Sometimes the new sailors wear funny clothes; Unsuited for sailing I mean. I don't blame them. Often they've tried some kind of freebie boat, and to be honest, those boats aren't very exciting. Some boats appear to be built solely to facilitate conversation. Steer and drive. In no way do they act like sailboats, so why worry about the outfit?
So when does the fun start? Sometimes it's when we capsize. That's a whoa, does it need balancing? Absolutely. Up again, we bear away, hoist the gennaker and lift out of the water. That's a weee, it's planing!! Sometimes it is when the new sailor - from the trapez - realize that the telltales are moving. That's a wauw, it's actually working.
Back on a beat there will be gusts and shifts. RL sailors will notice that on the compass. Real keen sailors will also notice the waves changing in shallow waters. What they really love, however, is that they can be part of the action, trimming the front sails, even hoisting the gen. That's a hey, teamwork! Eventually a puff will require us to depower the sails, - not by sheeting out; By flattening the sails. That's when they go whoa, will it do that too? Then I start talking about currents and local wind variations... Oh, the smile on those faces :-D
If you like sailing, you'll probably like virtual sailing in the Flying Fizz. Wanna race? The Fizz Cup is the answer.
For the curious ones, here's a little more details on the history of sailing in SL.
I like the new blog header graphic!
ReplyDeleteGee thanx. I think it's one of the more sailorish (as opposed to scenerish?) top pix I've had. I like yours, but you already knew that ;-)
ReplyDeleteNew sailors and clothes, oh yes, isn't it funny? Leather jackets and pants, biker boots, mini skirts, high heels, big hairs, lots of bling, suits, school uniforms, BDSM latex catsuits ... can you say these people aren't really in the pursuit of realism?
ReplyDeleteAnd even old SL salts, it's often easily visible they never sailed in RL. Wearing wetsuits on big yachts makes as much sense as the newbie outfits. None.
But always uplifting to see them sailing around and having fun. That's why we are all in SL for isn't it?
Noodle, where is your PFD? :) Isn't the first lesson for newcomers? :)
ReplyDeleteYeah Orcs, ur right. Wetsuits on a 12m R? LOL! But it *is* fun to go dinghy sailing in a huge gown. Get the right one, and it's almost bigger than the boat. Never mind realism. It simply makes me smile. Oh, and the pfd... auch! Bad, bad, bad. I guess I didn't really consider it for this kinda god weather inshore sailing. I promise it'll never happen again in public ;-)
ReplyDeleteHow can I play the game? I sail catamaran but does not know how to play.. thanks to help me : karel.rosseel@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteOh whoa... I will drop u an email, but it's really easy: Go to the secondlife website and create a free account. Login and spend a half hour learning ur way around. Then search for Dex and tp to Tradewinds YC, where friendly ppl will help you along. We have cats too...
ReplyDelete