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Board » Flag Officers » Races » Finishing Lines

Posted by
StuArt


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2008-11-15 22:03:54
2012-04-06 09:58:29 - Finishing Lines
Hi addicts,

In our howto about race proposals it says that finishing lines should have a certain lenght - ocean race for example 5nm and weekenders can be shorter.
I found that a good idea; after 3 weeks racing missing the line because you cannot finish around a tricky course is not funny.
Again the leg 5 finishing line is way too short and is situated in a position, that you have to watch your course at least 2 or 3 hours before. I don't like that.
Hows your opinion?

regards

Stu
Posted by
Tempest


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2009-06-16 17:44:17
2012-04-06 13:47:16 - Re: Finishing Lines
Hi Stu

On one hand I agree as i am not that great in setting DC's (no patience to calculate) . However on the other hand we want races to be as real as possible.
In my opinion this also includes, unfavourable or short start / finishlines , unfavourable start time somewhere around the globe.
To summon up my view keep "real races" as real as possible and amend the manual with a note that for real races line length maybe shorter.

groeten/ regards
Tempest
Posted by
Rod


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2010-06-24 22:30:48
2012-04-06 17:10:45 - Re: Finishing Lines
It may be nice for sailors to be able to finish while not being logged in for many hours. But in some parts of the world, any given S-F line may be convenient or inconvenient. Well---tough!!!
I would be greatly in favour of placing start and finish lines in the same places as the IRL race being modelled. I would also favour the use of the same in-port courses as the Volvo Ocean Race, just to name one example.
There surely should be no intention to make the SOL races EASIER than the real ones.
If it breaks, it's not strong enough--if it doesn't, it's too heavy.
Posted by
NZL_PaulR


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2008-07-22 12:21:30
2012-04-06 21:09:30 - Re: Finishing Lines
I agree with Rod. As real as possible, "ultimate online sailracing experience", as per SoL's stated aim on the home page.

I prefer the finish lines to be as accurate as possible and if that means short tacking up a river at the finish, then so be it. e.g. Antwerp & Hobart, and those ports are on the opposite sides of the world.

Be fair to all of us, where ever we are.

Sorry StuArt but you need a concrete pill, and a rum or three!! LOL!!


--- Last Edited by NZL_PaulR at 2012-04-06 21:10:11 ---

--- Last Edited by NZL_PaulR at 2012-04-06 21:10:37 ---
If it breaks, it's not strong enough!
Posted by
NZL_PaulR


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2008-07-22 12:21:30
2012-04-06 21:19:08 - Re: Finishing Lines
Tempest: DCs need practice and if in doubt then it can be "Wise and Prudent" to set a different but useful strategy nevertheless.

e.g. set a DC for TWA=0 so that you stop near a mark OR hit a handy island.

This way one does not sail miles away from a mark, fiord or river entrannce and then have hours to sail back again.

See my performance in the Auckland Tauranga race where I went close hauled too soon and did not round Channel Island correctly, and then sailed way past back again across the Hauraki Gulf till I hit land and then had to sail back to Channel Island again.

As the consultant said,

"Take my advice, I'm not using it".

Good luck!!
If it breaks, it's not strong enough!
Posted by
StuArt


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2008-11-15 22:03:54
2012-04-07 12:47:52 - Re: Finishing Lines
Ah well: regardlessly you think I am a sl (sissy lala) :-p and irrespectivly I should let go:

With the reality thing you got me:
-The finishing line IRL is 0.37nm long; our is 2nm. Why not 1nm or 5nm or 25nm? (well: in the official R&R papers there is not definition of the line either).

-I couldn't find any ice gates in the game. A terrible lack of IRL, because I wouldn't have taken this stupid decision to go south (resp. follow 76T...hahaha).

- Why not having a proper IRL start line as well? That should do things quite real and exciting - just in case you are missing out some excitement, Paul ;-)

No no no: I liked the practice having long finishing lines some time ago (and nobody accused us being not real enough :-p).

About short races I agree: tricky and short lines are part of the fun :-s

best regards


Stu

Posted by
NZL_PaulR


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2008-07-22 12:21:30
2012-04-08 07:29:01 - Re: Finishing Lines
Start Lines.
Yes I agree StuArt. In the past I have debated / proposed the Sydney Hobart, White Island races etc be as near to the IRL start, rather than outside the harbour headlands. Yet in the Tall Ships races the start lines were small & within the harbours from memory.

Ice Gates.
Yes missing in SoL WR but I think that gave everybody a unique perspective. Certainly I went a long way south and tried to stay on the great circle course. This is one advantage of SoL whereby we can compare theoretical vs actual performance. I jotted down the odd Volvo boat position for comparison at times, but it was labourous task. I would have preferred the Tall Ships solution where real boats are also shown as "@name", allowing direct comparision.
Equally the Global Ocean Race and the Clipper RTWR boat positions could be shown, if they happen to be in our parts of the world's oceans.

Other Virtual Races e.g. to North Pole could be interesting, especially as they can't be done IRL. Likewise racing in the Amazon, Dead Sea, Lake Titucana(Spell?) Peru where rainfall, altitude etc could be new factors. Perhaps the Amazon would need a "river current" so navigating bends, shallows and rapids would be new challanges. There is a lot of undeveloped potential in SoL.

Finish Lines:
should be identical to IRL finish lines, even if zooming in is required for final approaches. I don't know if there is a server load problem handling 1,000 boats onto a narrow finish.

Likewise many finishes are between 2 headlands, or under a bridge etc and the finish line should be at 90 degrees to the last natural headland, as IRL it often is.

Practice races are just that . . . PRACTICE so a long finish line is OK.
Personally getting up at 0600 in the morning just for a practice race is not on my agenda, that's far to early for me.
I have looked at the odd practice course and I think they are well designed, varied and quite different.
If it breaks, it's not strong enough!

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