Sailonline.org - Online Sailing

Facebook

Login

Support Sailonline

If you haven't already - join the SAILONLINE YACHT CLUB!

Please also consider making a donation - all amounts are greatly appreciated!

Tweets by @sailonline

Board » Technical Support » Routers

Posted by Laughing Sally Posts 5 Registered at 2010-07-15 03:46:22	2010-11-28 05:36:12 - Routers
	I have seen a lot of talk on the chat line about computerized routers. I'm curious as to what percentage of the leaders use them. Is a router something I simply must have to think of winning one of these races? I have placed as high as 21 without one but don't want to be at an unfair advantage. Also, just how much difference do they make? I've heard one sailor here estimate his finish time with a router to within 3 seconds of his actual finish. My guess is that a router will give you ideas you can build on. I also would expect one to be extremely useful when you need to be away from the race for any long period of time. Other than that, just how essential are they? Am I at a disadvantage without one? And my boat carves her wake for the sheer joy of giving life to sheafs of spray
Poll: Do you use a computerized router? You may select up to 2 answers: Yes No Show Results (You won't be able to vote.) You need to be logged in to vote.
Posted by zero Posts 120 Registered at 2010-02-07 16:56:30	2010-11-28 22:10:41 - Re: Routers
	Hi, I think it is very difficult, if not impossible to beat the router sailors on a long leg. By "long leg" I mean legs that take more than 24 hours or so. I think you have a change to win (without routers) long races that are composed of several short legs. (Legs that takes less than 24 hours). Recent examples: Around Turkey race and The Caribean Race. Recently SOL, under the leadership of RainbowChaser, has been very good in schedule all types of races; short races, long races and long races with several waypoints. Therefore there are always a race for the "non-routers" to be in contention. I also have to add that the use of a software router is NOT a sure recipe to victory. If we all used it there would still be a big spread between the fleet. After 2 years of SOL'ing I found that the routers users are also very "fast" when not using software during very short races. Hope this helps. Antonio
Posted by 76Trombones Posts 362 Registered at 2009-08-03 18:04:56	2010-11-29 18:59:41 - Re: Routers
	Good questions! I started a reply here but it sort of started to get out of control. I moved it to my blog: http://76trombones.wordpress.com/2010/11/29/ramblings-on-routers/ I feel a little differently about long races, but agree 100% with Zero's other comments. At the very top, routing is not what makes the boats fast, but it does make it easier for them to be fast. It's a great tool. Even if you have no intention of using software during a race, it's worth a look at what is possible and how it can help. Lots to learn. Apologies for posting off-site. I'll try to be more succinct next time. Happy to answer any related questions here. --- Last Edited by 76Trombones at 2010-11-29 19:07:27 ---
Posted by zero Posts 120 Registered at 2010-02-07 16:56:30	2010-11-30 02:03:07 - Re: Routers
	Thanks 76T, your writing is very interesting. So much to learn. Antonio --- Last Edited by zero at 2010-11-30 02:04:10 ---
Posted by Laughing Sally Posts 5 Registered at 2010-07-15 03:46:22	2010-12-01 01:17:12 - Re: Routers
	I thanked 76T on his blog but I want to thank him here too. Very interesting blog article by the way. Jeff And my boat carves her wake for the sheer joy of giving life to sheafs of spray
Posted by Incognito Posts 183 Registered at 2008-12-06 13:43:52	2010-12-05 10:32:55 - Re: Routers
	I have one of the better commercial routers for the real-life boat. I did use it a few times on SOL. The great plus is that I learned to use my routing software and got used to its idiosyncrasies. The great minus is that I started to find SOL boring. The problem was easily solved: I almost never use my routing software for SOL races anymore!
Posted by Laughing Sally Posts 5 Registered at 2010-07-15 03:46:22	2010-12-05 11:40:11 - Re: Routers
	Incognito, that's very much how I feel. Thank you for taking the time to respond. Jeff And my boat carves her wake for the sheer joy of giving life to sheafs of spray

Please login to post a reply.

Races

Next Race: 00d 00h 00m

Current Races:

Red Eye - Melville Island PYOC 2026

Melville Island is the largest of the Tivi group opposite the port of Darwin in the Timor Sea. Tropically forested and thinly populated, not a lot goes on there, but let’s race around it anyway, lar- or starboard round, it’s a little more than 120nm, so, no matter where you are navigating from on the planet, you will be hard-pressed to complete the course aboard your J-80 in daylight hours!
Race #2003
INFOby brainaid.de
J-80 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: RED - SYC
Race starts: Mar 24th 12:00 Registration Open!

▶ Flash

GO TO RACE

Cross the Convergence 2026 - Guam to Ouvéa

The third race of our series of ocean voyages across the World’s convergence zones takes us southeastward now down the Pacific, from Guam’s Apra Harbour at 13.5 degrees North, back across the Equator to the glorious New Caledonian resort island of Ouvéa, on the edge of the Tropic of Capricorn at 20.5 degrees South. It’s 2400nm, and there’s more than a few other islands in the way, so mind where you go in your Ocean 50s. Race #1981
INFOby brainaid.de
Ocean 50PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: CCZ - SYC
Race starts: Mar 20th 18:00 Registration Open!

▶ Flash

GO TO RACE

Lake Victoria TIMED Race 2026

This month’s TIMED race takes us inland to Lake Victoria in the heart of Africa. Starting at Rosebery Channel in Uganda sail the AC72v2 on a 196nm course around Bugala Island on the way to the finish line in Tanzania’s Speke Gulf. This is a TIMEDrace so you may RE-REGISTER HEREto try again after finishing a run. You will have 13 days and 11 hours to test your skill and decision making after the race opens.
Race #2018
INFOby brainaid.de
AC72v2 Particulars
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking:
TRQ1 - TRCH - SYC
RACE CLOSE: Saturday,
28 March at 23:00 UTC
Race starts: Mar 15th 12:00 Registration Open!

▶ Flash

GO TO RACE

Iceland to the Falklands 2026

Welcome to an all-new route, the first of three Round the 'Old World' of Europe, Africa, Australia and Asia. To give each leg of the ROW a bit of length we'll try to hug the coasts as little as possible, so starting in Iceland our first leg of the series, which will also be the final leg of our Quarter 1 Ocean Championships takes us 7200nm to the Falklands, the full length of the Atlantic end to end. To make sure we'll get it done within the month we'll be sailing our Maxi Trimaran.
Race #2010
INFO by brainaid.de
Maxi Trimaran PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: OCQ1 - ROW - OCCH - SYC
RACE CLOSE: Tuesday,
March 24 at 2300 UTC.
Race starts: Mar 02nd 11:00 Registration Closed

▶ Flash

GO TO RACE

Go to race archive