Virtual telltails

George of Mid-Atlantic Musings-fame asked a question in the comments of the post right before this. The question was : Can you see those virtual telltails on the back of the sail too? The answer is not a straight yes, because virtual boats differ. However, one boat stands out as particularly life-like, and here it is:

Hi George!

It is (of course) the Flying Fizz. Built by a real sailor with realism in mind. It does not have all the trim options that we're used to from RL, but it has quite a few features that will make an experienced sailor feel right at home. In so many ways it is like a real boat.

Main, jib

It is beautifully built, so any RL sailor will immediately see it's potential. I am not quite sure, what it is built after, but it reminds me very much of the International 14 footer. Here it is under sail. Main and jib up. Both sails has sheets. The main has an outhaul, and the jib has a leader. Lotsa work to do for one person. But there's more.

Gennaker

It has a gennaker too. Loads of sailarea for one person to administer. In fact it is a little bit too much for one person; Even when I hike max it's not always enough, but luckily there is room for two. That other person can take over the trim of jib and gennaker - plus he or she can use a trapeze to help balance the boat. So far so good. Let's see those telltails.

Those telltails

Here's a closeup of me, my Flying Fizz and the telltails - all in perfect balance. I am going upwind around 60 degrees to the wind, so I can actually hold the boat being just me. That's why you see those telltails perfectly aligned on both sides of the sail. Note that there are two telltails per "spot". Windward and leeward.

Sun in my back

Yes, the sails are semitransparent. Just like real sails. Here's a shot where I have the sun in my back. The windward telltails are easy to see, and those leeward tails are a little bit harder to see. It is quite easy to see which telltail is on what side of the sail.

Sun at the back of the sails

Here's a shot where the sun is at the back of the sails. Again it is quite easy to see which tail is windward and which one is leeward. That's brilliantly made by the builder of the Flying Fizz. In RL it can be somewhat of a problem to see which is what. At least under certain conditions. That's why the starboard telltail should always be positioned  "a telltail-length" higher up. Green for starbord and red for port side is less important. It's more of a gimmick.

Ease out, peace out

So there you go. Telltails on the Flying Fizz. If the windward tail flutters you need to sheet in or bear away. If the leeward telltail flutters it is the opposite. Just like a real boat. And if you wonder why - on many of these shots here - my windward telltail is not perfectly horizontal, it is because the wind was too strong for me to keep the boat leveled. I had to sheet out just a tad to keep the boat levelled, or I would be two knots down; Be in the drink even. Yes, it's that good.