Sailboat Races

Pixeleen, I've been thinking along those lines too. I'd like to recreate the battle between the Surprise and the French fleet in the Indian Ocean. I made a pretty faithful rendition of the Surprise, as you can see in the attached picture. Doc Nielsen can perform all the swordfighting parts. Maybe RacerX Gullwing will help with the cannons and exploding ships.

Funny that you two are considering this option.... saw pirates in Hollywood today There were no cannons and no swords, but they obviously have the right idea.

Dang you Pixeleen! I JUST put my 20 Aubrey/Maturin novels in storage last month. And now i will be forced to dig them out in order to post witty repartee. Oh well, I will take the NUTMEG OF CONSOLATION in the fact that they need to be read again. And with a little WINE Dark Sea I shall not be BLUE at the Mizzen.

I know, pretty bad.

Mark "Post Captain" Twain White

P.S. Loved the fact that the movie picked up on my favorite line (a toast by Aubrey) from the books:
"Here's to wives and sweethearts! May they never meet!"

Wow! Take a close look at that pix. That's the REALLY SHORT COURSE.

MarkTwain White

HOLLYWOOD (Sept. 25, 2005) -- Oliphant Ming has joined Kanker Greenacre as our second two time winner of our Weekly Regatta (ROW division).

Our first No-ROW Regatta had some exciting battles and has spawned a joking chat thread about on-board cannon and boarding parties for upcoming regattas. The melee was won by Online Doesburg who will be coming home from the hospital any day now.

Nber Medici was the top Little Critter in the LC Regatta.

Attendance: 20


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ROW Regatta Final Results

1. Oliphant Ming 3.50 pts
2. MarkTwain White 8.75 pts
3t Online Doesburg 11 pts
3t Eloise Pasteur 11 pts
5. Pixeleen Mistral 12 pts
6. Doc Nielsen 16 pts
7. Neal Nomad 21 pts
8. Nber Medici 22 pts

Race 1 ROW
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 1: MarkTwain White - +00:06:21
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 2: Oliphant Ming - +00:06:37
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 3: Pixeleen Mistral - +00:06:39
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 4: Doc Nielsen - +00:06:42
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 5: Online Doesburg - +00:06:45
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 6: Eloise Pasteur - +00:06:54
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 7: Neal Nomad - +00:08:37
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 8: Nber Medici - +00:08:44

Race 2 ROW
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 1: Oliphant Ming - +00:05:57
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 2: Eloise Pasteur - +00:06:14
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 3: MarkTwain White - +00:06:51
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 4: Online Doesburg - +00:07:08
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 5: Pixeleen Mistral - +00:07:09
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 6: Doc Nielsen - +00:07:27
DNF: Nber Medici, Neal Nomad

Race 3 ROW
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 1: Oliphant Ming - +00:05:51
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 2: Online Doesburg - +00:06:10
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 3: Eloise Pasteur - +00:06:17
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 4: Pixeleen Mistral - +00:06:25
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 5: MarkTwain White - +00:06:29
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 6: Doc Nielsen - +00:07:33
DNF: Neal Nomad DNS: Nber Medici

================================================

No-ROW Regatta Final Results

1. Online Doesburg 3.50 pts
2. Pixeleen Mistral 5.75 pts
3. Helen Dayton 11 pts
4t Doc Nielsen 12 pts
4t Nber Medici 12 pts
6. Neal Nomad 16 pts

Race 1 No-ROW
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 1: Online Doesburg - +00:06:42
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 2: Pixeleen Mistral - +00:06:50
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 3: Doc Nielsen - +00:07:03
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 4: Nber Medici - +00:07:27
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 5: Helen Dayton - +00:07:47
DNS: Neal Nomad

Race 2 No-ROW
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 1: Online Doesburg - +00:06:07
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 2: Helen Dayton - +00:06:49
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 3: Pixeleen Mistral - +00:07:21
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 4: Nber Medici - +00:07:47
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 5: Doc Nielsen - +00:08:53
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 6: Neal Nomad - +00:09:02

Race 3 No-ROW
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 1: Pixeleen Mistral - +00:06:56
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 2: Online Doesburg - +00:07:26
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 3: Helen Dalton - +00:07:55
DNF: Neal Nomad DNS: Nber Medici, Doc Nielsen

======================================================

Little Critters Regatta Final Results

1. Nber Medici 3.50 pts
2. Helen Dayton 4.75 pts
3. Harry Manilow 9 pts

Race 1 Little Critters
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 1: Helen Dayton - +00:06:41
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 2: Nber Medici - +00:07:01
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 3: Harry Manilow - +00:08:33

Race 2 Little Critters
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 1: Nber Medici - +00:06:23
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 2: Helen Dayton - +00:07:36
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 3: Harry Manilow - +00:07:49

Race 3 Little Critters
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 1: Nber Medici - +00:07:13
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 2: Helen Dayton - +00:08:45
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 3: Harry Manilow - +00:08:56

Am I the only one who finds this idea appealing?

Come to our practise session, 4pm Wednesday 28th September in Tompson (200,200) to start, and to see the new winds for Saturday's regatta.

Saturday's regatta will be the penultimate one in the series - but come along there are still lots of prizes up for grabs!

Lessons available for novice sailors, so beginners welcome!

No Budka you are not. I wonder if it can be done. What scripting would be required? And is it just pirates and fighting, or is it another form of racing? How would it be structured?

While everyone contemplates these quesitons I have a suggestion that I have been thinking about ever sense the term "bumper boats" entered the SL vocabulary a few weeks ago.

It would be an interesting cross between sailing and combat; racing and contact sports.Think of a cross between the America's Cup, American Football, English Rugby, and Roller Derby. And it would require no technology or scripting.

There would be two teams of four boats each. One team designates one of its boats as the "ball carrier", the other three boats on that team are the blockers. This team (the offensive team) starts behind the start line. The other team (the defense) deploys any where on the course side of the start line. At the start the "ball carrier" must make one complete loop of the course. In the case of Hollywood we would define the course as a clockwise circle of the island finishing by crossing the finish line in the same direction as the boat crossed to start the race. The other team tries to stop the ball carrier by using their boats as tacklers. The offensive blocking boats would run interference for the ball carrier.

The time it takes to complete the loop is recorded. And teams swap sides and do it again. Winning team is the team that takes less time to complete the loop. Wind would be set as steady an non varying. A referee would be appointed to stop play if the ball carrier was blocked in beyond the ability to continue. Clock would be stopped, and the teams would be moved to the center of the "field" and play resumed.

I hearby offer Hollywood as the sight of the first ever Big Bash "Hollywood Bowl" !

Who wants to play?

Mark "Hut one, Hut two" Twain

This was really quite fun. We didn't have as many people as we wanted (we had 4, not the 6 we wanted), but it was still great.

Oh, I got owned pretty hard, too:

After I posted the above message about the Big Bash several skippers came to Hollywood to give it a go. Kanker and I teamed up against Verkin and Solar Ixtab. We had fun trying to figure out the best strategies for advancing the ball.

In Verkin's pix above you can see him carrying the ball only to be trounced by Kanker and I. In the prior match he avoided us and cruised around the course for a touchdown.

We will gather again tomorrow at 6pm and give it another go. Come play Takoball with us!

Mark "Which Way Did He Go?" Twain White

Oh by the way, this is a NO ROW event. GRIN!

Just noticed the proposed route passes very close to some land I have just bought in Inari - and I've already built a jetty there if you want to make a slight d-tour....

I am sure tea and English muffins will be provided

LMAO!! This sounds like sooooo much fun. COUNT ME IN! Can we somehow figure out how to add Little Critters to the melee?

NO problem. They can be tied to the sides of the hull to prevent damage to the paintwork...

Should cannon be in use, an appropriate size tiny would also make excellent wadding, and in cases where one survives and swims back to the boat, may even be reusable...

Tinys DO have their part to play!

Meantime, having recently been killed, by a Tako (Eloise's) while sailing my Tako, I'm now investigating the possibility of skipper and crew shielding, not to mention fairly devastating retaliatory weaponry, which I'll be only too happy to demonstrate. Possibly after tonight's practice in Tompson.

If you manage to shoot an enemy tiny with a cannon while using another tiny as wadding you could easily take out two tinys while conserving amunition, and this sort of two-birds-wth-one-stone action should be scored appropriately. Taking out even a SINGLE tiny should be scored so that they become the preferred target. This is the only way to elevate their value above that of wadding and boat bumpers.

Tinys might also be usefully employed as sea anchors by placing them in nets and dragging them in the water from a line attached to your boat.

OUCH! and I thought that everyone liked little critters - and thought that they were cute. Guess that I am mistaken - a SEA ANCHOR??? Wadding? Boat bumpers?? Oh the humanity........

Saturday 1st October, 4pm. In Tompson, starting around (200,200) and with a platform for spectators to come and watch the start and finish and some other critical parts of the race to hand as well.

First prize $500
Second prize $200
Third prize $100

Minimal rules - come and enjoy sailing.

If you've never sailed before please come along a bit early for some practise time before the race. Takos aren't hard to sail, but do take a little bit of learning - the benefit of sailing with the wind just like a real yacht.

This is the fifth of six regattas, with a $1,000 prize to the overall winner. It's probably to late to enter and win that prize, but weekly prizes are still up for grabs for all comers!

All prizes courtesy of SL-rentals.com

For anyone who missed it the first time, or needs to be reminded, or just started reading this thread... the SLSF Flotilla will take off around 10 AM from the SLSF dock in Gualala (sorry, don't have the exact coordinates, it's on the north side). All makes and models of sailboats are welcome (Verkin? Neal? Garth? aEoLuS? Jessica? Anyone else have their own design?). If you can share a boat, that would be best. See my previous post for the proposed route. We'll make pitstops whenever and wherever the mood strikes us...

We will hold our regular ROW and No-ROW regattas today as usual in Hollywood sim.

2pm for ROW regatta
3pm for No-ROW regatta

At 4pm we will play around with Takoball (football in boats). Or we may have a suprise contest. Wait and see.

Herewith the results of the fifth regatta:

Overall

Eloise Pasteur 3.5 pts
MarkTwain White 8 pts
Doc Nielsen 8.75 pts
Pixeleen Mistral 9 pts
Helen Dayton 15 pts
Pratyeka Muromachi 18 pts

Individual race results.

Race 1

Eloise 6:55
Mark 7:03
Pix 7:33
Doc 7:55
Helen 7:58
Pratyeka 8:19

Race 2

Doc 6:29
Eloise 6:31
Mark 6:36
Pix 6:49
Helen 7:10
Pratyeka DNS (Crashed)

Race 3

Eloise 5:52
Pix 5:55
Mark 6:01
Doc 6:08
Helen 7:42
Pratyake DNS (Not back from his crash)

Congratulations to Doc on winning her first race in a regatta. As an inspiration to all beginners Doc started racing just over 4 weeks ago, this was her fourth regatta at Tompson and she placed 3rd overall and won one race.

If you're interested in such things you might notice from the spread of results that there was a lot more variation in the times for these race - reflecting the more variable winds that we sailed in. To highlight this Doc's time to finish fourth in race 3 was over 20s faster than her time to win race 2, and the top 4 finishers have differences of 1-2 minutes in their finish times between the races. To contrast that with regatta 3 (I happen to have the results to hand) the top four finishers (by time) had spreads of under 1 minute - some of which was doubtless caused by the penalties taken by two of the four.

Sorry for the delay in posting here - there were posts like Kanker's about the flotilla and then Mark's about yesterday's Hollywood that I figured were more important to keep at the top of the pile than these results.

HOLLYWOOD (Oct. 1, 2005) -- Pixeleen Mistral became the third person to win a Weekly Regatta in Hollywood. Her two predecessors each won the event back to back. Tune in

next Sunday to see if Pixeleen can duplicate Kanker and Oliphant's prior back to back victories.

Only the ROW regatta was run this week do to a late start, a sim crash, and the fact that most skippers were just to tired to go on with a No-ROW regatta.

Due to poor turn out among the Little Critters the past few weeks, the LC Regatta was not held this week. Future Little Critter regattas will be held if interest is expressed by

enough skippers (4) to hold an event.

1. Pixeleen Mistral 8.00
2. Online Doesburg 8.75
3. Oliphant Ming 9.75
4. Eloise Pasteur 10.00
5. MarkTwain White 13.00
6. Nber Medici 16.00
Doc Nielsen started in the initial race which was scrubbed by a sim crash. She was not able to relog. The crash occured during a SL wide problem that affected numerous sims.

Race 1
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 1: Oliphant Ming - +00:05:22
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 2: Eloise Pasteur - +00:05:59
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 3: Pixeleen Mistral - +00:06:10
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 4: MarkTwain White - +00:06:21
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 5: Online Doesburg - +00:06:22
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 6: Nber Medici - +00:06:38

Race 2
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 1: Online Doesburg - +00:05:29
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 2: Eloise Pasteur - +00:06:01
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 3: Pixeleen Mistral - +00:06:14
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 4: Nber Medici - +00:06:26
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 5: MarkTwain White - +00:06:49
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 6: Oliphant Ming - DSQ (Lost protest)

Race 3
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 1: Oliphant Ming - +00:05:46
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 2: Pixeleen Mistral - +00:06:14
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 3: Online Doesburg - +00:06:44
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 4: MarkTwain White - +00:06:51
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 5: Nber Medici - +00:07:13
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 6: Eloise Pasteur - +00:07:36

HOLLYWOOD (Oct. 1, 2005) -- Pixeleen Mistral became the third person to win a Weekly Regatta in Hollywood. Her two predecessors each won the event back to back. Tune in next Sunday to see if Pixeleen can duplicate Kanker and Oliphant's prior back to back victories.

Only the ROW regatta was run this week do to a late start, a sim crash, and the fact that most skippers were just to tired to go on with a No-ROW regatta.

Due to poor turn out among the Little Critters the past few weeks, the LC Regatta was not held this week. Future Little Critter regattas will be held if interest is expressed by enough skippers (4) to hold an event.

ROW Regatta Final Results

1. Pixeleen Mistral 8.00
2. Online Doesburg 8.75
3. Oliphant Ming 9.75
4. Eloise Pasteur 10.00
5. MarkTwain White 13.00
6. Nber Medici 16.00

Doc Nielsen started in the initial race which was scrubbed by a sim crash. She was not able to relog. The crash occured during a SL wide problem that affected numerous sims.

Race 1
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 1: Oliphant Ming - +00:05:22
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 2: Eloise Pasteur - +00:05:59
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 3: Pixeleen Mistral - +00:06:10
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 4: MarkTwain White - +00:06:21
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 5: Online Doesburg - +00:06:22
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 6: Nber Medici - +00:06:38

Race 2
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 1: Online Doesburg - +00:05:29
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 2: Eloise Pasteur - +00:06:01
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 3: Pixeleen Mistral - +00:06:14
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 4: Nber Medici - +00:06:26
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 5: MarkTwain White - +00:06:49
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 6: Oliphant Ming - DSQ (Lost protest)

Race 3
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 1: Oliphant Ming - +00:05:46
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 2: Pixeleen Mistral - +00:06:14
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 3: Online Doesburg - +00:06:44
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 4: MarkTwain White - +00:06:51
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 5: Nber Medici - +00:07:13
SLSF Race Start Line - SYC: 6: Eloise Pasteur - +00:07:36

I was watching out for the No-ROW regatta to be advertised, but as I was experiencing severe problems with my own connection, and noticed several people all go offline at the same time, I guessed something like that must have happened.

I've had some dreadful ping times over the last couple of days, but I think that may be more to do with my connection than SL itself.... hope it clears up soon.

Ok. So you all want gun mounted boats for No-ROW regattas, right? I mean Kanker even showed us his dream Gun Tako in message #193. So first I played around with something we ended up calling Takoball (football in Takos). But that gave me another idea. Why not boats that are easy to manuever and give us lots of chances for on water conflict resolution? Gun boat diplomacy?

Well here it is!

Come on by and take some pot shots and practice up for Gun Boat Games at 4pm on Sunday, right after the ROW Regatta and No-ROW Regattas.

Hollywood Sim

MarkTwain "Damn the sim borders! Full speed ahead!" White

HOLLYWOOD (Oct. 5, 2005) -- With the seasonal santa ana winds in Southern California kicking up right on schedule we see a changing weather pattern in Hollywood. Here in the SL version of Hollywood, the winds shift to the south by southwest. With the shift visions and scents of the South Pacific roll across our senses and minds.

With the change comes a new course in Hollywood, the Southwind Course. The marks are set, the maps are up. So come to Hollywood and try out the Southwind Course, which will be used for a time during our upcoming Weekly Regattas.

ROW Regatta Sunday at 2pm
No-ROW Regatta Sunday at 3pm
Hollywood Gun Boat Games at 4pm.

Added 10/9/05:
Here is a little memory device that can help skippers remember the new course:

First GO
Second YELL home

G= round green mark during first lap
O= round orange mark during first lap
YELL= round yellow mark on second lap and head home.
No other marks must be rounded.