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!

Board » Technical Support » Problem with course selection in new client.

Last night at apx. 3:30 to 4:00 AM PST (11:30 --> 12:00 UTC) I had set alarm to wake to make course change at Lizard Pt. to finish. I spent about 30 minutes triple checking course adjustments to make sure that I had set a CC to hit the finish line just north of the south mark.
As I had to get up early and leave this morning, I was not able to check on finish till apx. 10:30 AM PST. When I did I found that my boat had passed to the south of the bottom mark and my boat was wrecked on shore.
Is the CC setting using the helm tool setting the course on Great Circle course or direct CC? If so please explain.
There are many times when we must by necessity be away from our computers and must trust that when a course is set it will be accurate. It just cannot be a moving target. When we set a precise course especally over such a relitively short distance (apx 40 Nm) we expect it to happen. :(
Possible Solutions:

Set a course with a "little in the bank" = aim higher just in case, just like IRL sailing. If you aim at the mark, you'll need to tack to get around it.

Allow for a little leeway.

These ancient rules must be followed.

Just shows again how SOL is very similar to the real life situation!


--- Last Edited by Paul Rosser at 2008-12-10 20:44:28 ---
If it breaks, it's not strong enough!
I'll look at the code and come back with a straight answer.
Although I prefer the new flash tool over the old client, I have to say exactly the same happened to me as mentioned by captjack1942 as well last night. I zoomed in all the way over the finish line and saw my own '6 hour ahead line' crossing easily the southern tip of the finish line - with some head room. However, I also crossed the line and kept going until I hit land the other side. I woke up and sailed back over the line a second time before it was registered.
Maybe - the finish line could change colour like the rhumb line when you are on course to hit it?
Me and Jakob looked at the code. The "pick course" tool is not using great circle, but the value is rounded to two decimals (as shown in the box). That was unintended and a mistake - I will rewrite that code as soon as I've got some spare time.
Thanks Kalle, Yeah a tenth of a degree is way more than enough. IRL you're lucky to get within 5 degrees of a course line. :-)

Please login to post a reply.

Races

Next Race: 00d 00h 00m


Current Races:

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 starts: Mar 02nd 11:00 Registration Open!
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

SSANZ Round North Island Race 2026 - Leg 1

Welcome to Leg One of the Round North Island Series in partnership with SSANZ. The four-leg circuit of New Zealand’s North Island is a true test of short-handed skill, and it begins with the 150nm passage from Auckland to Mangonui. This year, our SOLers will be racing the dynamic Sun Fast 3600 – Jeanneau’s renowned racer-cruiser and a proven flyer downwind. A gentle opener on paper… but coastal tactics and shifting breezes will demand focus from the start!
Race #2011
INFO by brainaid.de
Sun Fast 3600 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: RNI - SUPBUD - SYC
Race starts: Feb 28th 21:00 Registration Open!
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

San Diego to Puerto Vallarta 2026

Welcome to California! Established in 1953 this 1000-mile run from San Diego to Puerto Vallarta on the Mexican Riviera has become a tradition and online as well the tradition strengthens with this the fourth time Sailonline is making the race available to virtual sailors. Let's see how our virtual SC70s perform against the real fleet!
Race #2015
INFO by brainaid.de
Santa Cruz 70 Particulars
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: SUPBUD - SYC
Race starts: Feb 28th 20:00 Registration Open!
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

New Ice Age 2026 - Browerville to Longyearbyen


Our 2026 long-distance ice-boating challenge continues with a second race in Arctic waters, now from Browerville, where we arrived less than a month ago, continuing east, back to Svalbard’s Longyearbyen, leaving Canada’s Ellesmere Island to port and Denmark’s Greenland to starboard. It’s about 2500nm, which, if there’s wind at all, should, well-wrapped in your DN-cockpits, not take you more than a day or three, thus to complete your first (of several) online circumnavigation of the planet of 2026!
Race #1969
INFOby brainaid.de
DN PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: NIA - SYC
Race starts: Feb 19th 07:00 Registration Closed
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Doha Basra TIMED Race 2026

Welcome to Kuwait for a short 78 nm TIMED race from the port of Doha (not to be confused with Doha, Qatar) to Basra, Iraq. Jazirat Light on Auha Island is the only mark to observe, leaving it to port. The Beneteau First 40.7v2 racer-cruiser is our ride this month. 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 #2008
INFOby brainaid.de
First 40.7v2 Particulars
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking:
TRQ1 - TRCH - SYC
RACE CLOSE: Saturday,
28 February at 23:00 UTC
Race starts: Feb 15th 12:00 Registration Open!
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Beketov by Balloon 2026 - In Siberia


Way-back-when France and England, and Spain as well, were squabbling about who should control what of North America, only to lose the most of it to their own insurging colonists, their eastern European neighbour empire, Russia, was quietly assimilating vast, thinly nomadically populated territory of its own – Siberia! Amongst the many explorers and adventurers that served Russia so well in these conquests was the Cossack hetman Pyotr Beketov. Let’s pretend we’re he and eschewing horseback, let’s travel by balloon from Yekaterinberg to Krasnoyarsk – just a short 2000km (1100nm) section of the Trans-Siberian Express’ 9289km!
Race #1972
INFOby brainaid.de
SOL Balloon PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: BOL - SYC
RACE CLOSE: Wednesday,
March 4 at 2300 UTC.
Race starts: Feb 03rd 13:00 Registration Closed
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Go to race archive

SYC Ranking

  1. Sailonline Yacht Club Member KaSToR
  2. Sailonline Yacht Club Member WRmirekd
  3. Sailonline Yacht Club Member CriticalHippo
  4. Sailonline Yacht Club Member rumskib
  5. Sailonline Yacht Club Member vida
  6. Sailonline Yacht Club Member Sax747
  7. Sailonline Yacht Club Member rafa
  8. Sailonline Yacht Club Member CollegeFund
  9. Sailonline Yacht Club Member bonknhoot
  10. Sailonline Yacht Club Member BRENTGRAY

View full list

Series

Mobile Client

SYC members have the benefit of access to our mobile/lightweight web client!

The mobile client