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 » Flag Officers » Open letter to SRC.

Page: 1 2 Next

Posted by
JB


Users avatar

Posts
305
Registered at
2013-03-07 08:54:34
2016-08-01 15:14:05 - Open letter to SRC.
Post annotated by RainbowChaser :
This thread was moved from the category Sailonline Yacht Club.
AIS from the brainaid NMEA connection and the sailing robot.

Dear SRC,

If I recall correctly there is an option in the brainaid NMEA connection to uncheck the “AIS Filter/Send own ship”, which I understand as a mean to cut all your boat AIS infos to the “outside”.

But that option just doesn’t work.
Even with the “Send own ship” unchecked in the NMEA connection you still send/receive AIS information from your boat and the others in a race fleet.

In my opinion that is not correct at all, as the AIS should be turned on only by you, as IRL and not by default, in spite of the above mentioned (not working) option.
IRL it is also a skipper’s right.

If you want to, let’s say by safety reasons or to routing purposes, turn on the AIS, you do it then but, if you don’t want, you keep it shut down.
It is simple. It’s about data that should be kept private if/when you want it to be.

That AIS info can also be used in the routing programs (in my case, qTVlm) as a tactical aid where you get relevant data from the other boats.

The actual AIS abnormality associated with the fact that you can also get all the relevant data from all boats in a race, almost in real time (“60 seconds delay”), via the hmm’s site http://sol.hmm.iki.fi/sollog/races/ , is something that not only surpasses the real life sailing as also permits to completely robotize your boat for almost every SOL race.

In this particular chapter you are not anymore using your sailing skills for competing with the others and using the same assets as every normal skipper but, the programing ones, especially if you automate all the routing processes including a particular set of the top boats in a race for “real time” tactical purposes.
Is it fair? I don’t think so.

But more. It wasn’t/is not necessary to have any sound proof that this “auto reality” already happens in certain SOL races because, even the faint possibility of that happening was/is enough to level the odds, starting with the boat’s info that should be released and when.

In this respect the old formula for releasing boats log data - in 1 hour periods - was/is more than suitable and fair to the game.
The actual one, isn’t.

Dear SRC to finalize, two questions.

Are you willing to change the policies for the use of:

1 - AIS?
2 - Boat’s log data releasing?

Thank you.
Sail Fair.
Posted by
Schakel


Users avatar

Posts
183
Registered at
2008-12-19 09:19:00
2016-08-01 17:41:35 - Re: Open letter to SRC.
You misunderstand the option in the NMEA proxy; it is not intended to cutoff your boat to the outside world, but rather to control how much information the proxy receives. You have to realize that the NMEA proxy is only a nice wrapper around data that is available to anyone with basic TCP networking knowledge.
Posted by
JB


Users avatar

Posts
305
Registered at
2013-03-07 08:54:34
2016-08-01 19:03:30 - Re: Open letter to SRC.
Dear Schakel,

Thank you for your aditional info on AIS but it dosen't change what I think the option should give to skippers,above all, only when they need/want to use it.
Not by default.
Sail Fair.
Posted by
Schakel


Users avatar

Posts
183
Registered at
2008-12-19 09:19:00
2016-08-01 20:15:26 - Re: Open letter to SRC.
What you see as the AIS function of the NMEA proxy is really nothing more than one more way of receiving some of the very same information that the server sends to the race client over an unencrypted TCP connection. The NMEA proxy just delivers that information in a different format, namely in NMEA sentences.

Not everybody has to rely on the proxy to get to that data. So, as was intended, the NMEA proxy levels the playing field, more than anything, because now that information is available to all, and not just to those who know where to look.
Posted by
JB


Users avatar

Posts
305
Registered at
2013-03-07 08:54:34
2016-08-02 09:04:22 - Re: Open letter to SRC.
Good morning Schakel.

Again, thank you for enlightenment on the discussion.

Under the AIS technicality I brought to discussion some basic principles I resume here:

- The right to use, or not, the AIS belongs to the skipper, and only to him;

- The info gathered by the AIS - private one, I recall - should not be sent to public knowledge, especially every “60 seconds”;
- SOL main purpose is to offer a sailing simulator, not a programing, and even less a route copy/paste contest;

- You don’t solve a problem that profits/or could profit a particular set of “cyber skippers” by democratizing the error in cause to all the fleet, mainly when we all know the fleet programming skills are everything but equal.
Sail Fair.
Posted by
hmm


Users avatar

Posts
118
Registered at
2011-11-03 13:35:22
2016-08-04 19:14:51 - Re: Open letter to SRC.
FYI, SRC has nothing to do with brainaid's NMEA proxy or my SOL data pages.
Posted by
sol


Users avatar

Posts
299
Registered at
2008-08-14 11:08:14
2016-08-04 20:10:36 - Re: Open letter to SRC.
content deleted on request of Rainbowchaser

--- Last Edited by sol at 2016-08-17 18:28:20 ---
Posted by
kroppyer


Users avatar

Posts
347
Registered at
2010-02-05 15:25:55
2016-08-04 21:55:23 - Re: Open letter to SRC.
(regarding <SOL>,<SOL-R>,<SOL-R-H>,<SOL-R-H-P> etc.) With this in mind I made flagpole. There is a SOTP flag for example, you can fly the flag if you don't use a router. There are more flags (I like the "sleepy pennant" as well: missing at least one wx by a couple of hours every day because you're sleeping). If you want a flag "I don't use hmm's sollog or similar", then by all means, create a flag for it, and hoist it on your boat. Convince others to hoist the flag too, and you have your own little "I don't use hmm's sollog or similar"-fleet with your own leaderboard.

When flagpole starts to be used much, we have an argument to create something official that serves the same purpose as the most popular flags on flagpole.

NB: Anonymous posts by "sol" have not really been causing trouble and if they did, the forum can be moderated much more easily than the sol chat.
I discourage posting as sol in the forum, even though it's still possible.

--- Last Edited by kroppyer at 2016-08-04 21:57:13 ---
Posted by
JB


Users avatar

Posts
305
Registered at
2013-03-07 08:54:34
2016-08-08 09:55:38 - Re: Open letter to SRC.
Viva Markku,

Good morning.

Thank you for the info but, I already knew it.

The issue here is not who owns the servers (SOL, yours, brainaid, others) but, the disposal, exchange and public disclosure of boats real time race logs.

Please can you confirm if anybody asked me permission to disclose my boat real time race logs?

Thank you.
Sail Fair.
Posted by
JB


Users avatar

Posts
305
Registered at
2013-03-07 08:54:34
2016-08-08 09:56:22 - Re: Open letter to SRC.
Viva Huib,

Good morning.

Good idea. The only problem I foresee is, in some boats, we don’t have enough rig and cables to dispose all the “I don’t/ use/have..” flags. At some point the flags area will be bigger than the sail one.

Anyhow, thank you.
Sail Fair.

Page: 1 2 Next

Please login to post a reply.

Races

Next Race: 00d 00h 00m

Current Races:

Susan Hood Trophy Race 2026

Lake Ontario Offshore Racing (LOOR) welcomes racers to Sailonline’s virtual version of their annual Susan Hood Trophy Race. This year, this pleasant weekender on western Lake Ontario will be of about 60nm in length, and online for convenience will start and finish at the Port Credit Yacht Club (PCYC). At or before the real-life Skipper’s Briefing a decision will be made to race the course clockwise (course Delta) or anti-clockwise (Echo). If there is time we will match this online. As before, the race is the first of two that will count towards a special Sailonline's LOOR Series medals, but this year we sail in Jeanneau Sun Fast 3300s. Bon voyage!
Race #2033
INFOby brainaid.de
Sun Fast 3300 PARTICULARS
NAM_AWIP WX Updates:
0245 / 0845 / 1445 / 2045
Ranking: LOOR - SUPBUD - SYC
Race starts: May 29th 23:45 Registration Open!

▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Vasco da Gama Ocean Race 2026

Welcome to Sailonline’s virtual Vasco da Gama Ocean Race, in partnership with the Royal Natal Yacht Club’s real-life event. Some 260 nautical miles in length from Durban to East London, the Vasco da Gama is South Africa’s oldest coastal ocean race, and is renowned for the rough seas and strong currents that competitors have to contend with. Online this year we will be racing in slick Salona 39’s. History, endurance, camaraderie – It’s time to honour Vasco’s legacy; see you on the start line!
Race #2034
INFO from brainaid.de
Salona 39 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: SUPBUD - SYC
Race starts: May 24th 08:00 Registration Open!
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Cross the Convergence 2026 - St Helena to Cape Verde


The fourth race of our series of ocean voyages across the World’s convergence zones takes us out of the Pacific into the Atlantic for a 2200nm race in Judel Vrolijk 62’s, from the desolation of St Helena, there where Napolean Bonaparte saw out the end of his life, to the even greater desolation of Fogo in the Cape Verde’s. You’ll have to cross the equator, with the coasts of Africa and South America your only navigational restrictions.
Race #1984
INFOby brainaid.de
Judel Vrolijk 62PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: CCZ - SYC
Race starts: May 22nd 18:00 Registration Open!
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Chesapeake and Potomac TIMED Race 2026

Welcome to the Chesapeake Bay, the sailing capital of the United States. Feast on Maryland crab cakes or crabs seasoned with Old Bay spice before sailing down the Bay aboard a Formula 18 catamaran on a 128 nm course that will take you up the Potomac River finishing at Quantico, Virginia. This is a TIMEDrace so you may RE-REGISTER HEREto try again after finishing a run. You will have two weeks to test your skill and decision making after the race opens.
Race #2032
INFOby brainaid.de
Formula 18 catamaran Particulars
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking:
TRQ2 - TRCH - SYC
RACE CLOSE: Saturday,
23 May at 23:00 UTC
Race starts: May 10th 12:00 Registration Open!
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Tasmania to Kamchatka 2026

Welcome to yet another all-new route. Tasmania to Kamchatka, part of our Ocean Championship and also the third leg of the ROW (Round the Old World) series. Be aware of the obstacles on the way, likely to split the fleet. It's like X:mas to X:mas, crossing the same waters, navigating the same archipelagos. This second race of OCQ2 2026 will be sailed in our revised 'version 2' Imoca 60 Foil. Race #2031
INFO by brainaid.de
Imoca 60 Foil v2 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: OCQ2 - ROW - OCCH - SYC
RACE CLOSE: Tuesday,
June 2 at 2300 UTC.
Race starts: May 04th 11:00 Registration Closed
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Go to race archive

SYC Ranking

  1. Sailonline Yacht Club Member WRmirekd
  2. Sailonline Yacht Club Member CriticalHippo
  3. Sailonline Yacht Club Member Panpyc
  4. Sailonline Yacht Club Member rafa
  5. Sailonline Yacht Club Member CollegeFund
  6. Sailonline Yacht Club Member rumskib
  7. Sailonline Yacht Club Member KaSToR
  8. Sailonline Yacht Club Member bonknhoot
  9. Sailonline Yacht Club Member vida
  10. Sailonline Yacht Club Member sassy63

View full list

Series

Mobile Client

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

The mobile client