[Closed] Virtual regatta

I will be - did it last year but cocked it up at canaries.

Spendid, someone to race against. Look forward to it.
Both Alnwick based too.

Your from Alnwick?

Small world.

Email me about your mid week ride post you did.

Get yourselves signed up quick. The race is off!!

There must be some Dame Ellen fans out there?

Im in. Joined the STW group.

You guys talking about Concept 2 rower? I have one...

urgh no... virtusl sailing following Velux 5 Oceans route

Ahh, theres virtual racing you can do on the concept 2, got confused...

I have joined as well. I think we need to be accepted. I may well get lost before Gibralter

i'm in, Jockonabike,

Seems like i'll make slow progress unless I buy sails etc,,,,,

G

I'm in and have applied to STW group (ParkerKnollRecliner) 😀

Oops.. a bit late.. but I'm in too.. have applied to STW.. (Shonen Knife)

So, I logged on and have included everyone in the STW group. Nothing in it at the moment as we all head down to NW Spain. I guess thats where the first choices will make themselves felt depending on what the winds do.

For the guys who have signed up to the STW group. If you add all the other players as friends you then see those boats as green dots on the map.

Its not to late for anyone else to join in. You do not have to start right at the beginning so please sign up and join in

I will put up a update this evening with positions etc.

woo hoo in 18021th position! doing 11 knots and heading out from the coast to pick up the strong winds, eat my wash suckers, at this rate I hope I packed double rations, it could be some time before I make landfall.

What's the sailing equivalent of owning with bombers?

Owne with bombers = owned with a lewmar winch handle.

Link? Too late to start??

[url= http://www.virtualregatta.com ]Clicky[/url] not too late at all.....

I am currently in the lead but i think that might be short lived as I am heading into an area of crap wind. Tempted to follow Jockonabike but as I am the worlds most indecisive man i might not!

Who will get the STW "Bombers Trophy" Not me but I think that could be a good prize for the overall winner...

Joined as Rusty Floater, my nautical name!

Ooh, one more for the flotilla?

I Think we ought to stipulate that none of the purchasable upgrades should be used. Anyone caught might receive the "bombers" early 😈

i'm in.

yes no paid asssitance allowed

I've applied! I have no idea what I'm doing... Can I sink my computer?

Looks like Carbon is pulling ahead at the moment. Will he lose that advantage when he has to turn West?

Its warmer down here

Doing just under 13knots with some strong breezes offshore, catching up slowly, 40 nautical miles is nothing when you've got 4000 to go,,,

Admit it bigG have you been up all night gybing round Finistere?

Bugger, seem to have dropped back over night. Get a load of those lot heading down the coast. I guess the purchasable sail upgrade makes one hell of a difference!

I am not liking the lack of wind that looks likely by the time we get to the Canaries. Can't decide what to do.

I'm going to hug the coast down to portugal's nose then then see how the weather goes. That crowd 60 miles south of me were behind me yesterday afternoon. Bloody upgraders.... 👿

That lot down by the coast are going to run into some major calms over the next 72 hours. Best stay out at sea imo.

I'm going offshore but cutting inside canaries. Its gona get tricky that's for sure.

Right, I'm in.

Must not get obsessed.
Must not get obsessed.
Etc...................

Bugger me! Did you see where Stevomcd got started? I think i may have to scuttle my current boat and get a new one !

steveomcd - thats a canny advantage gained.

We are sailing! Gone for the highly original name of MTBDoug

Aye, I was thinking that was a somewhat favourable start position! 😳

heading further out to see to see what I can sea sea sea...

winds speeds much better offshore but looking interesting for the next 24hrs, I can expect a long night on Thursday tacking in those head winds east of the canaries. looks like the pack that hugged the coast are going to regret it,

Mrs is totally bemused.

Plus, an admission, I bought the upgrade pack before it was STW outlawed (and I'm not the only one) so happy to be excluded from the overall prize.

Well I've registered and can safely say I don't know wtf I'm doing!

The prize is, as yet, just an idea. Do the Upgrade sails make as much difference as it looks like? Be interesting to see if we get side by side at some point. Can you just use the standard sails anyway? Might make it more fun if we are all on a level playing field?

I can't make up my mind which route to take. Out to see for the stronger winds, hug the coast for ease of navigation through the islands or follow the shortest route line (forgot what they are called) . I think I shall wait for the new weather forecast at 8pm to decide...

I'm off to see what the Azores look like!

upgrade pack is a decent advantage I think, you get
. better sails
. the ability to programme course changes & waypoints (you can sleep as she sails herself)
. auto sail selection (the heavy spinnaker is a must for a strong tailwind, i hit 16knots last night

I might have a rummage around and see if I can't find a prize somewhere, likely to be either mobile phone related or a bottle of booze. Sloe gin should be about ready for the finish of the race

Is this the same as that Volvo round the World race thingy a couple of years ago? With Terpischore and that??

No I'm not going to sign up; it's a massive time dump nearly as bad as STW! 😯

(Scuttles off to find VR website...)

EDIT: Bollocks to it the website's shit and won't let me register for some bizarre reason. 🙁

En raison d'un pic de frequentation trop important nous ne pouvons vous fournir le contenu demande pour le moment. Merci de bien vouloir patienter et de ressayer dans 15 minutes.

Toute l'equipe de Virtual Regatta s'excuse pour la gene occasionnee et vous souhaite une bonne navigation

Like, WTF? In English please.... 🙄

I think there's a day or two at most to be made in the North Atlantic although quite a bit of time could be lost. I think the key to the first leg will be the S Atlantic.

I just registered. Rodderz

"For reasons of peak in demand we are not able to complete your request for the moment. Thank you for your patience and try again in 15 minutes.

All the Virtual Regatta team apologises this and wishes you a good navigation"

There were a couple of phrases i was not sure of.

There are now over 30000 people playing this. Over 5000 have joined since this afternoon!

Probably mostly French people. They have given up burning cars for the evening.

bloody 'ell, stevomcd got a jump on us all by being a late starter....

I've been killing myself on the winches and he does a bloody Dr Who and appears! run out the cannons and prepare to repel boarders.. its time for some piracy on the high seas.. arrrrrrr

It will all even out in the end I reckon. I am not worried 😯

Made up my mind to try the inshore route as I really dont like the weather forecast for the Canaries and further out. Off to bed now or whatever the nautical term is....

getting a funny weather situation where your gona get a lift which ever way you go 🙁 and I need to go to bed. Which way, which way..?

sleep is for the weak,, i'll be up all night tacking into the strong winds (and sleeping when everyone shoots past me)

think i might just set a course and head to me bunk

So the the race has began. Some have gone West looking to ride the lows down to the Equator. This would seem to be the sensible choice, i would think there is pretty much certain to be wind out there.. Some have started to hug the coast, Hoping the coast though the light winds tomorrow and pick up a nice tail wind the day after...

Bugger, i think I made the wrong choice now. Looks like there will be zero wind where I am heading.Bugger, bugger, bugger!

I'm staying out west, just can't decide how far west to go. To turn south and spend 36 hours tacking into a headwind or scoot further west and catch the tail wind.

I've gone west, but have bottled it a bit, so now going south westish.

is tacking the only way to deal with a headwind? trying to cut down on internet usage at work... oh well

Warton, unless you have an engine tacking is the only was to get upwind. But if you get far enough out West you should be able to ride the express train south on the low.

i might go further out then, as it stands I'll just skim the western side of those islands...

late start for me - bawbag - going to head out.

I was in towards the coast to get some speed and everyone seems to be dying a death in close to the coast. I am now crossing out west and will ride the low down. Just need to get out further than west Africa.

I do want the pro sails however.... do we buy them???

Going west young man.

Rodderz, it is considered bad form to have the upgraded sails! I think its only BigG that has them from the STW lot. Might be wrong though. Anyone else feel they have something to share ?

😳 upgraded before the "no upgrading" rule was posted. I think it is making bugger all difference though to be honest - have ended up using the normal sails 75% of the time thus far.

Tongue in cheek really. I don't care. Still going to win. 8)

Unless, of course, i spend the whole time becalmed off the NE coast of Morroco.

I'm going with the all-out-or-die option.... see you in the Azores!

Sadly I've become quite addicted to this game. Running in the background constantly! For a game where nothing happens for hours at a time, it is very compelling.

WellI signed up, it was looking good whilst choosing my boat colours etc but whenI got to the game it went really laggy on my htc desire, and missing clicks. Almost impossible to seta course accurately 🙁 one for the PC suppose, played, the volvo ocean race one but lost interest halfway round!

I travelled to Sweden this am with work and first time i got a chance to look was around mid day. Now watching the winds. Taking a 241 heading (south west) looking at winds in 12hr to 24 hr. Just made a slight correction to make it a more westerly course as the 12 hr and 24 winds are a bit more promising but easing off.

I will not buy the sails although more gear seems more fun...

Joined up. I did it last year and eventually got bored, but it was fun.
Paramedic Pirate 😀

planning on turning south and tacking madly towards madeira. winds are looking good just off the coast south of the canaries, and will probably stay inshore of the cape verde islands.

the winds to the south west of the azores will leave you in slack winds i think.

after the stage to Cape Town, I take it we all start again together for the next leg? Or do the first finishers get to turn straight round and crack on? Surely there must be a time limit to get into port in that case?

Everyone starts the stage at the same time. So if you don't complete the previous, don't worry

I've signed up and applied for the stw group as: series 1

has everyone been adding the names of the other STW members to their friends list? Makes it easy to spot where the buggers are!

Im the one who is in the middle of both fleets - mr indecisive.

I sailed this leg once - did a Cowes to Gran Canaria paid delivery trip as a student. It blew a hoolie for 2 weeks in November. Better than Uni though.

God it's calm out there now! The next 24 hours are looking dull!

im waitong for a lift so I can gybe on it - need to go to bed soon and its taking ages to get there. The Southern Ocean is more fun than this leg.

Need to hold my nerve and not chicken gybe back to the West. Easier said than done though.
6 knots of speed in 7 knots of wind. Don't these things go on apparent wind?

Still interesting out where I am! Only trouble is I'm half-way to New York and we're supposed to be heading for Cape Town!

get a load of Jockonabike. he must have the Gucci sails doing doing 11.3 knots in 10 knots upwind!

Getting nervous and full of self doubt? not me 😳