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 » ALL THE TOOLS

Posted by
sol


Users avatar

Posts
300
Registered at
2008-08-14 11:08:14
2018-08-31 10:13:09 - ALL THE TOOLS
There are a number of tools external to the game that many/most people use.
They are all developments made by keen past and present SOLers.
I'll deal with them in calendar order, which is also more or less their usefulness.

1. Brainaid's http://sol.brainaid.de/sailonline/toolbox/
Just key in your boatname and password and on different pages you will find:
- downloadable polar data
- downloadable grib data
- waypoint, start and finish lats/lons.
- yacht instrument outputs (CC, TWA, TWS, TWD, LAT< LON, ETC) refreshing every time your yacht advances
- a DC (Delayed Command) Uploader (useful if you want to enter a long series of course instructions)

2. AGage's http://solfans.org/wxinspector/
Just key in your boatname and password and your screen will show a facsimile of the SOL racing page with your boat advancing in the same way as on the SOL page.
On the right hand side are a selection of Tools. Explore them all at your leisure, but have a look at Optimum Angles first.
Click on the button, then click on VMG and down below in the dialogue screen it gives you your optimum upwind and downwind angles for the boat you are racing at that point in time. Enter the bearing to a far away destination, click on VMC and you get the optimum VMC angle to advance you in that (general) direction.

3. maitai's and oxygen77's QtVlm downloadable via https://www.meltemus.com/index.php/en/download
A router is a piece of software that will generate and optimum route ot sail from A to B given a boat's polar and a grib with wind (and current).
maitai and oxygen 77 actually play a rival game called Vlm, but their router suits SOL well, especially because it features various enhancements principally through the interaction of various SOLers like Bimmer, psail, Kipper1258, kroppyer and myself with the two developers.
Basically it allows you to prepare a route to sail in great detail which you can then convert into DCs for uploading (and go to bed/work/etc).
There is a manual, but best is to ask questions in Chat. Replies will come quick.

4. kroppyer's http://sol.kroppyer.nl/
kroppyer features a tool for converting the .csv file that QtVLm generates into a file for uploading via brainaid's (or Kipper1258's, see below) utility.
kroppyer also gives you a full explanation of SOL's quirky Performance Loss (PL on a change of course) feature, and a tool to help you calculate in advance of making a course change.


5. Kipper1258's AGL downloadable via http://solfans.org/blog/uncategorized/dc-checker-version-3/
This is another tool for uploading DCs.
However, it has a graphic interface where you can view the resulting route of your DCs in to a much greater accuracy than the route you'll see in QtVLm's interface.
Much greater accuracy because it takes full account of PL and can zoom in to an extraordinarily high magnification. Use it (with some caution) and you need never BBQ.

Please login to post a reply.

Races

Next Race: 00d 00h 00m

Current Races:

Bar-tailed Godwit - Alaska to New Zealand 2026


Welcome to the autumn return flight of our bar-tailed Godwit, reflecting the bird's annual migratory route. This is the penultimate leg in our migration series. (The concluding leg is coming up simultaneously, 'Skimmer Dragonfly', start on the 11th of November. Not part of the 2026 OCCH). This race, at hand, is the next to last leg of the 2026 Ocean Race Championship. The voyage promises to be not only a test of skill and strategy but an immersive experience in the beauty of the vast Central Pacific Ocean. Join us as we push the boundaries of seafaring prowess on this epic adventure.
Let's fly like a Godwit!
Race #2065
INFOby brainaid.de
GunBoat 90 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking:
OCQ4 - OCCH - SYC - MIG
Race starts: Nov 02nd 11:00 Registration Open!
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Mistli's Birthday BBQ Race 2026


It’s that time of year again – November 1, time for Mistli’s birthday bash and BBQ! It’s the usual tricky 61.5nm through the SLI-infested Stockholm Archipelago to Mistli’s place at Trosa, this year in a slightly slower but seriously Swedish Scampi 26!
Race #2063
INFO by brainaid.de
Scampi 26 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: RED - SYC
Race starts: Nov 01st 14:00 Registration Open!
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

ORCV Melbourne to Devonport Race 2026

Welcome to the prestigious Rudder Cup, Australia’s oldest and most iconic yacht race! For over 110 years, this legendary 196nm classic has tested sailors' strategy and endurance across the notorious Bass Strait from Melbourne to Tasmania.

Organized by the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria, this year’s battle against the unpredictable Southern Ocean features the stylish Dehler 46. Designed by Judel/Vrolijk as a proper looker and built to race, this regatta cruiser is a virtual flyer packed with modular racing upgrades. Can you master her speed and conquer the shifting elements?

Chart your course and race for glory in this historic adventure!
Race #2068
INFO by brainaid.de
Dehler 46 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: TQD - SUPBUD - SYC
RACE CLOSE: Friday,
November 6 at 2300 UTC.
Race starts: Oct 30th 03:30 Registration Open!
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Mad Max by Balloon 2026 - Across the Outback


Mad Max Rockatansky doesn’t get to go in a balloon in any of the Legends of the Wasteland, and the Wasteland is not necessarily the Outback of Australia, but Mel Gibson and film director George Miller indubitably are… of Australia, and ballooning as reconnaissance is a main feature of the Mad Max spin-off video game, so here goes: 1500nm in a balloon from somewhere on the edge of the Outback, Goondiwindi, to cross a finish line at Fitzroy Crossing, somewhere on the edge of the Outback!
Race #1974
INFOby brainaid.de
SOL Balloon PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: BOL - SYC
Race starts: Oct 14th 13:00 Registration Closed
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Arctic Tern - Greenland to Antarctica 2026

Welcome to the fifth leg of our MIG series. Now it's time to race the Arctic Terns, on their migration from Greenland to Antarctica, 8300 NM. This is also part of our monthly Ocean Championship, and as such the first race of OCQ4 2026. This race will be sailed in our Maxi Trimaran. Race #2061
INFO by brainaid.de
Maxi Trimaran PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230 Ranking:
OCQ4 - OCCH - SYC - MIG
RACE CLOSE: Wednesday,
November 4 at 2300 UTC.
Race starts: Oct 05th 11:00 Registration Closed
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Go to race archive

SYC Ranking

  1. Sailonline Yacht Club Member KaSToR
  2. Sailonline Yacht Club Member CriticalHippo
  3. Sailonline Yacht Club Member rafa
  4. Sailonline Yacht Club Member rumskib
  5. Sailonline Yacht Club Member cdhinman
  6. Sailonline Yacht Club Member rthinman
  7. Sailonline Yacht Club Member Panpyc
  8. Sailonline Yacht Club Member BRENTGRAY
  9. Sailonline Yacht Club Member brandystrega
  10. Sailonline Yacht Club Member Sax747

View full list

Series

Mobile Client

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

The mobile client