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Profile for dtayls



Name dtayls
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Posts30
  • 2025-04-03 08:16:46
    Re: Poetry Saved for Posterity
    Board » General Discussion
    The 2025 Melbourne-to-Osaka has unleashed some new poets. Long ocean races play strange games with our minds ...

    wsguerin 04/02 20:36:49
    I’m following bubbles
    Spells nothing but troubles.
    VMC has its grip on my throat.
    But if I would dare
    To sail toward some air,
    Would some spots be gained by my boat?

    brellis 04/02 21:35:46
    I aim for the far-ahead ship o’
    The wizardly Critical Hippo
    For strategy’s sake
    I’ll look for his wake
    But if he makes a quick turn I’ll get burned!

    brellis 04/02 21:40:01
    My goal used to be the Top Twenty
    But now there’s great SOLers a-plenty
    Their boats move so swiftly
    I’ll try for Top Fifty
    But more likely to finish Top Seventy!

    Siaki 04/02 21:46:21
    Sleep in the Nite
    While the wx Bite
    Dreams of positions go by
    Can't figure out why
    Hoping to score
    Closer to Shore

    CriticalHippo 00:00:51 - In anti-poetic style
    The Hippo is sometimes a wizard
    But not in this race
    Nor is he a poet

    dtayls 00:25:14 - A haiku
    big puddle
    from south to north
    bonkers!

    dtayls 02:03:13 - Back to the limerick pattern
    And then there was W. S. Guerin
    For whom limericks are reoccurin'
    Antares will wait
    'Till we all take the bait
    And the fleet will be caught out errin'

    antares 05:34:12
    Through seas, wsguerin and Brellis did war,
    Their boats powered by brilliance, nothing more.
    Mechanics precise,
    Their minds cold as ice,
    Till one claimed the oceans to settle the score.

  • 2020-10-03 04:41:53
    Re: qtVlm thread
    Board » Technical Support
    Interesting. I wasn't aware of the 'selection tool'. I'll have to give it a go.
  • 2020-10-03 04:34:24
    Re: Weather - Brain Storm
    Board » General Discussion
    I agree with you @Zorba that "random factors should come from the weather itself".

    As you know I like the idea of using a different and more accurate model (perhaps ECMWF) for the underlying simulation but that might depend on gaining access to a high quality model to which most users do not have access.

    Another approach might be to introduce a certain degree of randomness in to the simulation's weather model, but what should the source of this randomness be?

    One option would be to choose a random mix of two or more models. This could be (a) fixed for the whole race or (b) change over time or (c) vary by lat&lon across the GRIB or (d) both meaning <x,y,t>.

    If model volatility or uncertainty GRIBs were available then this could also be used to add a little to the randomness model but I suspect many would consider this to be a step too far :-)
  • 2020-10-01 03:03:21
    Re: Weather - Brain Storm
    Board » General Discussion
    While they do indeed say "you will need to accept the terms of the ECMWF Standard licence and pay for the associated data and handling costs." what if that cost was $0 or the equivalent in Euros? I think you will find that their licensing model depends very much on how the data is to be used. The fact that SOL is a not-for-profit, that the data would not be made available for download to end users, and that we would not require 24x7 support might all have a big impact on the quoted price. Maybe someone should contact them and request a quote.

    As it stands in SOL we are given perfect weather information for each 6 hour window which is a little unrealistic. What's more, some people know the idiosyncrasies of how the SOL server interprets the data and are therefore able to use that knowledge to their advantage. Is this really fair? And given that we allow this and the use of routers then we'd might as well allow full autopilot control of our boats!

    If there is instability in in the weather then I would expect the underlying weather to reflect that and probably differ from the predictions. Those who understand the weather the best will generally make the best decisions and may even have a chance at winning over those who can drive the tools to perfection.

    Ideally the underlying weather model used in the SOL simulation is based on the most accurate available. But some people may have access to this unless we 'rule' it out. So maybe we could also introduce some variations in to areas where the model is unstable. Again, this could be fun :-)
  • 2020-09-29 00:27:13
    Re: Weather - Brain Storm
    Board » General Discussion
    VIbex: The key to my idea is to use an underlying weather model for the simulation which powers our virtual boats that is different from the predictions available to SOL competitors.

    I agree when you say "we're not actually living on the boats so you need some measure of predictability" but I don't think that means we need to be able to 100% predict the weather.

    When the weather is very stable and highly predictable then the models will likely be very closely aligned. In those cases it might be safe to sail very close to a mark or an island, but when the weather is less stable you might choose a wider safety margin over absolute performance.

    As for the question of using 'rules' to control which models can or can't be used, there is always going to be someone who wants to cheat.

    Ideally, I like the idea of using something like a pre-release beta version of the ECMWF model not generally available except to researchers, if such a thing exists. Another alternative might be a psuedo-random merge of multiple model GRIBs ... This could be a fun project :-)
  • 2020-09-27 00:57:45
    Re: Weather - Brain Storm
    Board » General Discussion
    ij said @ 2020-09-10 20:03:13:
    Also, they explicitly mention not-for-profits in their license selection guidance so you're just dreaming and there's little point in trying to ask anything from them.
    --
    i.

    Is it possible to get access to the ECMWF model for internal use only on the server while using the GFS model in the gribs provided to users?

    It seems to me that this would fit the licencing requirements for the not-for-profit use of the real-time ECMWF data.

    It would also be closer to reality in that the underlying model used on the server would be different to the forecasts available to users.

    There may also be a need for a new SOL rule that makes it illegal to use commercial paid-for products not available to all users for free.

    I think this would make for some more interesting racing.
  • 2020-09-26 12:13:06
    Re: AGL14 Releases
    Board » Technical Discussion
    dtayls said @ 2020-09-07 04:13:07:
    14.2.3 doesn't seem to automatically download GRIBs anymore :-(


    Looks like this only affected the Mel-to-Osaka race. Seems to work perfectly in other races. How bizarre!
  • 2020-09-26 11:32:29
    Merge of steering and DC tabs
    Board » General Discussion
    I really like @Zorba's idea of merging the 'steering' and 'DC' tabs. Maybe allow for 8-10 lines of DCs bacause if anyone is using more then they are probably using other tools to generate them.

    It would also help to be able to set an actual time rather than just a delay period.
  • 2020-09-26 11:26:04
    Extended predictors - Suggestion re the hourly indicators
    Board » General Discussion
    Love the new extended predictors. Thanks @ij.

    One small suggestion: Hourly indicators are open circles. Perhaps fill every 6-hourly circle to make a large dot. This would help in interpreting the longer predictors.

    The longer predictors will be really helpful when training up those new to SOL. The curly-whirly patterns can be very instructive.
  • 2020-09-07 04:13:07
    Re: AGL14 Releases
    Board » Technical Discussion
    14.2.3 doesn't seem to automatically download GRIBs anymore :-(

    This might help explain it:

    Exception in thread "Thread-1" java.lang.NullPointerException
    at grib.GribFactory.waitForGrib(GribFactory.java:215)
    at grib.GribFactory.run(GribFactory.java:146)
    at java.base/java.lang.Thread.run(Unknown Source)


    --- Last Edited by dtayls at 2020-09-07 04:30:17 ---

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Regata dell’Accademia Navale 2025

Welcome to Sailonline’s first partnership with the City of Livorno, in cooperation with the local yacht clubs and the Italian Navy, to offer you the online opportunity to race the Regata dell’Accademia Navale. 630nm in length, starting and finishing in Livorno, the race takes you the length and breadth of the Tyrrhenian Sea via Porto Cervo and Capri. Online, you will be sailing a Class 40, which should keep you well in with the top of the real-life fleet which we will be tracking on screen!
Race #1902
INFO by brainaid.de
Class 40 PARTICULARS
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Transat à Deux 2025

Above you see a single-handed sailor semi-foiling his Beneteau Figaro III to the horizon. It is in fact Ireland’s Sailor of the Year and the overall winner of last year’s Solitaire du Figaro, Tom Dolan. Somehow, we got our hands on a polar for the Class, and rather than trying to surreptitiously track Tom and his mates in the 2025 edition of the Solitaire, sailing rather-short, single-handed legs across the Celtic Sea and Biscay, we thought we’d see how our virtual craft would fare on the Class’s double-handed 3900nm Trans-Atlantic, from somewhere in Brittanny to somewhere in the Caribbean via somewhere in the Canaries. Allez, mes braves!
Race #1901
INFOby brainaid.de
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Race starts: Apr 20th 11:00 Registration Open!
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Gladstone Ports Corporation Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race 2025


Sailonline is thrilled to partner with the Queensland Cruising Yacht Club for the 2025 Gladstone Ports Corporation Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race. This 308 nautical mile offshore classic takes our fleet from Brisbane to Gladstone along Australia's stunning east coast. Racing in high-performance Cookson 50s, SOLers will face shifting winds and tactical decisions at every turn. It’s time to test your skills in one of Australia’s most iconic yacht races. See you on the start line!
Race #1904
INFO by brainaid.de
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Race starts: Apr 18th 01:00 Registration Open!
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Bahamas and Back TIMED Race 2025

Welcome to sunny South Florida for this race that has us crossing the Gulf Stream twice. We depart from Palm Beach for a short run over to Freeport, Bahamas then it’s on to Miami before heading to the finish line back in Palm Beach. This is a TIMED race, so you may RE-REGISTER HERE to 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 #1911
INFO by brainaid.de
Santa Cruz 70 PARTICULARS
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26 April at 23:00 UTC
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Sinbad by Balloon 2025 - Toamasina to Baia de l'Oiseau


You may recall that when last we visited Madagascar in the company of Sinbad, the Sultan commanded our intrepid inspirator to seek out fabled islands where in Summer the sun barely set. We did and we returned but the Sultan wasn’t happy with Sinbad’s report, so here we go again, now by SOL Balloon instead of sailing vessel. Expect to be in the air for at least 2100nm and depending on how the wind brings us, anything between two weeks and two months before we shall descend at the Sultan’s given coordinates!
Race #1884
INFOby brainaid.de
SOL Balloon PARTICULARS
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Ranking: SYC - SBB
Race starts: Apr 09th 11:00 Registration Closed
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Valparaiso to San Francisco 2025

Get ready for an exhilarating new challenge as we set sail on the fourth leg of the 2025 Ocean Championship Series! Following in the 19th century footsteps of Isabel Allende's heroine, Eliza Sommers, 'Daughter of Fortune', this all-new route takes us across the vast eastern Pacific, from Valparaíso, Chile, to San Francisco, California - a 3500nm journey of endurance, strategy, and pure sailing adrenaline. This leg will be raced aboard the powerful Rapido 60, pushing sailors to their limits as they navigate the open ocean. Do you have what it takes to conquer the Pacific? Join us and put your skills to the ultimate test!
PRIZE: SMPF
Race #1900
INFO by brainaid.de
Rapido 60 PARTICULARS
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Ranking: OCQ2 - OCCH - SUPSOL - SYC
Race starts: Apr 07th 11:00 Registration Closed
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Melbourne Osaka Cup Double-Handed Yacht Race 2025

Welcome once again to what these days is Sailonline’s almost annual virtual Melbourne to Osaka Yacht Race. In real life, this double-handed 5500 nm race between these two sister cities, one deep in the southern hemisphere, the other high in the northern hemisphere, is run every four to five years, and this year is such a year. So, this year’s online version is in sync with the Melbourne Osaka Cup 2025 organised by the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria (ORCV), and the Sandringham (SYC) and Osaka Hokko (OHYC) yacht clubs. We’ll be racing the well-known First 40, a popular size of boat which should be a good match for many of the boats entered in the real race. With the doldrums unavoidably lying across our course, you can expect to be at virtual sea for at least a month!
Race #1669
INFO by brainaid.de
First 40 Particulars
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: SYC
RACE CLOSE: Wednesday,
April 23 at 2300 UTC.
Race starts: Mar 16th 06:00 Registration Closed

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