Docpal

Does anyone know what "1400 hours local time" IS for starting the last leg on the 25th? Since I've missed most of the starts in the entire race I'd like to try and see what it's like to be there for a change...

Larry, Thanks for confirming that I'm not seeing things ! I KNOW that I have set a course that should easily clear the upcoming buoy, but after an hour or so of sailing my course seems to "drift" as though there was a Westbound current! As I test I ran side by side with you last hour on the same exact course. The course lines were parallel only for 20 minutes, then they seemed to start separating. Could be map projection, computer monitor fluctuations, etc. etc. In spite of the glitches I think it's a hell of a game when you figure that they are actually in some way keeping track of over 218,000 players who have a wide variety of game variables in their control. AND they do not charge to play the game..... ! Still they must be doing well through sponsors, sales of sailing tools, etc. because I had sent them a note awhile back asking if we could buy some sort of T shirt if we finished the race ( something like"I virtually sailed around the world in my pajamas"type of thing) and they said, they had considered the idea, but at this point in time there is no race t-shirt planned.

I agree, since the "12/24 hour red dots" seem to be arbitrary each time I check them. Another nice feature would be a "scale" to check with as you changed the size of your screen so you'd have some idea of distances to travel before making course changes, etc.

Paul's got great "team" strategy; he's using "RYD"to block all the other boats behind him..... You've grounded six times, I've hit twice, and I think Larry might have 2 or 3 more as well. Hydrofoils would have been a better choice for this leg...

I do that on occasion when I'm laying out the course, but watching the chaos all around me breaks up the monotony... :

Particularly when you are dodging other ten mile wide boats in the process....

This leg may be the toughest one yet! In spite of it's "shorter" run it has many more "obstacles"in the way that are forcing most of us to stay near the computer until we can get clear of these "distractions". I've already crossed course (not tacks, courses...) with Ken and Larry as we've been ramming a good portion of the Swedish coast in our attempt to get out of this corridor and back into open water...

This would be an entirely different game if you couldn't "see" any other boats...! Somewhere on their web page I was reading an interview where someone described how they just "shadowed the usual leaders" such as " Power of Seven" etc., and let THEM do the navigation... Of course we all do something similar when we're out on the water and we see how other boats are doing on their headings, etc. too... If you REALLY want to make it a test, you'd change wind directions at all different times of the day, and avoid the " real world" forecasts. That would help to level the playing field, ( but of course no one would get any sleep at all then...). It HAS been fun though. Surprising how they sell just about everything but a T shirt for the racers...

Ken, Have you considered a landing ramp for" Yellow Scourge" ?

Dave did it (again...)! He was easily the first to finish (342nd out of over 200,000 boats) on the trans Atlantic leg of the race. Nice job !

"Parts is parts....."

It looks like a lot of boats ran right over the first ice mark ! I was worried about hitting it dead on, so I dipped South, but then when I looked at the "tracks" of many boats they ran right THROUGH the flag! Ken, Did you "stop over" in Yarmouth, NS for more beer? Nice recovery.....

Amazing how most of us can show up on the line when it's 12,000 miles away, but put it practically in our own backyards, and we're in the "cruising" category...Still it looks like most of us have started to claw back into it...

You still beat me by an hour as I was on the road all day....Guess we'll have to catch up in the next 2500 miles...

I think we can all relax a bit now as "patient zero"has been determined...

Frank, I went with the lower section of mast being 8' tall at 2.5" diameter with a .125"wall thickness, and a "middle"section of 8' of 2.25" diameter by .0625"wall thickness. According to the Online Metals web page( where I bought the tubing...) the 2.5" tube weighs about 1.1 lbs per lineal ft., while the 2.25" tubing weighs .52 lbs. I plan to use a wooden "upper" section for my rig. If you don't plan to take the rig apart anyway, I'd go with the "tapered" version...

Ken, I've heard a rumor that the problem is really the virtual ethanol they have been finding in the virtual engines....

I've e-mailed the developers of the game and asked if they would also consider a new "tool" which would be the ability to change sails at a pre-determined time (the way we can currently change course at a specific time...). This would mean that there might be some times we saw a major wind shift coming and we could then switch both directions, and sails to match our new course heading. "Bigamist"wrote back and told me that the suggestion was being forwarded to their development team... Next leg is the last "long" one, and after that we're gonna be "drag racing" through Europe !

I'm pretty sure that Ken is correct, we have to buy the credits for whichever tools (from the "Shop" link on the main page) we want to use. The only "earned"credit(s) I think are available are if you correctly choose the winner of any leg in the "real" race. I guessed correctly and picked Telefonica Blue to win two legs ago, and I got an extra "sail repair kit" added to my screen...Actually hoping they win this leg too as I picked them again ! Looks like Ken will be in Boston later tonight as well...!

Graham, I've seen a lot of different ways to load a Shopbot, but using the front end loader is truly a first ! Good thinking !!!

Harbor Freight sells boxes (100) of nitrile gloves in sizes up to "extra large". Depending if it's a "sale week"or not they run from 5-8 bucks a box. Unlike a lot of their other products these are worth the money ( compared to anything they sell with a motor.....).

How's this for fancy helmsmanship? Actually I can't take any credit other than setting the "auto pilot"before I went to sleep last night as I tried to figure out SOME way to make headway towards Boston...Looks like it's gonna be a real mess trying to go the last five hundred miles.....And I'm not sure I'll let the "auto" pilot "help" me...

Thanks !!!

Can anyone provide me with a link to the thread with the ongoing blog about that car topped catamaran which was sailing around Baja? I've tried to search for it but the more likely terms ( "Baja", catamaran, etc) haven't lead me there. Thanks !

New countdown timer has been posted! It's 1 day and 18 hours ,from now....