Sailing the Flying Tako

The Second Life Sailing Federation grew out of the realistic sailing physics system developed by Kanker Greenacre for his Flying Tako sailboat.

The Flying Tako 3 is the current deluxe model priced at L$250, while the Flying Tako 2 provides a great introduction to SLSF sailing for only L$1. Both models offer similar handling and are regularly sailed at SLSF events.


This thread is a reference for piloting SLSF-standard "Flying Tako" series sailboats. Questions and answers, community tips, and general Tako performance discussion should follow the basic instructions posted within this thread.

Racing rules and computer performance tips do not belong here, and should be posted separately.

Flying Tako by Kanker Greenacre

QUICK START INSTRUCTIONS:
-------------------------------
1) Get your HUD attachments by saying "hud" and then allow them to attach to your avatar.
2) To start sailing right away, say "raise" or click the "raise" button on your button HUD.
3) To steer left and right, use the left/right arrow keys or the 'a' and 'd' keys (when not in chat mode).
4) To move the sail in or out, use the up/down arrow keys or the 'w' and 's' keys.
5) To come to a full stop, say "moor" or click the "moor" button.

*** If you get confused at any point, RTFM!
*** If you don't know the first thing about RL sailing, you should read ALL the instructions below.
*** I'm serious, you'll be saving yourself a lot of frustration if you read through ALL the instructions.
*** Don't say I didn't warn you!

INTRODUCTION (skip the first four paragraphs if you like - the rest of the instructions are actually important):
--------------------------------------------------------------
Congratulations on owning the legendary-in-its-own-mind "Flying Tako" sailboat. I know it might not look like much, but this is without a doubt one of the most realistic virtual sailboats you can buy in Second Life, at least in terms of operation and dynamics. I've tried to make the Flying Tako sail as realistically as possible, making compromises only when computing speed was at stake or I was too lazy to figure something out.

People have been sailing the "Tako" (as it is affectionately known to its fans - to its detractors, it's known as the "Flying Crappo" for literally thousands of years. Most archaeologists agree that the first Flying Tako was built in Ancient Egypt, probably around 2350 BC according to advanced microastrological dating methods. Back then the builders had to use mud, reeds, and rat hides for the construction materials. Egyptologists believe Flying Takos were originally used by smugglers to ferry camels across the Nile River, there being no such thing as helicopters in those days. Over the next dozen centuries or so, as the science of sailing evolved, the Egyptians added a sail to the Tako, and then a rudder, and then finally a handle for the rudder - what we now call a "tiller."

Believe it or not, but the original Takos were considered to be status symbols, much like Hummers or Camaros are today. The royal tomb underneath the Great Pyramid in Giza has a depiction of King Takokhamen sailing his Flying Tako at the head of an enormous fleet of galleys and barges, presumably leading the way to the Royal Beach House on the Mediterranean (scholars dispute the interpretation of the accompanying hieroglyphics - some believe that Takokhamen may have been fleeing authorities over charges of running a pyramid scheme).

Over time, with the invention of the assembly line and the discovery of new rat-skinning techniques, Flying Takos became much more affordable. Today's Flying Tako may look a little different from those first boats made out of sticks and mud, but it still uses that most ancient of power sources... WIND! (or in our case, FAKE WIND!)

If you've ever sailed before, operation of the Flying Tako should be a piece of cake. If you are new to sailing, then I suggest you find a really big body of water and just play around until you get the hang of it. I hope my notes below and Eloise Pasteur's companion notes ("Sailing the Tako" make it easier to learn. Please IM me in game if you have problems or have found a bug.

You must be seated before you can operate the boat. Right-click on the starboard (righthand) bench and choose "Sit." The port (lefthand) bench is reserved for passengers. If you unsit at any time, the boat will reset and become non-physical until you start it again. When you are ready to begin sailing, say "raise" to raise the mainsail.

The default camera position is above and behind the boat, and may be the easiest point-of-view for beginners. Once seated, you may need to hit "Esc" to go the default view. Some people prefer sailing in mouse-look mode (View->Mouselook).

Looking for somewhere to take it for a spin? Try FairChang Island or Hollywood. If you're into blue water sailing, try the "void" sims around Baffin and Celebes, or the Sea of Sighs from Torch to Tompson. Join the Second Life Sailing Federation for race announcements.


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:
-----------------------
Many thanks to (in alphabetical order) Bino Arbuckle, Oliphant Ming, Pixeleen Mistral, Didge Nino, Eloise Pasteur, and Gearsawe Stonecutter for their contributions and technical assistance, and thanks to all the beta testers for helping make this the best Tako ever!


NEW FOR 3.1:
--------------
- "lite" and "liter" versions of the info HUD (say "hudlite" or "hudliter"
- The alpha command works for both the mainsail and the spinnaker.
- Sail alpha setting is retained even after mooring and re-rezzing
- Wind settings are now locked during races (from start to finish), and can only be unlocked by crossing
the finish line or waiting 30 minutes. This means your boat's race wind settings will not be affected
by other wind setters along the race route.
- "anim on" and "anim off" work again.
- The inside of the spinnaker will turn dark gray when it collapses

NEW FOR 3.0:
--------------
- Spinnaker
- HUD attachments
- Silent command channel
- Bowspray and wake particle effects
- Sound effects
- Home position
- Improved dynamics
- Programmable HUD buttons (12 of them)
- Modifiable Camera Position
- Tako wind can be set 30 minutes after leaving the vicinity of a wind setter, and no sooner
- Sail raising animation


KEY CONTROLS:
----------------
- Use the left and right arrow keys (or 'a' and 'd') to steer the boat.
- Use the forward and backward arrow keys (or 'w' and 's') to "sheet" (i.e., pull the mainsheet (i.e., the rope)
that pulls the mainsail in and out.
- Use the page up and page down keys (or 'e' and 'c') to trim the spinnaker.


VOICE COMMANDS (on channel 0 or 1):
----------------------------------------
"raise" -- raise the mainsail and begin sailing.
"lower" -- lower the mainsail and stop sailing. Note that the boat will continue to drift.
"moor" -- reset the boat to non-physical state. You will have to stand up and re-sit to resume sailing.
"sheet X" -- sheets in or out the mainsail by X degrees ("sheet -5" will pull the sail in by 5 degrees).
"spinnaker" -- raises and lowers the spinnaker.
also "spin"
"centerboard" -- raises and lowers the centerboard (raise for shallow water or downwind sailing, lower for
sailing closer to the wind or to otherwise reduce leeway).
-- also "cb"
"set dock" -- sets the home position of the boat to the current position and orientation.
"dock" -- moves the boat to the home position. Do not use unless you have already used "set dock".
"show dock" -- reports the home position.
"id XX" -- displays a two-digit number between 00 and 99 at the top of the mast (you must enter two
digits, e.g.: "id 05".
"letters AA" -- displays one or two letters at the top of the mast, next to the ID. E.g. "letters FT".
"hud" -- rezzes two HUDs for you to attach (Tako Info HUD and Tako Button HUD).
You can reuse these HUDs from inventory after detaching them.
N.B. - these HUDs are internally aligned for a 1600x1200 screen resolution. Your screen settings
may cause slight misalignment. Also, you can reposition and stretch the HUDs by right-clicking
on them and choosing "edit".
"hudlite" -- gives you a streamlined versions of the HUD without all the bells and whistles. Accept it and
then "wear" it from inventory.
"hudliter" -- even more streamlined version.
"alpha X" -- sets sail and spinnaker opacity ("alpha 25" sets sail to 25% opacity [alpha=0.25], or 75% transparency).
"knots" -- changes speed units on the HUD to knots (nautical miles per hour).
"color X" -- sets color to one of several choices, where X can be (without the quotes):
"red", "baby blue", "lemon", "blah", "hot pink", "blue", "gray", "beige", "schwarz",
"tangerine", "orenji", "pourpre", "white", "brun", "tan", "green", "aquamarine", "fire".
"color <x,y,z>" -- sets color via a RGB color vector, where x, y, and z are floating point values between 0 and 1.
"color random" -- picks a random color for the hull.

"vane off" -- turns off the wind indicator at the top of the mast.
"vane on" -- turns wind indicator back on.
"SH X" -- causes your boat to shout X. E.g. "SH STARBOARD!!!! YOU HAVE NO RIGHTS!!!" Try programming
a shout command into one of your HUD buttons. These may come in handy during races.
"dry" -- will put the sail up for "drying" when you step out of the boat. Say "dry" again to stow the sail
while moored. This is so people can show off their sail designs while the boat is docked.
"anim on" -- starts the helm animation.
"anim off" -- stops the helm animation.
"button X command" -- set the command for button X in the button HUD (button 1 is lower left, button 2 is lower
right, button 10 is upper right). E.g. "button 1 color random".

THE FOLLOWING COMMANDS may not be used when in the vicinity of a wind setter (usually when racing at
an official event), or within 30 minutes of the end of a race:
"practice" -- toggles between SL wind and practice wind (or race wind).
"wind dir X" -- sets prevailing wind direction, where X is degrees CCW from the East.
"wind spd X" -- sets the average wind speed, where X is in m/s.
"dir+- X" -- allows the wind direction to vary over +/- X deg.
"spd+- X" -- allows the wind speed to vary over +/- X m/s.
"rate X" -- scales the rate that wind changes (rate 2 sets to twice as fast as default).
"pp" -- toggles between phantom and non-phantom status, allowing your boat to pass through low bridges.


ABOUT THE SPINNAKER:
-------------------------
The spinnaker is intentionally hard to use, just as it would be in a real racing dinghy. As you read through these directions, it may help you to draw a diagram. These are the things to keep in mind if you decide to put the spinnaker up:
- If the spinnaker collapses at any time (i.e., it folds up, rotates out in front of the boat, and becomes dark
gray), it will start slowing your boat down. This is bad.
- If the wind angle is less than 90 deg, the spinnaker collapses
- If the wind speed is less than 2.0 m/s, the spinnaker collapses
- If the wind is more than 10 deg ahead of the leading edge of the spinnaker, it collapses.
One way to measure this is to subtract the spinnaker sheet angle from the wind angle.
If the difference is greater than 100 deg (90+10), the wind is too far ahead of the leading edge.
- If the mainsail is up the optimal spinnaker sheet angle is always: (wind angle - 90 deg)
- If the wind angle is less than 150 deg, the optimal spinnaker sheet angle is always: (wind angle - 90 deg)
- If only the spinnaker is up and the wind angle is greater than 150 deg, the optimal spinnaker angle is
such that the spinnaker is centered 180 deg off the wind.
- You will almost always benefit from having both sails up if the wind angle is greater than 90 degrees.
- You should always leave the mainsail up when you put the spinnaker up if you want to sail as fast as possible.
- The spinnaker is pretty sensitive to slight deviations off the optimal sheet angle. Moving just 10 deg off
the optimal angle can cause it to collapse under certain conditions.
- The spinnaker pole automatically moves to the proper side of the boat. In RL, this would be done by the crew.
In SL, no worries!
- Practice makes perfect, and remember: RTFM!


INFO HUD:
----------
WIND DIR: direction wind is coming FROM, relative to bow, measured CCW.
SHEET ANGLE: maximum allowed angle of sail, set by the mainsheet.
SAIL ANGLE: actual angle of sail (or boom) relative to centerline, measured CCW.
SPIN ANGLE: spinnaker sheet angle, relative to a center position
WIND SPEED: wind speed.
BOAT SPEED: true speed of the boat over the ground.
DEPTH: depth of water at center of boat (from sea level).
***Clicking on the Info HUD causes the background to switch from opaque to transparent and vice versa.


BUTTON HUD:
--------------
The ten buttons can be programmed with any chat command for quick control of important boat functions. You can program the buttons with this chat command:
"button X command" -- set the command for button X in the button HUD (button 1 is lower left, button 2 is lower right, button 10 is upper right). E.g. "button 1 color random".
Clicking on the little shiny button toggles the buttons from opaque to transparent.


CHANGING THE CAMERA SETTING:
-----------------------------------
Inside the Tako's inventory, you'll find a script called "Camera." You can modify the code in this script to change the camera position and the direction it's pointing (relative to the boat). Note that the new camera angle and position will only take effect after you resit.


CUSTOMIZING THE SAIL, BOW, AND SPINNAKER TEXTURES:
--------------------------------------------------------------
- There is a zip file containing a template for the sail (.tga) at: /invalid_link.html
- The image is 2048 pixels high by 512 pixels wide, but the top half is transparent.
- The sail texture requires the use of an alpha channel to look right (the sail prim is actually a rectangular shape). If you are unfamiliar with alpha channels, www.sluniverse.com has a good tutorial. You will need to save your drawings as targa (.tga) files.
- If your design includes text or directional images, you will need to make one version for the right side of the sail, and a version with a mirror image of the text or design for the left side.
- After uploading the tga files, rename the texture for the right side of the sail "sail_raised_right" and for the left "sail_raised_left". You may also make a texture for the furled sail -- call it "sail_furled".
- Edit your Flying Tako, check the "Edit linked parts" box, and click on the sail prim. Then drag your new sail textures into the sail prim's inventory. They will be automatically detected and displayed.
- Now when you raise and lower the sail, your textures will be used in place of the defaults.
- You can remove the textures from the sail prim's inventory to get rid of them - it will revert to defaults.
- The texture for the bow (where it says "Flying Tako" is much simpler.
- Make a square bitmap (.bmp) image with white background and your text along the top (or upside down and at the bottom for the left side of the bow).
- Load it into SL, rename it "hull", and drag it into the bow prim's inventory just like you did for the sail prim.
- The spinnaker will accept a texture called "spinnaker", which is applied to both sides. This texture should be rectangular, keeping in mind that the top will be pinched down to a point since it is being applied to a section of a sphere. Also, the spinnaker consists of two sections, both of which need the new texture dropped on them (or placed in their inventories).

Flying Tako by Kanker Greenacre

Congratulations on owning the legendary "Flying Tako" sailboat. People have been sailing the "Tako" (as it is affectionately known to its fans) for thousands of years. The first Flying Tako was built in Egypt, probably around 1050 BC according to carbon dating. Back then they had to use mud, reeds, and rat hides for the construction materials. Egyptologists believe Flying Takos were originally used by smugglers to ferry camels across the Nile River, there being no such thing as helicopters in those days. Over the next dozen centuries or so, as the science of sailing evolved, the Egyptians added a sail to the Tako, and then a rudder, and then finally a handle for the rudder - what we now call a "tiller." Today's Flying Tako may look a little different from that first boat made out of sticks and mud, but it still uses that most ancient of power sources... wind!

I've tried to make the Flying Tako sail as realistically as possible. If you have ever sailed before, operation of the Flying Tako should be a piece of cake. If you are new to sailing, then I suggest you find a really big body of water and just play around until you get the hang of it. I hope my notes below and Eloise Pasteur's companion notes ("Sailing the Tako" make it easier to learn. Please IM me in game if you have problems or have found a bug.

You must be seated before you can operate the boat. Right-click on the starboard (righthand) bench and choose "Sit." The port (lefthand) bench is reserved for passengers. If you unsit at any time, the boat will reset and become non-physical until you start it again. When you are ready to begin sailing, say "raise" to raise the mainsail.

The default camera position is above and behind the boat, and may be the easiest point-of-view for beginners. Once seated, you may need to hit "Esc" to go the default view. I personally prefer sailing in mouse-look mode.

Looking for somewhere to take it for a spin? Try FairChang Island or Hollywood. If you're into blue water sailing, try the new "void" sims around Baffin and Celebes.

New for 2.3:
-------------
- The little HUD prim is acting haywire, probably due to the new "culling." So I made a new HUD attachment. Say "hud" to get it.
- The HUD in the floor is now off by default. say "bottom hud" to turn it on and off.

Previous Upgrades:
-------------
- You can now use silent channel 1 for commands (e.g.: "/1 raise"
- SLSF Race Wind System compatibility (provides more consistent wind during races).
- The sail and bow can now be custom-textured.
- Can now Copy and Resell/Give away.
- Added motor sounds for the Motor Version.
- The Practice Version is now the Touring Version, where you can switch between SL wind and Practice wind.
- Phantom mode for passing through low bridges.
- Outboard motor (Motor Version only, see commands below).
- Smoother turning using LSL Vehicle's angular motor.
- Removed the annoying "click for notecard" function (say "notecard" instead).
- Added STATUS_BLOCK_GRAB to prevent mouse-dragging.
- Faster sheeting with the "up/fwd" and "up/back" button combinations.
- SLSF race registration command (not working yet - forward compatible).
- Two more passenger sit targets (four people total).

Key Controls:
--------------
- Use the left and right arrow keys (or 'a' and 'd') to steer the boat.
- Use the forward and backward arrow keys (or 'w' and 's') to "sheet" (i.e., pull the mainsheet (i.e., the rope) the mainsail in and out. Hold down the up button (Page Up or 'e') simultaneously to sheet faster.
- For the Motor Version, use the forward and backward keys to throttle the motor up or down. Idle the motor with the down key (Page Down or 'c').

Voice Commands:
------------------
"raise" -- raise the mainsail and begin sailing.
"lower" -- lower the mainsail and stop sailing. Note that the boat will continue to drift.
"moor" -- reset the boat to non-physical state. You will have to stand up and re-sit to resume sailing.
"sheet X" -- sheets in or out the mainsail by X degrees ("sheet -5" will pull the sail in by 5 degrees).
"anim off" -- turns off helmsperson animation.
"anim on" -- turns back on helmsperson animation.
"vane off" -- turns off the wind indicator at the top of the mast.
"vane on" -- turns wind indicator back on.
"id XX" -- displays a two-digit number between 00 and 99 at the top of the mast (you must enter two digits, e.g.: "id 05".
"hud" -- gives you a HUD object that you need to "wear" to get HUD info.
"bottom hud" -- toggles the HUD inside the boat.
"alpha X" -- sets sail opacity ("alpha 25" sets sail to 0.25 alpha, or 75% transparency).
"knots" -- changes speed units on the HUDs to knots (nautical mile per hour).
"color X" -- sets color to one of several choices, where X can be (without the quotes): "puke", "red", "baby blue", "lemon", "blah", "hot hot pink", "blue", "gray", "beige", "schwarz", "orenji", or "tangerine".
"color <x,y,z>" -- sets color via a RGB color vector, where x, y, and z are floating point values between 0 and 1.
"color random" -- picks a random color for the hull.
-----MOTOR VERSION COMMANDS:
"motor" -- starts outboard motor.
"off" -- stops outboard motor.
-----TOURING & MOTOR VERSION COMMANDS:
"practice" -- toggles between SL wind and Practice Wind.
"wind dir X" -- sets prevailing wind direction, where X is degrees CCW from the East.
"wind spd X" -- sets the average wind speed, where X is in m/s.
"dir+- X" -- allows the wind to vary over +/- X deg.
"spd+- X" -- allows the wind spd to vary over +/- X m/s.
"rate X" -- scales the rate at wind changes (rate 2 sets to twice as fast as default).
"pp" -- toggles between phantom and non-phantom status, allowing you to pass through low bridges.

HUD:
-----
Heading: compass heading, where 0 deg is due North, 90 deg is due East, etc.
Wind Angle: direction wind is coming FROM, relative to bow, measured CCW.
Wind Speed: wind speed.
Ground Speed: true speed of the boat over the ground.
Depth: depth of water below the boat.
Sail Angle: actual angle of sail (or boom) to beam, measured CCW.
Sheet Angle: maximum allowed angle of sail, set by the mainsheet.
Throttle (Motor Version only): throttle percent for the motor.

Basic Operating Principles:
-----------------------------
- Read Eloise Pasteur's "Sailing the Tako" (a companion to this notecard).
- Read the Wikipedia entry on sailing here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailing
- Boat speed is determined by only these three factors:
- Relative direction of the wind
- Wind speed
- Sail trim
- The heel angle is affected by those same three factors, and it in turn affects leeway (lateral drift).
- The fastest point of sailing for this boat is on a close reach, about 35 deg off the wind.
- On a close reach, sail angle should be around 20 deg.
- On a beam reach (sailing perpendicular to the wind), sail angle should be around 45 deg.
- When running down-wind, increase the sail angle to 90 deg.
- The boat will turn faster at faster speeds, and it will turn even if its speed is zero.
- Maximum sail angle is 90 deg (perpendicular to centerline); minimum sail angle is 5 deg.

Customizing the sail and hull textures:
------------------------------------------
- There is a zip file containing templates for the sail (.pspimage, .bmp, .tga) at: /invalid_link.html
- The sail texture requires the use of an alpha channel to look right (the sail prim is actually a rectangular shape). If you are unfamiliar with alpha channels, www.sluniverse.com has a good tutorial. You will need to save your drawings as targa (.tga) files.
- If your design includes text or directional images, you will need to make one version for the right side of the sail, and a version with a mirror image of the text or design for the left side.
- After uploading the tga files, rename the texture for the right side of the sail "sail_raised_right" and for the left "sail_raised_left". You may also make a texture for the furled sail -- call it "sail_furled".
- Edit your Flying Tako, check the "Edit linked parts" box, and click on the sail prim. Then drag your new sail textures into the sail prim's inventory. They will be automatically detected and displayed.
- Now when you raise and lower the sail, your textures will be used in place of the defaults.
- You can remove the textures from the sail prim's inventory to get rid of them - it will revert to defaults.
- The texture for the bow (where it says "Flying Tako" is much simpler.
- Make a square bitmap (.bmp) image with white background and your text along the top (or upside down and at the bottom for the left side of the bow).
- Load it into SL, rename it "hull", and drag it into the bow prims inventory just like you did for the sail prim.

More Information:
-------------------
Want to go mano-a-mano with some of the best racers in Second Life? Watch for Second Life Sailing Federation (SLSF)-sponsored races on the events board. We race often, sometimes two or three times a week. If you want to join the SLSF, search for "Sailing Federation" under Groups, and click "Join Now."

We have an ongoing discussion in the SL Forum. Go to: /110/13/51075/1.html

Would you like to examine the Tako scripts? Go here: http://secondlife.com/badgeo/wakka.php?wakka=KankerGreenacre

Sailing the Flying Tako by Eloise Pasteur

Sailing the Flying Tako is much like sailing a dingy IRL. The skill of the sailor and their ability to use the winds and their skills in combination is critical to sailing it well.

The winds in SL are random and fickle in the extreme. This makes up, to some extent, for the fact that the Flying Tako won't spill you if you make a mistake, although it can also mean frantic work as you try to sail around in the ever-shifting winds.

Sailing, obviously, uses the wind and the sails to propel you through the water. But once you're moving things change a little as momentum will make you tend to keep moving.

Let's imagine you're completely still in the water (just starting to sail say).

If the wind is blowing from straight ahead of you, you won't be able to go forwards, and will, in fact, be blown backwards. In fact if the wind is within 35 degrees of straight ahead you won't be able to gain any forwards impetus from the winds. This gives you a V-shape from which you need to avoid the winds if possible, shown in Figure A.



Now imagine the other situation, the wind is blowing from dead astern (behind you). Obviously you can get forward impetus from this situation: the wind will push the sail and the boat along. The amount of impetus and thus your maximum speed is defined by the angle of the sail to the vessel. You can't control that angle directly, but using the sheets (the ropes to the sail speaking very loosely) you can limit the maximum angle of the sail between +/- 5 and +/- 90 degrees. If you set the sheet to 90 in this situation the sail will also move out to 90 degrees and catch the maximum wind and push you forwards as fast as possible.

Adjusting the sheet angle to keep the sail angle optimal is what will keep you occupied throughout the race. Thanks to the smart way the HUD is configured working out the optimal angle is easy: you want the sail at -1/2 the wind angle. You can get that by keeping the sheet at half the wind angle if you ignore the sign. Actually, because the winds change faster than the HUD updates you will come to rely on your pennant too, the particle stream from the top of your mast that shows the wind direction more quickly than the HUD, but that will come with practise.

You can adjust the sheet angle by saying 'sheet 10' or 'sheet -10' or similar, or by using the up and down arrow keys. Saying sheet and a positive number e.g. sheet 45 will let the sheet out, as will using the up arrow. Letting the sheet out means the maximum sail angle will increase: the sail can point more out to the side. Saying a negative number, e.g. sheet -50 or the down arrow will decrease the sheet angle, limiting the sail to closer to pointing back along the boat.

Although it may appear perverse in fact you sail fastest with the wind at about +/-40 degrees (that's to one side of ahead, but pretty much ahead still) because the curve of the sail in such circumstances creates aerodynamic thrust (at least, In Real Life), which enables you to sail faster than the wind. You don't have to understand that, but it is worth knowing that sailing at about 40 degrees to the wind is the fastest way to sail.

OK, that's the basics, and for general sailing that's all you need. Find one of those nice empty void sims (Balance actually has a public beach where you can put your boat in Balance (250,240)) and sail on it for a while. You can practise reading the wind and its changes and adjusting the sheets and so on without crashing into anything. Experiment to see where you sail best.

There are other factors. If you are racing there is a distinct 'racing line' that you may want to follow, the shortest route around the course. Actually you should be looking for the quickest route around the course, not the shortest. Imagine starting a race into a headwind. You couldn't start along the shortest course, but sailing at 40 degrees to the shortest route will give you the maximum thrust from that wind and you will sail most quickly over the ground. Judging where and when to turn to keep to that fastest course is part of the art of racing. Figure B shows a tacking course which will let you sail fastest along a course into a headwind, with some of the niceties of sailing into a slightly offset wind clearly shown.



You can, actually, appear to sail into a headwind, and at certain times you may have to if there is a very constricted part of the course. You can achieve this seeming miracle because of momentum. If you are sailing at, say, 2 m/s and you turn to sail into a headwind you will slow down, but you will keep moving, so you can coast through a constricted area into a headwind, or turn across the wind so you sail on the other tack (offset at 40 degrees on the other side) so you sail as close to straight ahead as possible.

Keeping moving, keeping moving quickly, is always an advantage, because when the wind sudden swirls and is against you it gives you a few moments to respond to the changed wind without it being disastrous.

For those of you with a background in physics and engineering it may not surprise you to hear of something called leeway. This is a sideways movement of the boat as the force of the wind on the sail is not totally directed forwards. Many factors contribute to this, wind angle and strength and sail angle being the main two. In most circumstances, especially in sailing in SL, this is not too significant, but when sailing in tight spaces the tendency of the boat to drift sideways results in you have to make another level of continuous adjustments to your heading and sheets.

In a race, as IRL, there is a flying start option. You are allowed to hit the line already moving when the timer hits 0. Of course getting it wrong imposes a penalty, if you cross early you have to turn around and recross the line going the right way in order to start your race. Getting this just right is a tricky balancing act, but the two people in the most recent practise race who managed this (at 6 and 8 seconds respectively) placed first and second too.

Tips for practise:

Start sailing on a nice empty sim, it will help! Play with the controls and experiment to find what suits you best. Once you're used to handling the boat practise sailing on rivers too. This lets you get used to working out how to sail in restricted water whilst still getting places.

Remember, however, your dingy is a physical object and will scrape on bridges, buildings etc. In fact it is surprisingly wide at the top: there is a prim up there that you can't see for the HUD, and that can get caught on things too.

There is a practise version of the Flying Tako, in which the wind is constant in both speed and direction. This may not be suitable for river travel, but will let you experiment with relating ground speed to wind speed easily, as well as getting used to the controls.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailing is the wiki page that will contain useful hints, tips and ideas. Google searching will also find many places that supplement their real world sailing classes with web-based resources which can be useful.

Here is a place to share tips on sailboat racing.

One of the greatest challenges to recreating sailboat racing in Second Life is trying to get good situational awareness. In 1992 I wrote a book called “Chuck Yeager’s Air Combat Handbook”. It was the official strategy guide for the game of the same name from Electronic Arts. In the many hours I spent with the General in researching the book, one fact stood out above all others concerning his amazing success as a combat dogfighter in WW2 and the Korean War. I asked him why he was as successful as he was. His answer was immediate. Experience and superior situational awareness.

A case can be made that situational awareness is more important that just about anything else you learn in sailboat racing in SL. We have all heard the line “I didn’t see you” when doing race postmortems. The great majority of protests involved one boat not being aware of the situation on the water. You can learn the rules inside out, but if you don’t see the other boats well, you will not be in a position to race well.

There ARE some things you can do to improve situational awareness. Sadly too many skippers don’t use them.

Of course we all use the mini-map to determine the location of the other boats. This works well on a strategic scale such as determining the location of a boat behind you on the open water, or determining that a boat is approaching you from your starboard side and thus with ROW. However the mini-map becomes less useful when there is a crowd of boats in the vicinity.

I may not be the best skipper on the water, and my knowledge of the rules may not qualify me to be a “rules lawyer” but I can say confidently that I RARELY get surprised by a boat sneaking up on me or crossing me. I use two simple tools to accomplish this level of confidence.

First, I use the Zoom command. Now many of you use one level of zoom (ALT-. That DOES help. But one zoom gives you enough time to say “oh shit” before the intruder is on you. Instead I use TWO levels of zoom (two ALT-8s). This give me time for both an expletive and evasive action or a hail. Here is how this looks on the screen:


Caption: Looks like clear sailing when using no zoom.


Caption: Uh oh. In one zoom out view I have trouble coming.


Caption: Holy poop! In two zoom out view I see my life pass before my eyes.

Now most skippers say they don’t like two zooms because it distorts distance. It DOES to a degree. And this can be seen above in the size of the boats. Happily that distortion can be compensated for by practice. It is easier to learn the distances in double zoom than to learn to see something that is off the edge of your field of view.

The second tool I use is the HUD Radar Lite. This is a great tool. With the HUD set at 48m range and updating every one or two seconds (selectable out to once a minute) I see exactly what boats are near me and who the skippers are. The grid provided in the HUD is 4 meters square, about the same length as a Tako. So I also know how many boat lengths away the opposition is.

I was so impressed with this device (as was Kanker when we tested it) that I asked the developer to make a streamed down version for sailing. That’s the one in Angel’s Gate Nautical Supply. Note: I get no income from the sale of this product. In a post some time ago Pixeleen wondered if the HUD created any noticeable lag. It does not. But the mere question put doubt in some skippers minds I think. That’s too bad because it is a great tool.


Caption: The HUD tells me who is there how close without ruining my view of the boats. This view is a bit crowded. But I think you get the idea.

If you want to do your best, make sure you can see what you are doing. Use these tools to increase your situational awareness and your race results.

Just curious...

Has the lag factor been tested in the new island sims while in use by 6 or more skippers at once?

[Edit:]Just realized that may not be clear -- example: Santa Cruz, with 6 skippers actively racing, where all 6 are using the HUD.[/edit]

Nope. As far as I know only Kanker, I, and Al Kaiser own the HUD. I don't think Al uses it. Don't know about Kanker.

Before we arranged the HUD lite to be sold in Hollywood we had 10 HUDs running simultaneoulsy without any measurable impact on performane. Howeever there were not 10 boats sailing along with the HUDs.

Hey folks,

For me, there is a significant difference between racing and casual sailing in second life.

In casual sailing, I am often the only boat in the sim, and the HUD is updating quickly. I don't have to dodge other boats. There is no need to find and hold the optimal line between tacks. All in all, it's a relaxed, casual atmosphere, with no urgency to accomplish any specific task RIGHT NOW.

So when I'm sailing casually, if it takes me a while to trim my sails? Eh, no biggie. Spinnaker folds? Who cares? All in all, my workload is low because there is no urgency in accomplishing any of my sailing tasks.

Racing is different. I want all my sails brought to precise trim as soon as I hit my line. I want my centerboard dropped as soon as I'm in a run. I want the spinnaker up as soon as I hit a broad reach, and dropped as soon as I haul in. All of the trim and adjustments have to be accomplished in a minimal amount of time, precisely, under high-load conditions.

In order to accomplish these tasks under the much more difficult conditions of a race, I think about 2 things.

1) Precise, repeatable control of sail trim, both spinnaker and mainsail.
2) Minimizing precision movements (both time and placement) IRL needed to accomplish sailing tasks.

If you use the up arrow/down arrow (or W/S) to trim your mainsail... how long do you have to hold it to sheet in 25 degrees? Is it the same amount of time when you are the only one in the sim as when there are 11 other boats in the sim? How repeatable is your sheet trim?

Instead, if you have a gesture that says the chat command "/1 sheet -5", and map it to F4, then under any conditions, you can precisely sheet in 25 degrees every time, without error , overshoot, or udershoot. Precise, repeatable, and easy to accomplish IRL. In addition, you don't have to wait for HUD updates to know that your sheet is in the right position, thereby reducing your workload during intense sections of the course.

The use of gestures in sailing was an innovation pioneered by Pixeleen Mistral, founder of VYC, fast sailor, and all around fun lady. If you use gestures while sailing, I strongly suggest IM'ing her in game with a thank you and calling her names. She likes that.

I have said, many times, that having and effectively using gestures is the difference between racing for 1st and racing for 2nd. Simply put, if you aren't using gestures to trim your sails, and someone in the race is using gestures, you are racing for 2nd place.

What has come before is simply my opinion, and therefore could be wrong. Besides, ultimately, what determines if you are sailing well is how much fun you are having. If using gestures doens't appeal to you, for whatever reason, then do what makes you happy.

Feel free to agree or disagree with my opinion... I'd be glad to get feedback from other sailors!

--Faykin Odets

Mark,

I have a slightly different opinion... I think that situational awareness is of great importance... between 2 or more sailors with the same ability level who can consistantly and precisely sail at the peak of their ability.

Without developing speed, precision, and consistancy, situational awareness becomes somewhat irrelavent, because the only point you will be near each other is at the start... maybe!

Because you are a consistant, fast, precise sailor, Mark, I agree that situational awareness is a powerful tool for you, and sailors at your level, while racing. However, there aren't many sailors at your tier of racing, so the vast majority of sailors will, in my opinion, get more benefit from working on those 3 other factors.... speed, accuracy, and repeatability.

Once again, this is simply one person's opinion, and it only applies if it falls under my one overriding rule: if you are having fun, you are doing it right!

--Faykin Odets

This is probably very much true. I haven't used keyboard gestures until today for sail trims, and won't be using in the future. The regular keypress controls for trimming aren't as precise, but you can get good results even in a full regatta using them if you just take time to learn.

Why I am against the gestures - is that someone adept with gesture editing, and/or scripting ... can easily create a full set of "one push" sail settings for their boat. And this could be extended to actually programming a set of gestures over the whole race course, so that every leg you push another F-key and get your sails at perfect trim for that leg.. only to do minor adjusting from that.

Added to this the experimentation with automatic trimming script - that interacts with the HUD and messages the boat with perfect sail settings to each situation... In my opinion the whole gesture / chat sheet command sailing - has become merely an exercise of who creates most effective ways to control the boat - and not who actually sails the best.

This being said ... I'd be very happy to see in some future version of the boat, the keytap controls changed to so that it would be precise and predictable to use them even in laggy situations (there has been some promising advance in this area with Static's beta Tako) ... and with the keytap controls improved, the gesture/chat interface removed alltogether. So that *everyone* would sail within the same limitations - and not only those would win who are most clever to reprogram their gestures to suit each and every situation the best.

I mentioned once that i don't have push-buttons to control sails in my RL boat, and until i do i refuse to use the gesture sheet controls in SL too.

Suzanne,

I'm amazed that you sail as well as you do without using gestures. I'm even more impressed with your prowess knowing the limitations you have chosen to sail under.

As for RL vs. SL sailing... for me, sailing IRL, I use many of the same processes to manage workload, albiet with different results because of the different environment.

I don't think in terms of 68 degree wind angle vs 39 degree sheet angle IRL... I trim until the telltales indicate a smooth flow across the belly of the sail. If I don't have telltales, I pull in from the luff until the belly is full. My feedback on a real sail is instantanious, and so my sheet control can be fast, precise, and repeatable.

I don't see how this can be effectively imitated in SL... and therefore with a different set of inputs, a different set of controls are needed to effectively sail.

I consider my favorite challenge in sailing to be choosing the most effective way of rounding the course, with the technique needed to trim the sails as a technical hurdle to accomplish my real goal.

I can see your point about auto-trimming scripts and trim gestures making sailing less of a challenge... and I think it's valid, and directly related to what makes each of us happy with sailing.

I don't see an auto trim script assisting someone in cleanly shooting the channel that you and I have had so much fun in, for example. This is one of several situations where the strategy - choices on where to sail - can trump tactics - choices on how to trim your boat.

Again, we have different perspectives and interests in how we choose to sail in SL... and therefore have different methods. I enjoy my style, and you enjoy yours, and I thank you for what you have taught me on the course

--Faykin Odets

The use of floating text, and small changes to the Tako scripts can give you feedback response times in the 1/5th of a second range in anything but the worst sim lag (or during crossings.) Optimization of the Tako code and careful planning of the other content in race course sims can also greatly reduce the overall sim lag so that the response times would always be fairly quick.

Additionally, any reduction in response time will likely be felt equally by all sailors in the same sim, unless the lag is being generated by sheer network lag or dropped packets -- in which case you've got other problems to deal with.

But in RL sailing, you still don't go around a marker, knowing exactly, within a few degrees (or few inches of mainsheet) exactly what your trim is going to be. So you can't as you round a marker call out to your crew, ease the main 3 feet 7 inches. The use of chat/gesture commands allows this in SL.

Personally, I am working specifically on making the sail trim control keys simple and predictable -- as well as reducing overall sim lag to help make HUD updates more instantaneous. I am in favor of either removing the chat commands for sail trim all together, or reducing them to large gross increments instead (such as multiples of 15 degrees for example, just as in RL when rounding a marker to a broad reach, you can guess you'll need to let out oh... about half my mainsheet, from your previous close haul.)

However I know that not everyone prefers this method of sailing, so additionally I'm looking to see if there would be a way of allowing an event host to enable/disable/limit chat features on a per event basis (much like Race Wind.)

Static,

This may be true... but the current state of the technology is such that I have seen 2, 3, sometimes 5+ second delay on the HUD updating sail and wind position. This may be limitations of my system and/or network connection, but I suspect that the culprit is more on server side than on communication and/or client side. When the technology increases to the point where the responses are approaching the theoretical limit, I'll be more concerned about auto-trimming scripts. Until then, tho, I'm comfortable racing against people who chose to use auto-trimming scripts.



I'm sorry, Static, but you have me at a disadvantage. IRL, I primarily sail dingies, and secondarally sail windsurfers. I don't have very much experience calling out trim commands to a crew - I'm used to doing it myself.

That being said, I am actually fairly proficent at looking at the wind before I hit a tack, and sheeting very close to trim before the boat has even settled into course. I don't think I'm unique or special in that ability. Therefore I think it's acceptable to have methods in SL that can allow me to emulate that proficiency in-game.



I have no problem with these concepts... as long as we are all playing by the same rules, and the rules are clear before the start of the game, I don't mind any structure that we all agree to. However, I was simply sharing suggestions on how to most effectively race in SL with the boats availible now and the tools at our disposal.

--Faykin Odets

I'm not a fan of the auto-trimming script idea at all. I was one of the people begging Kanker to NOT to make the spinnaker scriptable so that it would be trickier to handle with an additional benefit: auto trim scripts would not work on spinnakers. Apparently other considerations came into play. After the deed was done and the scriptable spinnaker tako came out, Kanker joked around about some amazing cyber which clouded his judgement... who knows what really happened? Whatever it was, I hope it was worth it. I'm NOT sailing a tako with a scriptable trim on the spinnaker, on principle.
In RL sailing we always marked the jib sheets so we could get the jib into the close hauled position for sailing upwind, so I see some RL similarities to the close hauled gesture, and that was where I go the idea for gestures for sail trim. I end up using half my gestures for shouting errm... hailing like "ROOM!", "STARBOARD", etc. It says a lot about how I sail that I'll give up some fine sail control to have tactical hails ready... I think sailing is both speed and positioning.
When I run races, I usually do two things to discourage this. I like to change the windsetter immediately before the start so the wind speed and angle changes. Sure, this is an offset that can be adjusted for, but it does make the courses more interesting. The second thing I like to do is set very wide angles for the wind to vary over, so that when you round the reaching bouy one time its a close reach and the next it is a very broad reach. It has been interesting to see who consistently complained about these sorts of wind changes.

Something that might be good for SL sailing is a look into a better windsetter so that we could have more realistic wind variations. This sort of thing could alllow for oscillating land and sea breezes, which would be great fun, especially on the upwind legs of the course. I'll want this for the America's Cup, if possible...

None of these ideas really stop an auto-trim script, but turning off the scripting on the spinnaker would fix that. Better wind would defeat the people who set up gestures for trim on each leg of the course. Tactical sailing and using the right of way rules (like luffing up boats on the reaches) also push the balance toward using gestures for hailing and not pure sail trim.

Now let me play devil's advocate:
You can pretend that the auto trim scripts are like having the best crew in the world who free you to concentrate on steering, and right of way/tactics. Of course that is completely un-realistic, since in RL I was usually the crew who could never get the sail trim right.

I think what is making people uncomfortable is the feeling that some people have scripts/gestures and others do not. My suggestion would be to get rid of chat command for the spinnaker trim, and put more effort into a better windsetter, but I'm not writing the scripts for these things... I just run events.

PixieQueen (see, she likes it when you call her names!),

I agree with your assessment on the problem - the lack of a level playing field.

I have a slightly different solution tho. I'd like to see a basic gesture set availible to all sailors .

I still think a basic gesture set is a great tool for getting consistant repeatable performance from your boat... once you figure out how to actually sail.

Again, I am, at this time, unconcerned with folks who will tweak their gesture set for a specific course... or use autotrim scripts. A simple basic gesture set and a good head for sailing strategy I think will still beat out tricky interface programming.

Of course, if your solutions were implimented, I'd be perfectly happy and would have no problems with those limitations.

--Faykin Odets

It is server side. And as I was trying to indicate, some fairly small changes to the Tako code DRAMATICALLY reduce the server side lag, thus bringing the updates down into the sub-second range for HUDs -- this isn't theory, this is observed practice. And like I said, hovertext has no such lag -- if the server can get the update to your client to have it shift your boat in the water, it'll update the hovertext.

Theory would have it down in the 1/20th of a second range, but it's not going to get that fast with the way LL keeps piling on the features rather then optimizing what's there

Hmm... if that can be consistantly reproduced in 10+ boat races, that might be a distincitive advantage...

If the code gets optimized to that point, I may have to re-think my position on auto-trim scripts.

--Faykin Odets

Sailing the Tako is supposed to be simulation of RL sailing.

When I raced dinghies I had 3 controls, main, jib and centerboard. All were controlled independently. Rounding a mark would be a frantic time of trying to get all 3 set as quickly as possible. Now that I race cruisers I still have the main and jib controls plus a lot more. And again all are controlled independently. This is how I am used to sailing. Having a row of buttons to hit to trim my boat in RL would be not be fun at all.

With this thinking I approach SL sailing. I agree with Suzanne. I am also amazed she does as well as she does using key taps.

I have always used key taps, even though I have had gestures programmed for awhile now. Thanks to some information from Static I now know that my computer cannot handle SL sailing with key taps. So for the last 2 Sundays I have resorted to gestures with improved results, but I still feel like I'm cheating.

Static's test boats are very promising since they seem to respond much better to key taps.

Sailing should be about strategy, trim and reaction times not clever gestures or scripting. So I for one applaud Static's efforts and hopes he continues while I look for a faster computer. When the 2 happen I will be back to key taps and sailing the way I like to.

Take note of the weasel room I left in my SA statement. SA is JUST ABOUT the most important thing in SL sailing. SPEED of course is probably the be all and end all. Speed can cover a multitude of "sins". Note the additional weasel word for the next go around.

On Thursdays in Hollywood we have been sailing and teaching full ROW. And on Sundays we use the starboard rights rule. What I have observered repeatedly were simple starboard v port violations where the skippers bemoaned the lack of vision to avoid the foul. That was my purpose in the SA tip. And as to starts being where SA is most important, what's your point? OF COURSE that's so. Grin. And it's also where a good result or a bad on gets "predetermined". That having been said, given a choice I also would take speed over field of view. But of course, we should strive for both.


Elsewhere Pixeleen has pointed out how she varies win to reduce the chance of just such programming. In Hollywood we are at present are a bit more predicatable because AT THE MOMENT we only have 20 degree arc of wind change. That's because with larger arc changes we have experienced large wind angle jumps at sim crossings. I am working on this issue and variablity in Hollywood will likely increase over time. So I dont see full course programming as that realistic.


To me the gestures level the playing field between those with computers of faster and slower graphics cards and pipeline. I used to bang on that damned sheet commands (up and down arrows) hoping the commands were getting through, waiting for the sails to respond. With a gesture i am not at the mercy of variations on graphic response rates. If i gesture to set the trim to 20 then I i am not tempted to keep banging on the keys while waiting for a HUD update.

I believe in some discussion somewhere in the past you correctly pointed out that as long as there are online games that depend upon real time interaction there will be differnces between users based on hardware and network speeds. The gestures to me are a way to reduce those differences.

Here's a racing tip I share wherever I can - choose your course to follow the fastest possible wind angles. The aerodynamics of the sail, hydrodynamics of the hull and centerboard, the balance between windspeed and heel - all these contribute to make certain wind angles faster than others, sometimes dramatically so. The quickest course is usually not a straight line to your destination, and finding the optimal tradeoff between boat speed and distance travelled, especially when obstacles, other boats, and right-of-way are thrown into the mix, is half the fun in sailing an exhilerating race!

Fastest points of sail vary from boat to boat, and even under certain wind conditions, but for the Flying Tako 3 if you hold these general tacks, you'll find yourself rocketing though the water.

CLOSE HAULED - 35 Degrees Wind Direction
Using mainsail only, centerboard down, you'll achieve your greatest top speed at 35 degrees wind direction with 17 degrees of sheet. The boat is very slow to accellerate at this wind angle, however - it's dramatically quicker to sweep in from a more powerful tack and then ease toward 35 degrees, where the Tako holds speed and creeps up faster and faster. If you're heading neck-and-neck with another boat toward the finish line, holding your course and trim as near as possible to this absolute close haul can make all the difference against a competitor on a 37-degree tack. The difference is subtle but tangible; I've won many come-from-behind victories this way.

Beware letting the wind direction drop to 34 degrees, however - you'll lose nearly all your thrust as the boat goes into irons. If you can pull back outside of 35 degrees wind without losing too much speed, it's salvagable, but since the boat takes a moment to settle back into close haul, dancing with irons too much will cost you speed. Greater variablity in wind direction makes riding an absolute close haul much riskier, a very interesting game demanding constant attention to both tack and trim and practiced anticipation of forthcoming changes.

High wind speeds, those over 10-12 m/s, will heel the Tako enough that it spills a lot of wind on a close haul. In these cases a close reach, somewhere between 45 and 80 degrees wind direction, is sometimes faster than a close haul.

BEAM REACH - 90 Degrees Wind Direction
Centerboard down, spinnaker deployed, mainsheet at 45 degrees, and spinnaker guy at 0 degrees, a 90-degree tack is the absolute fastest direction a Flying Tako 3 can sail. This point of sail also accellerates like someone just lit a solid rocket booster on your tail. Beam reaches greater than 90 degrees wind direction drop thrust subtly, their superpowers waning with winds somewhere between 110 and 115 degrees.

Similar to a holding a close haul, if the wind direction dips to 89 degrees, your spinnaker will collapse with severe repercussions. Not only will you lose its extra thrust, a collapsed spinnaker will in fact drag against the wind, slowing your boat down considerably more than holding tack under mainsail alone. With greater variability in wind direction, the same precautions apply as on a close haul: learn the dance, live the dance, love the dance.

Wind speeds less than 2 m/s are insufficient to fill the spinnaker. As long as it remains collapsed, there's nothing magic about this point of sail - you're better off using mainsail alone and heading further upwind. Ludicrously high windspeeds are insane on a beam reach, however - they're fully harvested by the spinnaker regardless of heel and you'll quickly find yourself flying through sims faster than objects can res up; two boats approaching on a beam reach will flit past each other or fuse into a horrible prim monstrosity nearly as quickly as the avatar markers appear on the minimap.

When rounding into a windward leg, I sometimes pause a moment to hold a beam reach and accellerate quickly before pulling up into a close haul. Heed this advice: if it's at all possible to work a beam reach into your course, do so. It's fast enough to make up for fairly radical deviations from a straight-line course into the wind.

BROAD REACH - 150 Degrees Wind Direction
This is the fastest downwind point of sail by a fairly dramatic margin, centerboard up, spinnaker deployed, 75 degrees mainsheet, and 60 degrees spinnaker guy. It's comparable to the advantage gained from a close haul, but not many people take advantage of this subtle distinction in tack, making it very easy to slip through the fleet from behind on downwind legs.

Most everyone knows that pulling the centerboard reduces drag, as long as we're headed downwind and don't require its resistance to sideslip to exploit the difference between heading and wind direction. Just as in all key points of sail, though, heading more upwind is generally faster up to a certain tipping point: in this case that tipping point is 150 degrees wind, beyond which losses to sideslip outweigh the advantages of heading more upwind. The penalty for dipping to 149 degrees wind direction is much less severe than a close haul or beam reach, however, with neither a serious loss of thrust nor a significant pause as one's boat settles back into a tack.

Generally the advantages of a 150 degree tack taper off smoothly within 5-10 degrees to either side, but keeping the wind direction above 150 degress is still preferable to dropping below. A great tactic is to gybe back-and-forth from 150 to 150 where changes in the race course support it, or even to pull wide of the fleet where an extended 150-degree downwind leg might present itself. It's not quite fast enough to beat a straight-line course deviating more than 25 degrees from a broad reach, but for anything within its zone the difference is profound.



In real life, of course, there are many other subtle factors which can moderate a boat's key points of sail, but the general principles are the same. Choosing an optimal course, one which maximises time spent on key points of sail and balances absolute speed against number of tacks, distance travelled, and navigational challenges, is the next level of racing beyond mastering boathandling, and the level below strategic right-of-way. Nothing matches the rush of slipping past the fleet in a navigational coup save pulling a flawless tack or executing a brilliant tactical maneuver, and all three skillsets intertwine in a dynamic regatta environment.