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 » General Discussion » Weather Routing

Posted by
JimGodders


Users avatar

Posts
3
Registered at
2011-11-06 17:56:14
2012-05-29 04:59:22 - Weather Routing
Hi all,
I've joined SOL so I can learn to compete in long ocean races manually rather than use an automated weather router. Problem is, I don't have the foggiest ideaon where to start! I've had a look around the internet, but haven't been able to find anything for beginners to this, other than some blogs such as SOL's 76trombones.

I appreciate the concepts of VMG and VMC in getting to a point, but at tbr moment I have no idea on where that point should be based on other things such as the weather. A couple of questions I have are:

- Do you work forwards, i.e. look at where you can be in 6, 12 hours etc, or work backwards and look at where you want to be in 2-3 days and route based on that?
- Is there some sort of rule about straying to far from the GC? I can't imagine its wise to add an extra 100 miles to the route for an extra half knot of wind.

I really want to try and get better at this, so any info you have for a begginer would be much appreciated. Also, if anyone is aware of any other media (books or websites etc), that would also be bery helpful!

Thanks in advance!!
Posted by
NZL_Scotsman


Users avatar

Posts
251
Registered at
2008-10-04 07:59:40
2012-05-29 09:22:34 - Re: Weather Routing
Hi Jim

I've picked things up gradually by experimentation and trying to understand what the better SOLers are doing. We are a friendly bunch especially in the chat, so I've learnt a lot of little lessons since joining here.

Some of my tips:
- Try to understand what the top 10 ranked SOLers are up to. If all of them head 30 deg away from the rhumb line, there will be a very good reason. Ask them why, see what happens, learn from what they do.
- To begin with play the long term game on ocean races. Don't worry too much about hour to hour changes. Ignore the ranking until the end. Aim to compete with SOLers of a similar ability rather than the very best (to begin with anyway). Aim for the top 100, then the top 50, then top 25. You have to be very very good to compete for the top 10 - not many get there even after a couple of years, and most not at all.
- Learn the details on shorter races or practice races. VMC, VMG, playing wind shifts etc - all easier to see how the work over an hour or two, or a day. The longer races have a lot more going on and once you are 6 hours behind, you are in a different race.
- Break a race up into manageable chunks. Say the race is 2 days long. Break it up into 6 hour periods. Work backwards from the finish. Work forwards from the start. Explore a few different options using the polar, the weather forecast and a calculator. Predict where you will be for each period. Then look at the first period in more detail. How do you get to the end of the first period in the best position?
- Investigate why different options worked or didn't. We have up to 1000 playing a game, so there are many variables being played out. That we end up so far apart at the finish with identical boats shows how important navigation is.
- Don't worry about stuff ups. We all make them. They are part of learning when to be aggressive or conservative, or even just learning how to play the game.
- Enjoy it!

Cheers, Kevin

Please login to post a reply.

Races

Next Race: 00d 00h 00m

Current Races:

Africa by Sea - Swakopmund to Maputo 2025


Time again to continue our exploration of Africa by Sea, which now takes us around the tip of the continent at Cape Agulhas and up the coast of South Africa to Mozambique’s marvellous Maputo, where we should find good anchorage in the bend of the Rio Espirito Santo (Umbuluzi) once we’ve cleared the 60m high Maputo - Katembe suspension bridge. It’s 1900nm and we’ll be glad to be sailing our comfortable and sturdy Xp-55, as we will certainly experience more headwinds!
Race #1857
INFOby brainaid.de
Xp-55 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: SYC - ABC
Race starts: Jun 11th 17:00 Registration will open soon
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Isle of Wight RTI Sprint 2025


Welcome to the Isle of Wight in the British Isles. A past home to Queen Victoria and the foundation of the America's Cup when yacht racing became popular in the 1800's. This particular race was last raced on SOL in 2012 to follow Soler JuJu sailing around the island. We return, long overdue, to race our final Q2 sprint around the island.
Race 1918
INFO by brainaid.de
Ker 40 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking:
SPRQ2 - SPRCH - SUPSOL – SYC
Race starts: Jun 07th 09:00 Registration Open!
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Marquesas to Young Island 2025

The adventure continues as we launch this fourth leg of the RWW series, racing from Marquesas to Young Island in the Balleny Islands, a group of islands in the Southern Ocean only 62 nm from Antarctica. Get ready for a chilling new challenge as we set sail on the sixth leg of the 2025 Ocean Championship Series! A 4100nm journey of endurance, strategy, and pure sailing excitement. This leg will be pursued aboard the race machine RP66, pushing sailors to their limits. Do you have what it takes to conquer the Southern Ocean? Join us and put your skills to the ultimate test!
PRIZE: SMPF
Race #1909
INFO by brainaid.de
Raichel/Pugh 66 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: OCQ2 - RWW - OCCH - SUPSOL - SYC
Race starts: Jun 02nd 11:00 Registration Open!
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

TuziTekwini TIMED Race 2025

Sailonline is delighted to have been invited to partner with the King Shaka Yacht Club (KSYC) of South Africa to bring a virtual version of the Tuzi Tekwini Ocean Raceto our online community.
The Tuzi Tekwini Ocean Race is a near 90 nautical mile race down the east coast of South Africa from the port of Richards Bay to the port of Durban. Achievable in a single day and seen by some as an easy mile-builder, the course is more tactical than some think and should not be underestimated. This iconic race promises to be an unforgettable experience for yachting enthusiasts.
Our online version of the race will be a TIMEDrace so you may RE-REGISTER HEREto try again after finishing a run. You will have 13 days and 11 hours to test your skill and decision making after the race opens.
Race #1916
INFOby brainaid.de
Sailonline’s virtual yacht for all your runs will be our much-loved Farr 38 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking:
TRQ2 - TRCH - SUPSOL - SYC
RACE CLOSE: Saturday,
14 June at 23:00 UTC
Race starts: Jun 01st 12:00 Registration Open!
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Susan Hood Trophy Race 2025

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, and we sail in Beneteau First 36.7s. Bon voyage!
Race #1920
INFOby brainaid.de
First 36.7 PARTICULARS
NAM_AWIP WX Updates:
0245 / 0845 / 1445 / 2045
Ranking: SYC - LOOR
RACE CLOSE: Saturday,
June 7 at 2300 UTC.
Race starts: May 30th 23:45 Registration Closed

▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

SoCal 300 2025


With this year's California Offshore Race Week already well under way, here now is your chance to participate virtually in SDYC's challenging 243nm (as the seagull flies) SoCal 300 from Santa Barbara to San Diego. With a wide and wild range of boats entered for the real race, whose progress we hope we will be able to follow on our own chart by linking to the YB tracker, virtual SOLers will have to dig deep to remain competitive in our trusty Santa Cruz 52s.
Race #1919
INFO by brainaid.de
Santa Cruz 52 PARTICULARS
NAM_AWIP WX Updates:
0245 / 0845 / 1445 / 2045
Ranking: SYC
RACE CLOSE: Sunday,
June 8 at 2300 UTC.
Race starts: May 29th 20:00 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 KaSToR
  4. Sailonline Yacht Club Member FreyjaUSA
  5. Sailonline Yacht Club Member Patrick70119
  6. Sailonline Yacht Club Member Kipper1258
  7. Sailonline Yacht Club Member rafa
  8. Sailonline Yacht Club Member rumskib
  9. Sailonline Yacht Club Member Smo
  10. Sailonline Yacht Club Member bonknhoot

View full list

Series

Mobile Client

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

The mobile client