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 » Race proposals » Windward/leward olympic triangle

Posted by
zowee


Users avatar

Posts
17
Registered at
2008-02-09 14:52:27
2010-08-28 16:44:34 - Windward/leward olympic triangle
How about doing a short race using a standard windward/leward course. There are several variations, but a fun one might be a windward triangle followed by windward/leward or "olympic triangle".

The trick here is that the RC would need to be on duty just prior to the race in order to set the marks relative to the wind direction.

It might be fun to try these races in different areas, perhaps using America's Cup boats in AC venues (Newport, Fremantle, San Diego, Auckland, Valencia, San Francisco).

Thoughts?

Zowee
Posted by
RainbowChaser


Users avatar

Posts
2656
Registered at
2009-06-14 09:44:50
2010-08-29 09:52:24 - Re: Windward/leward olympic triangle
I think it would be great fun, personally, but as SOL is designed for longer ocean races, the change in performance of the server with short high-zoom ones can annoy a lot of people! When traversing oceans the "jump" of boats is insignificant but when one is closely zoomed in (as in the unofficial practice racing) it is crucial to accept that boat-jumping is going to be very visible.

I think its great fun to do short races so I would love to take up your suggestion.

zowee - if you look at the list of boat-types in SOL at present (a sticky at the top of this Forum contains the list) maybe you would identify which boat types are missing that would be good and we can get working on sourcing the polars.

Also... we would need waypoint coordinates (in decimal degrees/minutes) for the individual courses.

You have my vote!! :-D
Posted by
zowee


Users avatar

Posts
17
Registered at
2008-02-09 14:52:27
2010-08-29 16:12:31 - Re: Windward/leward olympic triangle
A triangle course could be setup on large enough scale to work well with the SOL engine. The diagram shows the basic layout and angles. You can also introduce land features to make it more challenging and interesting. For example, make the windward leg distance 100 miles and placing an island in the middle of the windward leg.

The only challenge that I see is placing the course relative to true wind. Just as a RL race, you would ideally want to set the windward mark just prior to the race start.
Attachments
Posted by
RainbowChaser


Users avatar

Posts
2656
Registered at
2009-06-14 09:44:50
2010-08-29 16:34:59 - Re: Windward/leward olympic triangle
zowee - placing or moving a mark is doable up to 5 mins before a race starts to that wouldn't be a problem (so long as I am around anyway!!).

If you wanted realism, perhaps we could create ourselves some historic AC courses based on the locations the races were held? That would be easy enough to do... and THEN... maybe 76T or the other polar gurus on SOL could supply us with the polars of two/three competing boats.. so we could race it in the AC defender boat or one of two challengers (if there were more than one)!!

What do you think?

Posted by
zero


Users avatar

Posts
120
Registered at
2010-02-07 16:56:30
2010-08-31 01:42:08 - Re: Windward/leward olympic triangle
I agree with the triangular shape courses. There is no need for a perfect against the wind leg though.

The old AC 12meters had a narrow polar with a very defined optimum VMG angle, either upwind or downwind.

I suspect that with a perfect olympic triangule here on SOL, we would finish the race with several boats tie or within seconds of each other.

The challenge of racing here (on SOL) is to predict where you should be some time in the future to catch the wind shift, and keep on doing this consistent until the finish line. If we take the wind shifts or minimize them by shorthen the race that challenge goes away.

The Olympic races are very short in duration and in perfect or near perfect wind direction. The objective is to test the boat handling skills of the crew and the "right-of-way" racing rules. In those type of races you want to be in clear air and with preference at the marks all the time and do the tacks and gybes with precision.

Here on SOL we test our ability to predict wind shifts AND our ability to be there at the right time.

I do agree with you that triangular shaped courses are always interesting in the sense that opens more opportunities for the boats behind to catch up and the boats ahead to loose.

By triangular shape I mean start and finish in the same general area and 1 or 2 waypoints in between.

Think about how fun it was the round-England-Ireland, The Oshkosh race, the races in Sweden, the Texada islands race in Vancouver. They were ALL very exciting and nail biting till the end.

They all had in a way or another the same general characterists; start and finish near the same location and a few WP to pass.

The fact that those races didn't start exactly with the wind in the nose did not dimished the challenge at all.


Sail on,
Antonio

Posted by
newsartist


Users avatar

Posts
41
Registered at
2009-08-20 03:01:55
2010-09-25 13:04:02 - Re: Windward/leward olympic triangle
The problem with Triangle-Windward-Leeward-Windward, (later 12m AC course,) is that the legs overlap and make the course too hard to see.

Real races physically moved the Windward Mark to adjust while they were in progress.

My greatest coup in journalism, was one AC Defender's Trial when I recognized this. We only had a dozen spectator boats anywhere near us at the Finish. :)
Posted by
zowee


Users avatar

Posts
17
Registered at
2008-02-09 14:52:27
2010-10-13 12:48:25 - Re: Windward/leward olympic triangle
As I mentioned, someone in the RC would need to be available to set the windward (and gybe) marks prior to the start of the race. It would not be practical to manage a course change during the race, however.

To handle the problem of overlapped legs you simply place multiple marks at the same location.

It's not a perfect solution, but would be fun to try some time.

BTW news, I attended several AC 12M races in Newport, and was somewhat of an AC groupie back in the 70's and early 80's when you could walk right up to see the boats at the dock or on lifts.

zowee

Please login to post a reply.

Races

Next Race: 00d 00h 00m

Current Races:

Los Roques 2026


It's winter but not in the Caribbean, so welcome to Venezuela's Islas Los Roques archipelago for a 20nm sprint through these beautiful islands. Take care with your mutinous crew, they may be tempted to BBQ and snorkel!
Race #2007
INFO by brainaid.de
SOTO 30 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
RANKING:
SPQ1 - SPCH - SYC
RACE CLOSE: Wednesday,
February 11 at 2300 UTC.
Race starts: Feb 07th 13:00 Registration Open!
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Cross the Convergence 2026 - Samoa to Hawaii


The second race of our new series of ocean voyages across the World’s convergence zones, takes us northward again up the Pacific Ocean, now from Samoa at 13.5 degrees South, across the Equator to Hawaii, famed for its breaking surf and active volcanoes, on the edge of the Tropic of Cancer at 19.5 degrees North. It’s 2300nm, so we’ll take our very steady Steinlager II. Race #1982
INFOby brainaid.de
Steinlager IIPARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: CCZ - SYC
Race starts: Feb 06th 18:00 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 starts: Feb 03rd 13:00 Registration Open!
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

West Papua to Oregon 2026

Our next race in our Ocean Championships is the first of a series of great natural migrations we will track in 2026. The leatherback turtle is the most widely distributed marine reptile on planet Earth, and chooses to breed in warm tropical waters, but prefers to forage in more temperate habitats, travelling thousands and thousands of miles effortlessly annually to maintain this way of life. Our race will follow one of the typical trips of this turtle, from breeding grounds in the seas off West Papua to the coast of Oregon. It’s only 5900nm, so to keep up, but in comfort, we’ll follow in our Gunboat 90.
Race #2006
INFO by brainaid.de
GB 90 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: OCQ1 - OCCH - MIG - SYC
Race starts: Feb 02nd 11:00 Registration Open!
▶ 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 rafa
  5. Sailonline Yacht Club Member rumskib
  6. Sailonline Yacht Club Member Sax747
  7. Sailonline Yacht Club Member vida
  8. Sailonline Yacht Club Member bonknhoot
  9. Sailonline Yacht Club Member Kipper1258
  10. Sailonline Yacht Club Member Panpyc

View full list

Series

Mobile Client

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

The mobile client