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 » Race Times

A lot of races have been starting at 1800utc which seemed to be a good time for the majority of SOLers as it was evening in Europe, midday in the Americas and morning in the Antipodes.

However.. this has meant that Europe has had the convenience of evening / after-work race starts and this doesn't seem fair.

So... we shall trial a period of race times as follows:

1. If SOL is mirroring an IRL race then the SOL start will match, as close as it can, the IRL start.

2. If a SOLer has designed a race and wants a specific start-time, then that is what will prevail.

3. In the absence of 1 or 2, then a race will start at the UTC equivalent of 1000 LOCAL time in the place of the race.



--- Last Edited by RainbowChaser at 2010-10-25 21:04:36 ---
"3. In the absence of 1 or 2, then a race will start at the UTC equivalent of 1000 LOCAL time in the place of the race."

This still means "other continents then Europe" will have NO evening starts? Or do you mean 10 UTC PM?

Also, SOL has so many very good races in archives, shouldnt they be run more instead of inventing new races? (See also question of SWE54 in race calendar)
As a virtual gamer I like to bear in mind the relationship between the wx updates & the start timing. Meaning that from the towback the current weather will remain in effect for a substantial period for those who are relying on DC's to start the race.
None so blind
Calamity - you raise a good point.. after tomorrow's Italian start, and during this trial of start-times, no where will have dedicated evening starts unless a race is designed by someone who wants an evening start. All races will start at 1000 LOCAL time (but expressed as a UTC time for SOL purposes).

As for re-running races that are already in SOL's archive, this happens - the Russell Runt, Mistli's BBQ, Middle Sea Race, Orno Runt, Hobart to Sydney etc.

All race calendars are posted one to two months in advance in DRAFT format..i.e., open for everyone to comment on / make proposals.

It would therefore be wonderful if people would do this, especially those who have been on SOL since it started and who know which are the SOL-traditional races that should be fixtures in the SOL annual calendar.

Calamity - you raise a good point.. after tomorrow's Italian start, and during this trial of start-times, no where will have dedicated evening starts unless a race is designed by someone who wants an evening start. All races will start at 1000 LOCAL time (but expressed as a UTC time for SOL purposes).
I am afraid you dont understand me, many people work or have other RL preoccupations and would like to start in THEIR evening so 10 am their time might not be a good plan...and Aethereal has a good point also with WX and DC's, to be considered...this is not a real race but a game (ducking) and starting a game might just be much more convenient in the evening...lately Europe was very advantaged, we should, IMHO of course, ALTERNATE the starting times over the USA and NZL etc

--- Last Edited by Calamity at 2010-10-25 21:54:08 ---
OK... that is definitely fair...perhaps we can agree some evening start times then.

For races that are not associated with an IRL race and not with a fixed (by their designer) start time shall start in the evening in their respective time zones.

and.. evening will be 6pm local??

As SOL already tries to spread the race location around the globe this should work out quite fairly.

What do you think?

--- Last Edited by RainbowChaser at 2010-10-25 22:01:59 ---

Please login to post a reply.

Races

Next Race: 00d 00h 00m


Current Races:

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

Race to Up Helly Aa 2026

A-OI!!! The fiery spirit of Shetland’s legendary Up Helly Aa returns, and Sailonline’s annual race to Lerwick is once again upon us. Covering 383 nautical miles from Aberdeen, SOLers will tackle winter waters steeped in Viking tradition. This year, we race the classic Frers 33, a proven cruiser-racer born from the golden era of offshore racing and still a sturdy performer both on the virtual and real water. Can you master the course and reach Lerwick in time for the flames?

SAILING NOTE: Gruney may be approached from any direction but must be passed for rounding purposes as indicated on the chart.
Race #2005
INFO by brainaid.de
Frers 33 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking:
SYC
Race starts: Jan 30th 17:00 Registration Open!
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Red Eye - Hobart Convict Run 2026

Back in 2010, one of our SOLers of the first hour, AUS_Scott76, came up with this ‘Convict Run’ out from Hobart, past Cape Raoul and the penal colony of Port Arthur, round Tasman Island, up and back down the east coast of Tasmania, to finish with a tight technical run – so Scott called it – up the picturesque D'entrecasteaux Channel, home to Hobart once again. It’s 250nm, ideal for a bit of ‘Red Eye’ in comfortable Finngulf 43’s, and if the original idea was to pick up some convicts on the way for a bit of R&R and sea air, you may always drop’m back before returning to Hobart!
Race #2002
INFOby brainaid.de
FG 43 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: RED - SYC
RACE CLOSE: Monday,
February 2 at 2300 UTC.
Race starts: Jan 27th 12:00 Registration Open!
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

New Ice Age 2026 - Longyearbyen to Browerville


Although we have by no means exhausted the possibilities of ice boating on lakes at high latitudes or high altitudes, it was noticeable that as our 2025 Series progressed, there were calls from time to time for longer-distance challenges, and so in response to these calls we will pretend that global warming has reversed and as a result the coastal waters of Antarctica and Russia and Canada have fully (and smoothly!) frozen over offering us the possibility of a 4-race New Ice Age series in our trusted no-PL DN machines. Our first leg takes us 2600nm from Svalbard’s Longyearbyen east to North Alaska’s Browerville. You’ll be a few days on the ice, so dress warmly and take some provisions; go!
Race #1968
INFOby brainaid.de
DN PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: NIA - SYC
RACE CLOSE: Monday,
February 2 at 2300 UTC.
Race starts: Jan 22nd 07:00 Registration Closed
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Cross the Convergence 2026 - Robinson Crusoe to Galapagos


Welcome to our first race of a new series of ocean voyages across the World’s convergence zones, this first race taking you north from south of the Tropic of Capricorn to the Equator-straddling Galapagos, home of magical iguanas and other exotic fauna (but no mythical kings, Dory) Departing from the island where in 1704 adventurer Alexander Selkirk inspired Daniel Defoe to write the best-seller "The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe", by debarking off the unsound "HMS Cinque Ports", four months before she foundered off the coast of present-day Colombia, we will sail the 2200nm in our decidedly sounder and faster than the " Cinque Ports",
Ocean 50 !
Race #1983
INFOby brainaid.de
Ocean 50 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: CCZ - SYC
RACE CLOSE: Friday,
January 30 at 2300 UTC.
Race starts: Jan 16th 18:00 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 rafa
  5. Sailonline Yacht Club Member Sax747
  6. Sailonline Yacht Club Member rumskib
  7. Sailonline Yacht Club Member bonknhoot
  8. Sailonline Yacht Club Member vida
  9. Sailonline Yacht Club Member Panpyc
  10. Sailonline Yacht Club Member Kipper1258

View full list

Series

Mobile Client

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

The mobile client