The unique Bolero

The Bolero is a very nice replica of a knockabout sloop. Nice and easy sailing. Windvane with colourshift to indicate trim. Low lag, easy sim crossings plus beautiful animations made her a good choice for some relaxing sailing. Now, there is a major update called the Bolero II.

The unique Bolero II sailing in the North Sea.

So here she is. Notice any differences from the old Bolero? I'll tell you the defining difference. It has telltales. Yes, working telltales. Not only is this the first bwind boat with telltales; It is the first boat in the history of SL sailing, that comes with realistically moving telltales. They wiggle as you sail - just like real telltales.

Balduin and I getting ready for a test cruise.

So many people have told me, that telltales are impossible to build in SL. It has been a little hard to understand, as both the Flying Fizz and the Shelly Fizz featured working telltales since 2008. When I've talked about wiggling telltales, I've only recieved rolling eyeballs for an answer. Thank you, Balduin, for breaking that barrier. You rock! So, - want a close up of those tales?

Beam reach with spin.

I love this picture. It captures the very essence of sailing the Bolero. Main is trimmed right, spin is up, we're actuallu going pretty fast, and yet we sit back, relax, - and have time to talk while sipping hot coffee from the thermo. The spin is also great. It looks great, it is easy to trim, and it collapses visually while making a terrible flapping noise. I am telling you, everybody on board knows when the trimmer is not paying attention. Want a closer closeup?

Bolero II with spin up in the North Sea.

Yeah! I will leave it up to you to try the collapsing spin. Ofcourse that never happens to me, so no pictures, hehe. The overall sailing experience has also changed. Notice the windvane is gone? No need for that any more, and you can type hud to get a nice hud, if you absolutely must have a hud. I don't like huds. As I've mentioned before, I want to sail by feel, not by staring at numbers. It's kinda like the difference between chatsex and the real thing.

Me sailing the Bolero II in Fruit... with a friend.

See? Upwind sailing is a breeze. Almost the real thing! RL sailors will note, that the telltales are usually placed in the jib. Balduin told me, this is a compromise. You cannot see the jib when sailing. I hope the next version will have the telltales in the jib - plus an option of steering while sitting on the side deck. That's how we do in RL anyway.

My view when sailing

Here's a shot of what I see. Obviously, telltales in the jib would not help alot. Its almost completely hidden behind the main. On the other hand, the mouselook sailing works wonderfully, because you can see what you need to see. For realistic sailing mouslook mode is key. Making the layline is best done by looking through your eyes; Not by having a camera hanging behind the boat.

Entering Mango Marina

The Bolero II is a wonderful boat. Not yet perfect, but it is a huge step towards realistic saling. Besides the telltales and the collapsing spin it has been updated to be more lively. It's simply reacting more to winds and waves, so the experience is more like sailing a small boat. The steering is also more accurate and course corrections affect the direction almost instantly.

On top of that, the sails luff, the sailing sound changes with speed, there is full wwc support so currents and waves, windshifts and all that plus the new windprint command, which guves you an instant detail of wind direction and force. Get all the great details at Balduins website.

Mooring in the North Sea marina.

What we're still missing is balance, - and the ability to let the crew trim the jib. Above, you see me mooring the Bolero right at another boat, the Trudeau One. Very much similar to the Bolero. It has balance, but it has no telltales. The race is on. Who will provide the most realistic sailing experience? Rumours has it, the next version will have both balance and trim by crew. Till then I will enjoy the unique features of the Bolero II, and remember... it still comes fully equipped with a double berth inside, cabin lights and more.

Naked Night Swim

I always thought night sailing was a very special experience. Tried it quite a few times in RL; Both racing and cruising. So, I wanted to see if the ambiance of a night sail can be replicated in SL. I checked the weather forecast, chose my most relaxing boat, the Bolero, and off I went... 

Trying to capture that special night ambience...

The essence of a beautiful night cruise is the silence, the darkness of the sea, and the huge twinkling bubble above. It is the perfect reminder of how small we are. The navigation by light houses and bouys raises your awareness, as you need to be just a bit more sharp on the navigation. 

Me cruising at night, looking for a spot...

This raised awareness extends into your entire body. The scent of coffee gets more intense. The digestives taste better. Peace and love fill your heart. However, in SL navigation is a bit different. We do not have navigational charts; We see the bouys and all the lighthouses, but sadly they aren't plotted on the map.

Let's go for a swim

One thing that is really great in SL is, that it can be a hot summer night, - every night. After a night cruise, nothing is better than a swim at sunrise. Sails down, anchor out, kettle on, clothes off and splash... Get right in. My watch tells me it's just above 21 degrees C; That's roughly 70 degrees F.

Skinny dipping, standing on my toes.

Ahh, and there is no need to wear a bikini, because there is no one around. Perfect opportunity for skinny dipping. If this isn't relaxing I dunno what is. The everyday treadmill is far far away it seems. Uh, thats the kettle whistleling... Lets get up and have a hot coffee and yet another Digestive, and then...

A little nap before sailing home.

Down below for a nap; I will probably wake up in a few hours, when the sun heats up the boat. Then it is sails up and back home before lunch. So, what do you think? Is it unreal? I know I did this in RL with a few beers and a few friends. To me it looks almost too real to be true. The feeling, the ambiance, the relaxing mindset, - it's all there. You can definately enjoy night sailing in SL, and perhaps it could even set the scene for romance... Now, where do I click to get a blanket?

Psst! The sailing in SL is keeps getting and better with new boats such as the Q-2m, the IOD and the Bolero.

The Bolero, Off shore

Balduin Aabye launched the Bolero recently. It is a faithfull replica of the knockabout sloop; Very pretty in that good old fashioned way. The RL knockabout sloop has a history of its own. Google it and enjoy the pictures. This is about the virtual knockabout, aka The Bolero.

Me and my Bolero leaving the safe waters of Nautilus.

To test her, I decided to take her off shore sailing. What better way to do that, than trying to make it over the new off shore connection to the continent of Oceania. If you are not aware of the new waterways added, check the Tradewinds Yacht Club website. Link on your right.

Bluewater sailing. Nautilus behind; Oceania ahead.

Inside the Bolero is a bwind sailing engine, so it is no surprise - she sails well. A little slow perhaps, but that adds to the feeling of reality. This is not a modern race boat. It is more of a classy day cruiser. The easy bowsplash sounds of the boat says it all. Sailing the Bolero has a certain Zen-like feel. It is peacefull and uncomplicated.

Totally relaxing off shore sailing.

So here's me being totally relaxed after climbing the mast to place the camera. Had some trouble with the autopilot, but it almost stayed on course while I was up there. Hopefully I can stay awake till I arrive at Oceania; Can't wait to take a nap in the cabin. Yes, there are berths for two in the cabin, and you can jump in and swim from the aft deck. The Bolero is perfect for a weekend for two in the Northern archipelago of Nautilus.

Taking a peek at the Oceania inshore waters.

The sails are well made. Curved and with stitchings. The spinnaker is too. Again, uncomplicated, classic, white and pretty. Autogybing makes spinnakers so much easier, - unless you are holding a course with the wind right aft. Then the autogybing flips you back and forth between starboard and port. Not something you would want in a close race situation. It is a design issue. Make the boat easy to sail usually means you loose a little control. That aside, the sailing is nice and intuitive.

Just moored in Oceania.

You can get a hud, if you want to sail by numbers, but check the above picture again. There is a little windvane. Here it is grey to indicate sails down. Otherwise it will tell you the wind direction. It will also indicate your trim by a colour. This allows for intuitive mouselook sailing. So realism is good, feel is good, and all in all it is a delightfull and relaxing experience to sail the Bolero. I will do that again, when I need a break.

About that ship there, Antinea, - see this link. It's important.