bilou can not repair it due to the swell ... He keeps this drama for himself and carries on racing unable to hoist the mainsail completely.
Vendee Globe 2004/2005: In mid December, Roland Jourdain is about 120 miles from the lead after having pushed his boat real hard throughout the Indian Ocean. 'Bilou' is a contender for the overall victory. On December 16, he hears concerning some cracks and slows his boat down to closely examine his keel ... to discover that it is broken! The boat is not in immediate danger, but he heavy hearted skipper heads for Hobart in Tasmania.
Barcelona World Race 2007: Racing around the world double handed with Jean-Luc Nélias, 'Veolia' is comfortably sailing in 20 knots of wind under full sails. The 16/17 December when everything is fine on board, "Véolia" suddenly loses her mast!
It is again the end of the race for a skipper beginning to wonder what is wrong with December 16!
As you can see, "Bilou" needs a hand and we must do something to help him! Post a message to "Bilou" here on December 15 and we'll pass it on board 'Veolia' to show him our support.
Let's hope that with our help, he will sail this fearful day without any incident and carries on racing ... with a smile!
All together with you on the 16 Bilou!
Aha! Adam the detective solves the mystery. :D Grog!
Quote from: CapnK on December 14, 2008, 09:30:08 PM
Aha! Adam the detective solves the mystery. :D Grog!
A Grog from me too! Thanks
Troublesome times. I log on every few hours and find out I'm going REEEEAL slow, so I change sails/course and go back to life, just to come back a few hours later and find I'm going real slow again. Loosing ground, quick. Hard to believe I was somewhere around 22,000 place at one point.
I hear you Adam I thought I one point a week or so ago I was going to break 10,000 :( Now I am just trying to keep under 50,000 :o
Unfortunately it looks as though it is going to get worse before it gets better.
I'm going to gamble and try to make it across the future low wind zone. I need to cross 7 degrees longitude between now and 5am, if I fail, I will wake up to 4kt winds. If I succeed, 15kts and lots more wind in the direction I am going.
*rolls dice*
Winds are pretty good out here today ;D
still working to avoid the future lows though...looking better for next day or so.
I can not believe I waited so long to join this. sure makes the ice outside a little easier to deal with.
Dead in water ... again (third time in 24 hours). It's so easy to lose position, and so hard to gain it back.
Quote from: ronc98 on December 17, 2008, 11:02:55 AM
I can not believe I waited so long to join this. sure makes the ice outside a little easier to deal with.
whats your boats name?
I just got into this race as well. I am sailing the Pilgrim_Shadow
sv hope
I guess the real advantage to paying for the "extras" would be in times like now when the site is apparently down. ???
Hope I don't wake up in Sri Lanka ;D
Who would have thought how addicting this thing has become!!!! I have learned quickly you need to pay close attention to the wind forcast or you can find yourself dead in the water quickly!!!
You got magic CapnK!! ???
Here's a screen shot of how you with almost double the wind in your sails that is available to us mere mortals. ;D
(http://data.sailboatowners.com/photos/1229643124.jpg)
SHENANIGANS!
I don't get it, Magnus and CapnK show available wind of about 26-28 knots. My boat sitting between the show 20. For some reason I don't think my wind tables changed at last change. I also don't know if I am actually going the speed it says I am, which makes adjusting the sails VERY VERY difficult ;)
Quote from: Tim on December 18, 2008, 07:12:28 PM
I don't get it, Magnus and CapnK show available wind of about 26-28 knots. My boat sitting between the show 20. For some reason I don't think my wind tables changed at last change. I also don't know if I am actually going the speed it says I am, which makes adjusting the sails VERY VERY difficult ;)
I see what you're talking about, and I have the same wind tables you do... I think what is happening, is that what gets reported to us about other boats, isn't always what is really happening. Meaning on Capn'K's screen it probably shows something completely different (and more accurate).
I'm guessing this because I often mouse over my own boat, and it shows something different than what my personal screen shows...
But then again, that is a pretty huge wind difference, there aren't any 26knt winds anywhere around those boats on the chart.
as far as adjusting your sails goes, Just keep working with whatever your screen shows for your boat...
I think its just the mouse-over numbers that are incorrect.
This is a new version, as of yesterday I think... so maybe the huge difference is just a new bug in their reporting.... i dunno, we'll see.
There is something seriously wrong with this sim. If I'm ahead of the red boat I'm ahead of the blue one, but not according to the ranking.
(http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c245/pyrat/Sailing/VG.jpg)
I wonder how they define positions?
I started so late in the game and am so far behind, I am passing boats like crazy. I will never catch any of you guys unless I come up with some sort of magic.
Well it appears my readout is completely off, I checked my profile and is says I am moving only 3 knots no matter what I do! My wind speed doesn't match what I am seeing on the screen either, so I do not have a clue to what I am doing :-\ and losing 100 or more places with every refresh. I guess all I can do is point the boat in the direction I want to go and hope for the best. :o
The pass thing is confusing, unless there are submarines in this race.
MIne says I have no gone 0 miles, yet I've been traveling for over a week and keep passing and being passed. Like I'm doing to cape Hope right now.
It's pretty obvious I am caught in a time warp, ;)
I'm sailing in the last twelve hour wind period, while the rest of the fleet goes on.
What I am just wondering is if this will continue into the next change.
I have noticed differences from what the PC application says and their mobile application.
Is there a damage function to this, say if you get caught with alot of sail area in alot of wind? It would be find of cool if they had a demasting penalty.
My understanding is the only thing taken into account is wind and angle to the wind. Currents, damage, crew health, etc are not simulated.
Quote from: Joe Pyrat on December 19, 2008, 09:24:48 AM
My understanding is the only thing taken into account is wind and angle to the wind. Currents, damage, crew health, etc are not simulated.
They certainly don't consider crew health, the caffeine alone is killing me ;D
On a scale this size it would be pretty tough, but it would make things interesting if you had the possibility of getting mast / sail damage. If you to much sail in heavy wind you loss that sail.
This free so I am not complaining, It has sucked a considerable about of time from me already.
From what I understand, this race was practically a last minute decision. It was based on the virtual volvo ocean race, but it would be free and therefore less features.
The volvo game has sail damage, currents, crew issues and all that stuff that we would like to see, but it also cost money to join and buying the extra packages is a necessity.
At first they said we would deal with currents and sleep scheduling and things like that...but we know now it is 100% wind and nothing else..
Its my guess that they were planning on upgrading the game as they went along, but became overwhelmed with all the unexpected participants.
They were pretty surprised to reach 100,000 players, now its well over 200,000 and they are struggling just to keep the game running.
If you use too big a sail in too much wind, it appears to just not work. I found the light spinnaker to be useless in very heavy wind.
Quote from: Tim on December 19, 2008, 09:32:03 AM
Quote from: Joe Pyrat on December 19, 2008, 09:24:48 AM
My understanding is the only thing taken into account is wind and angle to the wind. Currents, damage, crew health, etc are not simulated.
They certainly don't consider crew health, the caffeine alone is killing me ;D
Right now, imagine the suffering of one of them (the real racer) having a broken leg. He won't get any help before Sunday morning if the Australian Navy can get to him in the rough weather. He is expecting 40 to 50 knts. ..
I haven't tried this one out but I'll probably will...
It's a non-commercial site where you can't 'buy extras' to keep you ahead of your fellow sailing man or woman and it's made up in opensource Linux environment... all very appealing to me, and I would expect, from my fellow SailFAr'ers aswell.
www.virtual-loup-de-mer.org
I'll definetely want to finsish this Vendee Glober first though.
It's sooo sweet to do it without getting cold, wet or sleep-deprivated - not to mention having to spend several days onboard - alone - with a broken leg. Oucccchhh! ::)
question about the gates. From what I have read I have to travel through the gates in the correct direction. Just traveling north of them does not validate them. Is this correct?
You have to leave any part of the gates on your starboard side. If your position is due north of any part of the gates, you have passed the gate properly. There is a page on the website which describes this in more detail, look for the scrolling text on the bottom of the page.
The gate buoys will turn green when you have "validated" the gate...
I've noticed that the data for other boats often does not update as fast as my own info. Usually what you are seeing for your boat is correct while other boat's data can be hours behind, and its not uniform. Last night I sailed past Destremau while his boat was DIW, but he was still displaying 500 places ahead of me. Then he finally updated in the night and he was back ahead again. ???
Good thing we're not match racing, where it would be really important to know what your opponents are doing!
As an aside, a tip I've found helpful to view the long term weather forecast (beyond 36 hrs) is to display the weather to the west of my boat. As everything moves W to E down here one can get a better picture of what's developing for the next couple days...
Seems like part of the strategy has become:
Decide on a good course for the post-wind-update changes about 1/2 hour *before* the wind update, and set your boat accordingly. It seems to take at least 30 minutes to get the actual update due to server congestion and response times. I got kinda screwed by that night before last...
Of course, with the loads they are getting, the congestion and slowness is to be understood. :) Itis a small miracle that the server doesn't just blow up twice daily, lol.
I've noticed that now I am bumping against ~20,000th place, the numbers take a lot longer to reach. Instead of gaining lots and lots, hundreds of positions at a time, I only gain 5-15. Must be lots of relatively hard-core sailors up in the 'front' 10% of the race. So it doesn't seem that there will be any big shake-ups in the order of the players from now until post-Horn, but I think that the trip up the Atlantic might prove to be a very interesting and fun time. :)
Only a little over 7,000 places to gain, and I can catch up to Skylark... ;D
I have a feeling my experience of being trapped in the previous wind chart, thereby losing quite a bit of sea was a result of trying to repeatedly load the new wind chart. I now do like you suggest either make my move before or wait past the half hour.
There's a guy from France I have been racing closely and steadily, "robinsailor". We started about the same time, at the gate before last he was literally just ahead of me (boats overlapping onscreen), and covered my every move with his own to hold me off. Then one night he had something to do, and let his wife steer for a few hours...
Oops!
She dove south for several hours when I went East, and I picked up a couple of squares before he could recover. :) I wound up being about 5 squares ahead of him with some favorable winds.
Now he's a little more than halfway between you and I, about 2.5 squares behind. That congestion got me the other night, before I started doing the "1/2 hour" strategy, and he picked up almost 3 squares to be where he is now. Sucks, I was starting to be able to relax just a little. ;)
Your best bet is to race against the wind and not the ranking or other players. I do check in on others to try to learn from them, like how fast they can go with a certain sail and what wind angle they are on.
The reality is you have to steer a path to the best winds and it is sometimes guesswork.
My theory on the rankings is that they are calculated based on the number of miles since a player started, so those who started early can have a higher ranking even if they are in the same position as a late starter. Also, I think the miles traveled is measured by the point on the track through which a line perpendicular to the track passes through your vessel ??? not sure if that is clear. They may subtract the distance between the track and your vessel as well.
If you need to make south to get good wind, and get discouraged because of the ranking loss, you might make a bad decision if you put too much stock in the ranking.
Your chance to make better progress than me is coming up because there is a low wind zone coming up right over the gate and I have no choice but to sail to it and through it. Bad luck for me. But I have had good wind for a few days so I shouldn't complain.
Quote from: skylark on December 20, 2008, 04:15:15 PM
If you need to make south to get good wind, and get discouraged because of the ranking loss, you might make a bad decision if you put too much stock in the ranking.
Yep, thats exactly what happened to me when everyone I was 'racing' turned east and I was still a few hundred miles from the forties...
I think the ranking is based on your distance from the finish, but it is somehow figured into the proposed route (rhumb line) as well...
I usually get home an hour after the pm update so that one doesn't matter much to me... Its the 4am update that is killing me! I wake up around 9am so I'm usually floundering around for 5 hours or so before I can adjust my sails.
Capn'k is right, the race north will be quite interesting :)
Well I'm about to give up on the race and maybe turn left when I get to NZ and look for a nice island ;)
Once again for some reason the winds did not change for my boat and I am working with about 10 knots less wind than I should be :(
So just as it looked like I was about to close in on CapnK once again he is going to distance me.
I figure he must have bribed some Frenchman with cheap West Indies Rum! ;D
15:30 PM It appears that they have now changed so I am back on the Capn's tail 8)
I have finally made it to some nice wind and looking at the weather pattern I should be fine for a few days. I have went from 230000 to just under 164000 in the last few days. There must be a ton of boats back here with me.
So what is the times the weather is updated? 9pm and 4am? are there others?
Quote from: ronc98 on December 23, 2008, 08:47:21 PM
I have finally made it to some nice wind and looking at the weather pattern I should be fine for a few days. I have went from 230000 to just under 164000 in the last few days. There must be a ton of boats back here with me.
So what is the times the weather is updated? 9pm and 4am? are there others?
"Starting tomorrow (Thursday) the windcharts will be updated.in the game at 11h00 (GMT+1) and again at 23h00 (GMT+1)."
I think that means 1000gmt and 2200gmt..
around here thats 4am and 4pm (-6GMT).
Hmm. Am I the only person who hasn't been able to adjust course since yesterday afternoon?
Quote from: Godot on December 24, 2008, 07:54:44 AM
Hmm. Am I the only person who hasn't been able to adjust course since yesterday afternoon?
Ouch! I had problems for the first hour or so yesterday but then it cleared up. Did you try clearing cookies and refreshing?
I rebooted the computer and I can get on again.
<sigh>
It's little things like this that makes it hard to compete.
That should give those on the other side of the pond more of an advantage in the morning. >:(
BTW, I can't get in, everything displays around the boarder but not the boat control information in the center. Anyone else having this issue?
yes, it is not just you
"Ja, I tink its kaput, der server ist spitzensparken" to paraphrase an old german radio operator I used to know... ::)
I think I'm about done...
The French version works!
its very slow, but its working.
Quote from: dnice on December 24, 2008, 01:48:21 PM
The French version works!
its very slow, but its working.
Grog for the heads up
English language system is up and running.
CapnK here's where I was heading ;)
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/South_Island_Tour_932.jpg/800px-South_Island_Tour_932.jpg)
Yeah, that's the place. Stop in for a bit - none of us will mind! ;D
Well Tim I guess you're not crazy afterall ;)
It happend to me today, chart didn't update, and I'm obviously sailing along in the old charts wind.
It could turn out to be a good thing though, since I was headed into a wind-hole, atleast now I still have a little breeze left :)
Quote from: dnice on December 29, 2008, 06:47:31 PM
Well Tim I guess you're not crazy afterall ;)
It happend to me today, chart didn't update, and I'm obviously sailing along in the old charts wind.
It could turn out to be a good thing though, since I was headed into a wind-hole, atleast now I still have a little breeze left :)
Yep the luck of the draw, good for you
Man, talk about luck of the draw - Tim has gained almost a hundred miles on me in the last 24 hrs. I seem to be good at staying just far enough ahead that he has the better wind... ::) Meanwhile, Paul stays just far enough ahead of me that he is in the *other* good winds...
Are you guys paying off Destremau or something??? :P :P :P
;D
PS - Yes, I AM making whine from my sour grapes... lol
Yep CapnK, I think the best thing you can do now is set a course of about 358 degree, head north to this little marina I know in Fiji ;)
(http://www.bigel.net/images/pictureimages/october_2001/coprashedatsavusavu.jpg)
We passed up this island not too long ago, I wouldn't have minded stopping to take a look:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campbell_Island,_New_Zealand
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=-52.5,+169&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=40.001301,77.695313&ie=UTF8&ll=-52.52583,169.074097&spn=0.240629,0.606995&t=h&z=11&iwloc=addr
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cd/Campbell3.jpg/800px-Campbell3.jpg)
Oh you most definitely should Paul, :D We will wait for you ::)
Hrmph.
I was too busy yesterday to log on ... 39-40,000 up to around 56,000. How long was I DIW? This game definitely has its' limitations for those who have lives to lead. Ah, well.
Quote from: Godot on December 31, 2008, 07:56:59 AM
Hrmph.
I was too busy yesterday to log on ... 39-40,000 up to around 56,000. How long was I DIW? This game definitely has its' limitations for those who have lives to lead. Ah, well.
Yup. Know what'ya mean! I've lost about a 1000 miles the last couple of weeks compared to the guys 'up front'- OTOH, They ARE cheating with auto pilots and wind angle sensitive auto pilots and all those crappy contemporary stuff >:(
I'm starting to get tired of checking in all the time. But I want to round the horn so I continue.
I came back yesterday to find I was almost stopped. Its tough when you have variable winds. Maybe away from land the wind will be better.
This game is surprisingly interesting, even though it is so simple.
My strategy now is to look forward to the most consistent wind both in direction and strength. Not always easy to do but if possible (as it does for the next 24hrs) then maintaining a vigil over the laptop becomes unnecessary.
I have been picking off people like crazy. I took a more northerly path and got lucky with the wind pattern. I went from 210k down to under 129k in about a week. I will never catch you guys up front so I will continue pick off the back markers.
Pretty fun predicting wind shifts.
Ronc98, did you past through the gate?
According to the notes you do not have to pass through the gate, just have to have all of your boat north of the gate at one point in time. So far I have passed through all the gates correctly because they turned green.
You can also check in "My Profile" to see cleared gates.
I've been making up positions by the thousands the last few days, but I'm going out of town for a week next week, so I'll have to see how that goes... I'll probably fall back to like 200,000 :)
I don't plan on quiting though, I want to make it no matter what position i'm in...Of course, I'm on the computer anyway, so checking in a few times a day is not so difficult. If I had to go out of my way for this, I don't think I would find it as interesting as I do now.
You need a boat sitter
Quote from: ronc98 on December 31, 2008, 03:48:09 PM
You need a boat sitter
Yeah, I thought about that. I may consider it depending on how things go.
But, I'll have access to computers while I;m there (visiting family), there just may be a day or two I wont be able to.. plus the 2 days of driving I will be doing (there and back)... Sitting DIW for an entire day can be devastating, as we all know...
They do have a mobile application for your phone. I have used it and it was rather simple it can help prevent DIW times
Quote from: Tim on December 31, 2008, 10:36:49 AM
My strategy now is to look forward to the most consistent wind both in direction and strength. Not always easy to do but if possible (as it does for the next 24hrs) then maintaining a vigil over the laptop becomes unnecessary.
I've actually been doing this as well, especially for the "night watch". End up in a row of similar arrows and WanderBird steers a straight course without needing an autopilot - must be really well balanced! ;) A fine craft!
It's funny hearing talk about gaining or losing 10k places - up near the front I consider it a good move if I can pick up 50 places! Alot of the boats up here have the autopilots and all, so I tend to lose places at night and then try to make them back in the day. I'm still within 200 of Desti though...
Keep up the good work Bill. ;) You show those lazy sailors !
Bill, I remember when you were in like 5000th place :)
If anybody here has a chance its you... It would be pretty sweet if you could win this one for us sailfar folks!
What an upset it would be! beaten by a guy with no electronics!!!
I have a feeling there are a few guys sweating under the pressure already...In the end they'll have to abandon their gear for shear terror and vigilance to stay on course. :D
Force them to be sailors!!!
you can dooo eeet!!!
It's been a good 24hrs for me. I have moved up almost 10k. Most of the others must have had alittle too much grog last night. ;)
When I get my boat to Cape Horn (if this idea sounds like fun and others want to try it) I will sail in circles until whoever wants to do this have all caught up, then we can start a race-within-the-race up the Atlantic. I'm thinking it might be funner to race up the Atlantic starting as a 'pack', and, besides Bill :), I don't think any of us stand much a chance at winning the 10K euros anyway... ;D
Anyone up for this idea? There's an easy-to-see possible start line at the horizontal light blue/dark blue line that runs out from the Cape, between the Cape and where that horizontal line meets the orange-dashed 'favored route line', and we could have a designated start time once everyone is there and ready.
Well I'd be up for it, though I can see through the Capn's obvious motivation ;)
And of course it will be like hanging out in a biker's bar.
I am also not sure how we might set a starting time, unless we get declarations from those interested
Sounds fun! ;D ...as long as you'll have the patience to wait long enough ;D ???
Had a tremendous ability of finding all those 'mild summer breezes' areas lately ::) 8) :o
So, we might be close to:
'The First Unofficial Virtual SailFar TransAtlantic Challenge of 2009' ;)
...or as it no doubt will be worldwide acknowledged as - 'The VSTC-09' ;D ;D ;D
I would be game for the VSTC-09. But it may take me awhile to get there, I would fully understand if you didn't want to wait that long.
Not fooled Capn K!
You haven't seen me slow down yet either ;)
I might not stop and wait, but for a different reason than one might think... just found out I'm shipping out in 23 days, and after having come this far I'd like to finish the darn thing! 8000 miles to go, 23 days... that makes almost 350 miles per day. And that includes the doldrums again... so please excuse me if I don't dally!
Nobody expected you to hang around Bill :), and I am not real sure about anyone else either!
There seems to be a bit of distrust ;D
Bill, where are you shipping out to ????
Warm winds,
Pappy Jack
Who said anything about slowing down? ??? I am bound for the Cape!
See ya there, either before or after I arrive in the 'holding area' for the up-Atlantic dash (my shorthand name for Magnus' YVATFCDGTYCF-09 race acronym.... ;) ). :D
Check out how the leaders are rounding the horn, passing THRU the Straits de LeMaire, not outside the islands. Could save a bit of time (and confusion) when we get there... ;)
Honest :D In fact I have found the whole ranking notice thing annoying and wish I could turn it off.
I entered this thing because I thought it would be any EASY way to experience the wind conditions on a circumnavigation. I have enjoyed sailing near other capable sailors because it quickly shows me when I am making a mistake. And although I wouldn't mind getting in front of Paul at least once ;), I have no interest in the rankings.
I also will have some some commitments in another month that will likely take me away from the computer for extended time so I will have to quite literally "Pass" on the up-Atlantic dash
I may in fact just stop in RIO
Sounds like fun, although I'd kind of hate to give up the battle with some of the boats I've been sailing against since the start. I finally got some distance on the one named Pirate. I overhauled him coming down the Atlantic but then he dogged me for quite a while until quite recently when I managed to pull out a couple of hundred on him.
Another thought on this, we don't have to sail their venue, we could race to the Caribbean then, say to the Chesapeake and across to Europe. ;D
I predict the game application will crash and burn before the race is through. It is getting pretty shaky on my computer. I can't change my course reliably anymore.
Yep I've been noticing it also, though I thought maybe because I am on dial-up right now.
It has been very very slow tonight. Plus now there are some weird white numbers in the center left side of the screen. Anyone know what these represent?
I think the numbers represent the time in seconds it takes to load ... it counts up until it loads then the other side counts up until the winds load... its slow and the server crashed yesterday for awhile.
GG.
It was very squirrely last night but seems better today, but still not as smooth as it was a while back.
I suspect those numbers where added for debugging purposes. As mentioned, there appears to be some real load problems. I suspect that a large percentage of users are going to start getting bored before long (I am), so maybe the performance will increase a bit.
What ever happen in the last 24 hours is scary. It is so smooth now it is scary. Almost hard to set your sail coarse since it so smooth!
And I seem to be getting better speed on certain points of sail then I was before. ???
Has anyone been keeping up with the actual race itself? It has been brutal.
http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/news/8132/a-recovery-process.html (http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/news/8132/a-recovery-process.html)
The virtual WanderBird, hard aground off the Falkland Islands... or so I've found her tonight. Not moving, and passed by nearly a thousand boats already this evening. We must have found a submerged rock or something.
As I'm back to sea for real in 15 days and there's no chance of finishing the race in that time, I've decided to leave WanderBird on the rocks here, in company with numerous other fine vessels. We had a good run. Please wave to her as you go by!
(http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd256/CaptSail/Falklands-LadyElizabeth.jpg)
Nice pic Bill it's amazing how fast the elements can reclaim ;D
I did notice you on the rocks. For information sake (not that it could ever happen to me ;) )Is it difficult to get off when one does go aground?
Anyway I cannot feel too bad for you considering what you get to go do.
Have Fun, Tim
Sorry to hear it Bill, but it is only a virtual race.
So did you learn anything about weather and routing?
Well, this is my 2000th sailFar post, as pointed out to me by Craig/Faith.
And it is fitting, then, that it should be to say that we have rounded Cape Horn! W00t!
The weather was pretty calm, a patch of light air fell over us just in time for me to get in close and grab a picture or two. Here is the one that is posted on the VendeeGlobe site.
I'll be poking around down here trying things until we are all assembled for the Giant Acronym Race. ;D
Well here's some grog matey, good on ya.
I'm going to hate to stop though, I've been battling pirate and pirate82 for ever and finally broken away. In fact I made up over 1000 miles on pirate just to get even with him.
But what the heck, easy come easy go... ;D
While waiting for other sailFarers to show up for the Giant Acronym Race (GAR), I am gonna try and see if it's possible to go sailing thru the Straits of Magellan... ;D
There's a choke point here on the eastern end that, if I can make it past it, I should be home free afterwards, wind and all that permitting...
So ... who all is gonna do the GAR?
@CapnK
Count me in! ...if I'll ever get there! I had weak and variable winds for a while now and I have been too busy emptying my house to really 'tend to the tiller'.
Anyway, since we are 'officially live-aboards since yesterday ;D I hope I'll be able to spend a little more time tending to the 'boat handling' in this upcoming contest/gathering.
Much obliged you'd care to wait for us... ;)
All right I'm in...
I had to think about it for a while. ::)
So, we are gonna race to the vendee finish line right? or did you have a different destination in mind?
I am in but I believe I am the last of the salfar group. I started way to late so if no one wants to wait I don't blame you. I am maybe a week away from the horn.
I am amazed at how addicted I am to both the game and the news feeds.
Quote from: ronc98 on January 17, 2009, 06:39:49 PM
I am in but I believe I am the last of the salfar group.
How I wish this were turn. >:( ;) I have been trying to catch you since I joined.
I too would like to partake in the GAR but as Ronc98 said, I am waaaaays back so I understand if you want to go on ahead.
I'm ok with waiting for everybody.
I think the point is to race together...
if not, then we might as well keep going and not wait for anybody, right?
I ignored the computer for awhile and managed to JUST miss hitting the last gate so will need to backtrack for half a day or so. Having moved from being in around 20,000 place to getting ready to hit the six figures again, I'm not exactly competitive with most of the fleet anyhow. What the heck, I'll do the Cape Horn Boogie.
;) The Crew Dogs tried to warn the Capn, but he must have been in one of his "moods" again ;D
(http://data.sailboatowners.com/photos/1232330460.jpg)
Edit; I stand soooo corrected, our brave stalwart Capn K is half way through the Straits of Magellan, proving it to be no folly at all
Yo ho ho, just made it past Cape Horn!!! Break out the rum...
I guess I will never understand the way this thing holds rankings, with a distance of 58 nautical miles between cruisenews and I, there is over 3000 boats! ;D
It seems to me that if you stick closer to the "line" it gives you better rankings, but who knows... I'm heading for the straits of Magellan, just lost 6000 places. ;D
I think I will just stick my nose into "Isle de los estados' ( the island of states?) and wait for the start of the GAR.
Its actually a nice relief not to worry about the 4 o-clock wind change for a while.
Anyway...
Did you guys remember to bring thumbtacks? ;D
While we're sailing around the great cape, here is some good reading (http://www.solarnavigator.net/geography/cape_horn.htm)
"Cape Horn, that tramples beauty into wreck / And crumples steel and smites the strong man dumb"
(edit) Oh my bad!! thats the Falklands :) maybe there is something to be said about electronic navigation afterall :D
I believe they were carpet tacks. :)
But I have a different solution...
(http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c245/pyrat/Pirates/dogblund1.jpg)
Standby to repel boarders!!!
;D
I took the liberty of informing some of the sailors around me, about our intentions....
I would encourage everyone else to do the same. maybe at the least of intentions, to draw attention to our site, but for more important reasons, to increase our competition in the GAR :)
It is infact a race, so having a few more competitors will become a good thing.
Not to mention, I am sure there are alot of guys out there that are ready to give up, and giving them the GAR will be a nice renewal for their spirits....
The folks I informed are guys that joined late, or just plain suck.... and just like us, have no chance of winning this race, so why not invite them to enjoy the competition in a sailfar way?
I am coming as fast as I can. I am getting close to the final ice gate.
'xcuse a confused Northener, but exactly where is the meeting/starting point for our little GAR event ? ???
Tried to heave to to get some rest last night, but the wind veered a bit and the boat almost grounded on the Falklands :P
That's life... ::)
I think it is the light blue/dark blue line running horizontal from cape horn east, at around 54'50"S
Are we taking bets for the race winner?
My money is on Hurricane, just because he seems to be the maverick of the bunch and I have been watching his course since I started.
He should technically be back there with destremeau or piba31 or some of the other groups, but somehow always manages to make up for lost miles. He doesn't follow Aldabra and the other leaders, he is definitely sailing his own course.... GO HURRICANE! ;D
Hmmm, the leaders? I had to look up "Hurricane" I hadn't been paying any attention to the leaders. He seems a bit behind, but I guess he could still make it up. Destremeau on the other hand, I have in my sights ;D
Betting?
What are the odds? ;D
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.
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).
I am closing in on the cape. Maybe 2-3 days out. if you guys dont want to wait I don't blame ya.
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... ;)
Yup, You can count on me CapnK !! 8) ;)
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.
If the winds hold I should be at the cape in about 30 hours. :D
Now there's an idea Tim, who says we have to race to France? The Caribbean would be a lot more fun.
That is a great idea.
Finally made it there, I will hang at the start line and wait for the rest. Have we decided on a final destination?
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.
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 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!
Quote from: CapnK on January 31, 2009, 01:28:28 PM
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
Quote from: Godot on February 01, 2009, 09:17:09 AM
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?
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?
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.
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!".
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.
Quote from: Godot on February 03, 2009, 10:08:41 AM
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.
I'm cool with that.
RodeOrm and Pyrat may not be able to make the start line, but thats ok with me, just fall in with the group or whatever?
Thats 4pm @ GMT -6
shall we assume this is official unless somebody speaks up before then?
I am in at 4pm. I am moved toward the starting line .
Stuck! ???
I (rode orm) am on ground at the Falklands since a couple of days. Apparently there is something wrong with the software, cause I simply can't get off this one ;D
well, no big deal really, my interest in it, and above all, in 'maintaining' it and trying to check on the speed and heading 24/7 has decreased over time as can be noticed ;) in my trackline
As a result I've now decided to jump ship here where the 'beer is heavenly and the sheep plentiful'.
So friends, go on, don't wait for me, 'cause I'll close the Virtual Vendee Globe tab on my computer now.
If you want me to steer for you Kurt, I'll be happy to do that, just let me know.
Good luck and have fun!
umm uhh what are the sheep for?
Well Good Luck to you all on your GAR. I am starting to see more birdlife as I pass Barbados and the Grenadines. My plan is to make a quick site see tour through San Juan, picking up supplies that I cannot get in Cuba, and then on to Havana!
I made such good time on the trades getting over here, I will probably have plenty of time cruising the Caribbean at my leisure. heck I might even go and try to find Frank. ;D
Tim - After you meet up with Frank in the Bahamas, & if you head up the east coast, stop on by scenic Winyah Bay!
We need the money you rich world cruisin' sailor types toss around when you get grogged up in port... ;D
Let's make sure we have everybody ready before starting.
First potential start time: Wednesday afternoon weather update.
If not everybody is behind the line by then, let's make it a "Go" at the next weather update after that, and so on. I don't think it would delay us by more than 24 more hours to do so.
Sound good?
If that is OK, then post your readiness status here.
I am ready!
Looks like everyone is south of the line except 'Pyrat' and 'Rode Orm'. Allen (Pyrat) is headed our way, and Magnus on RO is apparently sleeping it off up in the Falklands... ;D Pablo (Pilgrim_Shadow) looks to be ashore on the Cape, maybe checking out the local flora and fauna... ;)
EDIT: I just saw Magnus post above - so scratch that part... ;)
Quote from: ronc98 on February 03, 2009, 06:30:17 PM
umm uhh what are the sheep for?
Oh, quite simple my dear Watson ;)
Smoked and dried sheepshanks makes exquisite snacks to go with the Beer ;D ;D
Quote from: CapnK on February 04, 2009, 12:37:04 AM
Let's make sure we have everybody ready before starting.
First potential start time: Wednesday afternoon weather update.
If not everybody is behind the line by then, let's make it a "Go" at the next weather update after that, and so on. I don't think it would delay us by more than 24 more hours to do so.
Sound good?
If that is OK, then post your readiness status here.
sounds good, i'm ready.
I'll get as close as I can. If I can't make the start line I'll join the group when I get to your position. Other wise I'm ready for the 1600 Wednesday start.
I am ready.
Ready. Positioning myself for a good 4pm (gmt-6?) start.
My goal for the second start: not to come in last place.
Quote from: CapnK on February 04, 2009, 12:37:04 AM
Pablo (Pilgrim_Shadow) looks to be ashore on the Cape, maybe checking out the local flora and fauna... ;)
I just thought I would pop in and check out the local senoritas, er, I mean culture. I am going to set sail for the start!
Quote from: Pablo on February 04, 2009, 12:10:57 PM
Quote from: CapnK on February 04, 2009, 12:37:04 AM
Pablo (Pilgrim_Shadow) looks to be ashore on the Cape, maybe checking out the local flora and fauna... ;)
I just thought I would pop in and check out the local senoritas, er, I mean culture. I am going to set sail for the start!
Pablo, it looks like you're gonna have to turn further south, maybe even southwest to get off those rocks.
sooo, did we start? :)
I am moving now. I hope we did. Then again I have not crossed the start yet.
Crossed the finish line!
Rank: 16,830
98D 11H 25M
Well I am on my way back across the pond with rum and cigars, and perhaps will wait in the Azores to pass them out as boats go by ;)
(http://data.sailboatowners.com/photos/1234667939.jpg)
Are we there yet?
getting a bit boring without the salt spray and sunburn
Well it is over for me, now I am going to kick back enjoy a tankard full of Puerto Rican rum, a Cuban cigar and a looong nap ;)
(http://www.pbase.com/morningdove/image/109577096/medium.jpg)
I am about 48-52 hours from the finish. Should we go someplace else? maybe west?
Might be a little late for that. As you can see by my detour the winds would make an east-west crossing tedious IMO.
(http://www.pbase.com/morningdove/image/109577096/medium.jpg)
I'm just ready to finish. This has been going on too long.
Looks like they have killed it.
Finally! I am glad this is over :)
(http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv93/dnicely_ph/Picture2.png)
I am in at 99343. Now I can get back to sleeping instead of looking at the wind at 4am
I'm glad that's over with. Once I left Charleston and didn't have a connection for days at a time it really became tedious.
It's running again. :) I'm in, tho' not a serious contender. Will try to outrun most of the ~250,000 people currently ahead of me before we get to the Horn. ;D
My boat name is KR deCap. Yar!
Hang on! 😄