Becca's Baby Sloop

I've been meaning to post something about this boat for a while. Becca's Baby Sloop. It was not the first  sailing boat I came across in SL. I already knew the Shelly and the Fizz. However, the Baby Sloop was my first boat using Becca's BWind system, and it sorta started a wave of new and exciting sailing boats in SL. So it is a historic boat in some way.

Me and Xanadusu in the Baby Sloop.

I logged in to say hi to friends and maybe sail a little, and this guy - Xanadusu was in bad need of a sailing course. I had one in my backpack, but he insisted that practice is needed too. So we set sail, and went for a training session. Normally, I'd prefer the Shelly Fizz, because it has telltales and a really good windvane, i.e. it is more realistic. But, - Xanadusu just got the Baby Sloop, and it is simpler. Fewer things to worry about. By the way, Ivie was there too, eagerly motoring about in a Trudeau boat of sorts. It's the boat in the background.

South of Tradewinds; North of Schiffsratten.

We sailed around, - ehm... it took a few minutes to get out of the marina, because well... easterly winds. I talked and explained about trimming, and how you cannot sail directly upwind, and after a few minutes Xanadusu actually was sailing. Well done. The Baby Sloop worked perfectly for a training session; Rudder on left / right and sheets on up down. Capiche? Oh, and smooth simcrossing, low lag and no crashes. The trademarks of the BWind.

Tradewinds ahead.

After a few more minutes, Xanadusu spotted the island up ahead on starboard side, and we moored there, to see the sights. Sand, seagulls and a hut. Quite nice actually. I went on about the hundreds if not thousands of islands just waiting to be explored in and around the Blake Sea, Fruit Islands and more, and I think Xanadusu was bitten by the bug, - the sailing explorer bug. The BWind? It is being improved, stabilized and enhanced in many ways, and rumours has it, that a new and exciting version is coming up.

Looking forward to the new version

Did I mention the Baby Sloop is available for free at Tradewinds Yacht Club?

Sharp-tooth isle

This is really just a post to share an amazing view. There's no story behind it. So here it is: The view from "Sharp-tooth isle". That's what my grand-grand-grand-grand...very-much-more grand parents called it. More on that in another post. Look it up, if you are too curious to wait. Again, the view:

Me on Sharp-tooth isle

Don't look at me. Click the image, and see what's behind me. Ok, maybe there is a little story in this post after all. But it aint much. As usual I logged in to get my sailing kicks at Tradewinds, and what do I see? A beautiful ship at Tradewinds YC. That's not unusual, but wait... it is a ship I know. I have seen it in RL. I have even seen it sailing in RL. Many times.

Me enjoying the view over Blake

I wrote the builder right away, and he responded by giving me the opportunity to actually sail the boat, and that's how I ended up here on this piece of rock in the middle of the Blake Sea. You see, - the boat crashed. No! Not me crashing the boat by running aground here. I took the inshore navigation class. Another kind of crash, that rarely happens in RL. Sometimes virtual sailing suffers from computer related problems.

Is this sunset for real?

I won't blame the boatbuilder, and that's not what this post is about anyway. It is about the view. By sheer accident I happened to be in this spot, when that ship passed. Yes, it is a digital world. Yes, in many ways it cannot compete with the real thing, but seeing that ship out there, simply took my breath away. It is pretty, don't you think? Oh, and Sharp-tooth isle? Be my guest, - guess!

So many pretty views and sceneries. I ought to do a series just on that. Check the night swim, and here's a few shots from Fruit Islands. Definately also worth a visit.

Boat talk

So - what's there to do in SL? I get that a lot from newbies and from people in the first world. Here's a few clues. There are millions of things to do, events to experience and sights to see, but the sailing just gets better and better. Dingies, small boats, big boats, AC multihulls... you name it, we got it.

Liv, Qyv and me talking boats.

There are at least a handfull of respectable boatbuilders; There are lots of weekly races, graded races even; We have major events such as the Fizz Cup and the One World; Besides all that there is boat talk all around. Above u see Liv, Qyv from Quest Marine and me discussing the - at the time - brand new Q2m.

What's happening?

As in real life, we need helpers for regattas, so here's me in a Zodiac waiting to start a race in the One World series. Wanna guess what that dude is asking? I mean, - he could be asking me out on a date; Then again he might just wanna hear, if we expect to start anytime soon.

Me and Jake getting ready for a little one on one racing.

It doesn't have to be formal racing; There are plenty of informal trainings, cruises, exploring trips, speed trials and what nuts. Above it is me an Jake getting ready for an informal test; Who is faster around a particular island and back. We're just discussing the spinnaker trim of the boat, the QSM40, before we take off. Excuse my messy ponytail; It is more practical when racing, and I really wanted to come first.

Besides the sailing, there are beautiful gardens, places and buildings; There are  skiing resorts, amusement parks and clubs in any flavour. Techno, disco, jazz, blues, but that will have to wait till later.

No more Polyester Pam

So what's the beauty of virtual sailing? First of all it is great fun. There are weekly races in several classes; Classic boats and more modern types. Pick your potion. Besides, it's great to be able to race during winter. Even in the summer it's great. Fancy a quickie? Pop in and run three or four up/down courses in 45 minutes. Check here for a video of fleet race in the Q2m. The racing is great fun.

Me and my QSM40 looking for a mooring spot?

Then there's the exploring. There are many virtual places to sail. Some of these are breathtakingly beautiful. My all time favourite was Tranquility Island. Sadly it is not there anymore, so now I am looking for a new secret spot. It never stops to amaze me how much beauty there can be in a virtual world. Above you see me in the virtual sunset looking for remote islands.

Sunset on the beautiful Seagull Islands

Found a mooring spot, so here I am exploring the remote Seagull islands. If you like flowers, trees, the ambiance of birds, bees and ocean waves hitting the shore, then this is it. The feeling of exploring your own remote island is definately there. It is almost as good as the Sweedish Archipelago around Göteborg to mention a real thing I know quite well. This is all very good, but back to the sailing...

The T-1, the virtual IOD

Imagine having a classic boat as shown above, the T-One. Ohh, the work. Each spring. Sanding and painting, sanding and painting. No wonder plastic boats caught on. Now imagine the work after a collision. There's a good reason to prefer wooden boats. The poisonous styrene. However, most people race in - and therefore collide in - fiberglass boats. Ahh, the sweet smell of styrene. Just the thought of it makes me dizzy; And then there's the itch from all those broken fibers. And the building of complex shapes in polystyrene. Yeah, I love to work with fiberglass. In a virtual world, we never have to repair the boats. There is no paintjobs, no barnacles to be scraped off, and there is no need to master the art of fiberglass... It like that. I like it a lot. Say goodbye to styrene; Say goodbye to Polyester Pam.

BTW, you might wanna check Tillermans Beatles challenge.

11 boats at the line

I gotta show you this, while it is fresh. Previously I wrote about the Q 2m from Quest Marine. It is an absolute delight to sail that boat. Swift, pretty and easily handled but still challenging enough to be fun.

A pretty picture of a pretty boat

Realistic polars, very nice dynamics, great sounds, and you can bring a friend too. It really doesn't get much better :-) Luckily it seems I am not the only one who likes the Q 2m. It is really catching on as a racing boat.

A few days ago I came across this amazing video of some pretty realistic racing. It's filmed by Hawk, the dude you see in the clip. I think it is from somewhere in Blake, but I am not entirely sure. Anyway, check it out, - and check that port start. Skewed wind allright, and perhaps also currents? Dunno...

 Liv and I testing the Q 2m south of Blake.

Regretfully I wasn't there, but I sure will look for graded Q 2m events in the future. Graded? Yes, we have regular graded races, and the ranking can be seen on slsailing.co.

Kanker day

The other day was Kanker day, - celebrating the invention of sailing in SL. This is really too geeky for my blog, but Kanker Greenacre built the first boat in SL, the Tako, and so the SL Sailing community marks this important day on the 16th of May.

Me looking at all the Takos at TYC

I was not around when the Tako was built - back in 2005; In fact I never even met Kanker, but I sailed the Taco a few times. Compared to modern boats, I don't really find it interesting as a sailing simulation. Wrote a bit about it here; Nevertheless, in its day the Tako was close to a miracle, and most boats are still based on the Tako.

Takos at Tradewinds

Here's a better view. Behind me you see different custom Takos. I am told it was quite a big racing class. I suppose, now it has been superseeded by more modern boats such as the Flying Fizz, the Q2m, Bolero, ACA, Leetle Cat and many more.

Me and Balduin talking historic boats

Above you see me and Balduin of Bolero Fame talking historic boats. Today we have lots of yacht builders, yacht clubs, cruisers, races, RDs and hangarounds. All thanx to the Tako. Go see the full coverage of Kanker day at Tradewinds Yacht Club. Link to the right.
My next post will be purely about sailing. I promise.

Back to sailing

So Vincenzo Onorato backs out. It's really not a subject that fits on this blog, and then again... It is all about the sailing isn't it? Let's see what he said, Vincenzo:

Back to sailing, or is it too old-school?

"In our sport, men in blazer have overcome by now those in oilskins, I'm a man in oilskin and when I go in the sea, I want to win. I’m not interested in a hopeless challenge, I would lie to the sponsors, to our fans and last but not least also to myself."

I think I like that guy. Let's get the sailing back into sailing. Let's get rid of the suits, so that we can compete (wo)man to (wo)man. I so prefer to win with sore arms and wet feet from sailing over a sore throath (and bank account)  from talking to my lawyer. Or is it too much old school? I think not.