To the end of the world

Virtual sailing can be so many things. Racing, boatbuilding, yachtclubs, cruising, exploring, navigation  and more... A few days back I went cruising with Dutch. It was a nice change after all the pretty hefty testing and racing with the Nacra17 and the Laser.

Late afternoon sail

We took off from Tradewinds in one of the classics, the Cotton Blossom II built by Balduin Aabyes Yacht Design. This is the absolutely opposite of a racer. I think Dutch said it quite well, when he murmured: I have no idea how fast we're going, but who cares in a boat like this.

Who cares about the hud

Ofcourse, the Cotton Blossom II has a hud; We turned it on, watched it for a while, and then we turned it off again. It's true. It really doesn't matter. This boat is all about leaning back, relaxing and enjoying the ride, the view and the sounds. Yes, even the sounds are slow and Zen-like.

The views

Hard headed oldtimers will probably wonder, how the Cotton Blossom can be trimmed and sailed, when there's no hud. The answer is simple: Balduin built a couple of boats with telltails. This is one of them. The other one is the Bolero. I didn't look much at the telltails though. I simply enjoyed being in the passengers seat.

Uncharted waters

I wasn't even following the route on the charts until I began to see coastlines that I didn't remember seeing before. That's one of the beauties of being in the passengers seat. You get to see new places. This cruise actually went all the way to the end of the world. I've been there before, but this was another end of the world, hehe.

Navigator?

I usually go south-east, north or north east. Dutch chose a course that was kinda south-westerly; Nice area for a cruise, and as you can see above, the navigator has to stay alert (or online if it's a gps) all the time. No sleeping on the couch. Not even if it looks inviting.

A peek at the couch

So what's happened since the release of this pretty boat? After all it is a year and a half old. Not much actually. The Cotton Blossom has no sheets, but apart from that it is on par with the latest boats. The Cotton Blossom II is a modified BWind, just like the  Nacra17 and the Laser.  The only difference is: The Cotton Blossom has no sheets, and admittedly that does make it look a little old fashioned - in an weird SL Sailing kinda way.

Where are we?

Those new boats... they have sheets, but they don't have telltails. More importantly - the Cotton Blossom has pretty much full WWC support, so there's wind, windshifts, waves and currents all with local variations... Those new fancy boats, they have nothing of the kind... That seems like a strange step backwards?

Anchorage at the end of the world

In fact it seems the Cotton Blossom II is more of a sailing simulator than many of the newer boats. So here's a question: As a sailor, which would you choose: Invisible sheets or invisible telltails? Think about it! While you think, here's us anchored at the other end of the world. Tea and bisquit time. Now, where did I put those Digestives?

The Cotton Blossom II

Balduin Aabye is brewing again. This time - the result will be an updated version of the Cotton Blossom II. If you don't know what the Cotton Blossom is, then go to Balduin Aabyes website and read the story. Link here to the right, - or google for images of the Cotton Blossom II. Amazing pictures of a fantastic boat.

The Cotton Blossom in the North Sea

A few days back I sailed the Cotton Blossom around the North Sea with Serafina. We also explored the marina in Mango, but that's another story. The Cotton Blossom shares many features with the Bolero, so when she comes out, the Bolero will become less unique. That's because...

Telltales

The Cotton Blossom comes with live telltales. This is huge, because experienced sailors will instantly know how to trim the boat. Put that ugly hud away and sail by telltales, luffing sails, heel, wake sound and wind drift. Yes, wind drift too. Yummy. It's absolutely delicious. As is the North Sea...

Enjoying the North Sea and the Cotton Blossom

Ok, you can get the primitive hud still, if you must know those figures. It isn't pretty, but it's still there for you to switch on. On top of that, there is a new graphical hud with direction, windangle, and trim, which you can place freely. As much as I love to hate huds, I must admit that Balduins new hud is rather nice.

Those lovely telltales

Here's a closeup of those beautiful telltales. As with the Bolero, they are placed a little different from RL telltales, and this has to do with the fact, that the jib is hard to see when sailing. Hopefully there will be a next version, where I can sit on the sidedeck and see both the jib and the telltales in the jib. I will write to Santa about that.

Mango marina in the back

It also has many of the other well known Bolero features. A nice spin, easy to trim, and it collapes both visually and with sound, if you aren't paying attention. Improved dynamic sounds, and much improved dynamics overall. This boat is very lively. That's partly because it has full WWC support with waves, wind and current. 

Back to the marina.

Full WWC support also means, the Cotton Blossom features tactical racing, so who knows... maybe we will see a fleet of virtual Cotton Blossoms racing. Obviously I miss a few things, since the sailing engine is the same as the one in the Bolero. The boats feel different, but the features are rather much alike. Balancing is missing, and crewed sailing is too. The crew cannot trim the jib. Or the spin. I will write to Santa about that too.

Sails down and ready to moor. 

Overall, this is a fantastic boat. Very pretty, - well almost majestic, and very much fun to sail due to the well designed feedback. Not the huds. All the other stuff, that turns it into a virtual sailing sensation. And the inside... it's true to the original. U can take a nap on the couch, once you are done sailing. Just lovely. Virtual sailing as it should be. Thanx Balduin. 

PS: Someone told me to write, that these images deserve full screen viewing.