The sailing plywood box

A couple of days ago I met Petra; She's a sweet and very energetic person, and some of her energy went into building a little Optimist. It's cute. Very cute. Actually it's even more cute than the other Optimist, because this one is sized like the real boat. Oh and it is wooden. Until you paint it and you can't see the difference. The realistic size means the two of us will barely fit inside the boat.

Squeeze me, squeeze you

Perhaps it is also floating a bit high considering it has two grownups on board. The optimum weight for an opti sailor is probably less than 50 kilos. While Petra is kinda skinny, it is safe to assume that the two of us weigh in at a hundred or more. Still, - or maybe because it ignores the weight - it sails pretty nicely. I suppose smaller boats are less work to render, so "smooth sailing" comes easier. The graphics engine is simply more relaxed, so we get better FPS readings.

Smooth sailing

Petra said it is WIP, and it is... the sails are flat like a pancake. There's no sheet, no downhaul, no outhaul and no line to adjust the gaff tension. Also, the sail sorta flies magically by the mast. It isn't tied to mast or boom with those hundreds of annoying little reefknots that I hated as a kid. Felt like hundreds anyway, and they were sort of a hill to climb everytime I wanted to get out there. From a distance you'll hardly notice these things; Sailing the boat their absense becomes more present. So to speak.

Wooohooo

The sailing engine is - for now - a BWind 1.5x or thereabouts. It does a pretty good job. It is not very modern, but it sure is low lag. That's what the BWind is all about. It was designed with two simple goals in mind: Be a simplistic, low lag sailing engine. It was never meant to be an advanced sailing simulator, and it really isn't. BWind has no concept of balance, waves, currents, sailtrim, planing or any kind of funky wind stuff like shadowing, bending or local variations. However, it's still e great sailing engine. If you wanna have a go at building your own boat, BWind is probably where you wanna start.

Love the poses

The Shelly Fizz has most of those features, and that's probably why the Shiprats like it. That and possibly the windvane, which - to a dinghy sailor - is even more important than it is for a keeler. The Shelly Fizz might not be as cute, but the "wrong" size can actually be the right size. You see it fits a grown person. I can slip right into it and feel like I am 13 again. Braces and dimples not included.

In any case, We had a nice little Opti-trip. This little right sized Opti sure is a fun project. I understand it is not neccesarily meant to compete with the Shelly. It'll be fun to see where it goes from here.

I am a sunseeker

I learned something new about my real self this past month. I am a sunseeker. Not that I feel like a mobilhome at sea. Lolz. Let me explain: This january set a really unwanted record. It was the darkest, most sunless month in 45 years. I'll just repeat that: This past january was the darkest month in 45 years!!

Sunseekers paradise

I am only glad I didn't experience the former recordholder month. Never really thought about it, but the sun seems to influence my mood quite a lot. SL to the rescue: It's called Las Islas, and it is a beautiful place. There's all sorts of stuff there, but I'll just focus on the ambiance... it's the most fantastic thing. There's little shops, secret beaches, secluded islands with hammocks, reefs, wildlife and much more... go there and see for yourself...

Yeah!

For a long time, this has been one of my favourites for relaxation and peace of mind after a stressfull workday. However, something was always missing: There was no boats, and no place to launch your own boats. So I wrote to the owners, and asked for that. Boats. Sailing. What happened? Check the picture above.

Laser sailing at ISL

That's a virtual Laser allright. I know exactly what to do with it. Click it, choose board, raise the sails and I am off to the sailing wonderland. Woohooo. This is just what I need in these dark and cold months.

Mind the reef

Las Islas is not a huge area, but there's a handfull of sims. If a sim is 256 x 256 meters thats's a fair amount of sailing area. You do the math, while I dream of having this area attached to on of the major sailing areas: The Blake Sea or the North Sea. I don't have any charts of the North Sea, so that last link is just pictures from there. And of a beautiful little boat.

See the islands

There are many islands to visit. Most of them are small and uninhabitated except for the birds and the flowers. It only takes a few minutes to get there, so you won't have a "cross pond"-experience. It's more of a daysail-thingy with loads of little places to explore. 

See the islands up close

Here's me passing one of the very small islands. In fact it's just a tiny dune sticking up of the water. Let's take an ever closer look! Maybe there's a treasure burried in the sand...

I mean real close

Hoppetihop. It's only knee-deep here. I'll need to drag the boat up the beach or it will take off and be gone. Or get stuck at the edge of the area. Or that's what I thought, hehe. Turns out the owners of Las Islas set something called autoreturn to be pretty fast. In a matter of seconds after I hopped off the Laser, it vanished into thin air. It's a good thing I can swim. (And fly ;-)

My brand new Laser, hehe...

Too bad cause the experience of island hopping sorta gets ruined when you have to go back to start each time you land... Makes sense in a way though. Wouldn't want the place to be littered with abandoned Lasers. Maybe give us a couple of minutes to explore? Still, it's a beautiful sailing area, so bear with me when I post just one more picture that speaks so much to my heart... It's just water, a tiny boat and me - and an island...

Ahh... 

Can you feel the urge? I wonder if someone is doing this for real right now... Me? I just need to get out there. Badly.

PS: Ahab made me add this PS with a link to the winter blues.

Fizz Cruising

So many people tell me the Flying Fizz is too difficult for them. While it is true the Fizz requires work to sail fast, I really think it is a pretty good cruiser. It's as simple as rez and go. The latest Fizz comes with a built in default wind that is perfect for beginners. And for experts.

Fizz Cruising

The important thing to remember is to NOT accept any local wind settings. Way too many marinas have local winds set to 25 knots or more. Now, most normal people would never go out in a wind that strong. Sailing the Fizz singlehanded is almost impossible in that windspeed. There's way too much power for one person to handle. With two people on board it is a little better.

Downwind is a blast

However, it seems singlehanded sailing in strong winds is popular. Ofcourse we all want to go fast, but sailing in those windspeeds is quite unrealistic. For most sailors trouble starts around 25 knots. Dinghies will capsize again and again. Keelers will simply break stuff. In SL those strong winds will not break stuff, but the Fizz will capsize. Other boats will continue to sail in ridiculously strong winds at ridiculously high speeds making sim crossing a real challenge.

Reaching is a blast too

What's worse is the math. The apparent wind calculations and the polar diagrams aren't really meant to handle those high speeds, so we end up sailing at weird speeds - in weird angles. Sailing a keeler so fast you need to gybe like an AC72 may be a fun and outworldly experience, but it has little to do with sailing as we know it in the real world. To me that's when it stops making sense.

Hey! Is that another Fizz over there?

Now, the Fizz may look complicated because it has three sails. That's where the other important thing to remember about the Fizz comes into play. It has several modes. There is expert mode. You don't wanna go there for your first time on the water. Then there's competition mode. Save that for later. There's novice mode, where you need to steer and trim the sails and finally... there's absolute beginners mode. It's point and sail. No trimming, no balancing, no hoisting sails. Just steer and everything else is handled automatically.

Rendezvous 

While I was cruising around the Blake I met these two guys. We sat there for a few moments enjoying the sunset. Talked a bit about the Fizz Cup. Then we sailed on. I had things to to, and that guy there in the other Fizz was training. The jetski-dude was just out cruising, but he kinda stayed with me for a while. Perhaps he secretly wanted to switch from stinkpotter to real sailing. Dunno.

Catching up

The boatspeed thing, the realism, was obvious a couple of minutes later. I had left the sunset rendezvous and was heading north-east on a beat. That usually means going just a little over five knots. So, the jetski was actually able to catch up with me. Had I been been going 22 knots in a crazy high speed keeler, he would have had a hard time catching me. Not to mention the fact that he would have been thrown off his jetski when he hit my 3 meter high wake, hehe.

Beating is a breeze

Anyway, here's me beating upcoast heading north to get back to Tradewinds. Going upwind in the Fizz requires a little training. Usually you'd go for those perfect telltails, but sailing the Fizz singlehandedly you often need to sheet out just a bit, - or point a bit too high, in order to keep the boat leveled. The speed penalty for not doing so can be more than a knot. There's something for you to work with - preferably before the Fizz Cup.

Me in the drink

Finally, should you decide to go for the Fizz Cup, be aware that you'd be sailing in competition mode as mentioned in the Notice Of Race. That means the capsizing feature is active. Too much heel and you're in the drink. Too tight sheets while gybing and the same thing happens. Not a big problem. Happens to me all the time. Well, not all the time, but still... You just crawl back on board and carry on; Hope the other ones capsize at the next mark.

Have fun Fizzin...

Here's more about those virtual telltails.
Here's a couple of sailing shots from the Fizz Cup 2011.
More cruising with the Fizz here: Destination Paradise.

Inflatable sailing canoe

I had barely packed away all my boats from the impromptu boat show, before my collection was upped by one. It's from the Rotaru Bootshaus; They just released the Ten and now this. Who knows how many "oldies but goodies" they have in pipeline? This one is a little different though. It's inflatable.

The inflatable boat

It was very easy to unpack. Click and drag. To my disappointment it did not come deflated. It just popped right up, and before I could say "voila", I was ready to take off. It's a littlebit exciting, cause I never ever sailed anything remotely like this before. RL or SL. It's not my first canoe, but it sure is my first inflatable canoe with a sail and two daggerboards of sorts. A rather strange vehicle if you ask me, but I get the idea. It can be deflated and put in the trunk. Not that I drive around SL in a car.

Cuddly sailing

So what's it for then? I studied the notecard, while I sailed south. It said "meant for cuddly sailing" or something like that. Ok? As long as it isn't crammed with weirdo sex toys and stuff. I clicked everywhere to make sure it was safe. Then I rang Dutch. To my surprise, he was all for cuddly sailing. He hopped on right before we reached Pslande.

Blue water, not Bluewater

Dutch quickly agreed it was a nice little boat. It sure doesn't look like a racer. It's not superadvanced with currents and waves, code zero and jib, but it is kinda soft and cozy to sit in. It's simply a tiny sailboat for a cozy afternoon at sea with that special someone. Or anyone not afraid ow water. The simplicity means it is probably less likely to crash, so for cruising and exploring, this could be a good choice.

Heading north

Inside the thing sits an elderly BWind sail-engine. It's the one from the first Babysloop. I wanted to test that stability a bit. After a few minutes in the Blake Sea, we headed north into the inshore waters behind NYC. Right. Yes. North. Unbelievable. There will be no pictures of the Fastnet Rock in this post. Guaranteed.

Lobsters for sale

The inshore sailing went very well. Loads of stuff rezzing. Trees, birds, boats, houses, lighthouses, piers and what nuts... A restaurant even...Or was it just a fishy shop? Dunno. We didn't stop to check, but I will have to check it out sometime. The scenery was actually so nice, I felt like mentioning it. Dutch response was a dry "I know the area. My ex used to live here."

Seeking the ocean again

Ok. Got that! So we looked for a way out. This looked like a way out, but in fact it was the perfect test. At the end of the narrow channel we turned starboard and sailed down a very narrow "piece of water", and that's where the boat went strange. It wouldn't say it crashed, because it kept running, but the boat got stuck, and when I tried to turn back, it sorta went into a vertical position. I really don't think I can blame the boat for that.

We got away

In any case, Dutch's problem was solved as we had to TP out of there. Found a rez spot and here we are again. Super relaxed and cozy. Open sea ahead. So, what's the verdict? I think it's a nice lil fun thing for leisure sailing and exploring. Not very advanced. Supereasy to sail and very stable. Perfect for exploring uncharted waters. I just don't get how it can be inflatable while not being deflatable.

Invisible features

The virtual Laser is already a very refreshing sail, but it seems Dutch just can't stop improving it. A few days back we got the windvane, which is great for both beginners and racers. This new feature is different. It is  almost invisible. It's not a gizmo that sits on the boat. It's more of a thingie that hits the other boats. Or should I say "unhits" the other boats?

The sailing...

Wanna take a wild guess? It's not really apparent from the picture, but if you zoom in, you can see it says test at the back of the hull. I put on my own sail though, so no test-text there. I know, the sails are standard. Even so, I kinda like to sail with my own sail. Sails are supposed to the same from the factory, but they age differently based on how and how much you sail.

The testing with Ana

Interestingly, Ana was able to catch me by pointing higher with her centerboard up. It's supposed to be that way on a reach. Here my apparent wind is like thirty degrees or so, and that makes it rather weird.  In a strange and unreal way. This indicates that the Laser needs more sideslip with the centerboard up. Anyways, you see my shadow in Ana's sail? In a minute Ana will shadow me. Windshadow that is.

And then the boat talk

Yup. The Laser now has windshadow. It seems to work great. We were only three boats out there, but the sailing was lag-free and just as refreshing as ever. This time we sailed with windvanes and a brand new shadowing system. That's the invisible feature. It still remains to be seen what will happen in a fleet with ten boats, but it looks promising. Also, I still cannot say if it works within the right angles and distance, - and with the right timing. More on that in another post.

The shadowing itself is not entirely visible though. When shadowed your sails will flap and you'll loose pressure. I am not sure how I feel about this. I can see it has an educational function, but it is unnatural. The thing is, casual sailors are always speculating if they're begin shadowed, and that alone make them loose focus. The good ones can feel it instantly.

I think my preference would be a totally invisible shadowing... lost pressure only. As in make it easy to sail, and make it hard to sail fast. As in make is as real as possible...

Can you see it?

Hey! While I've been on vacation in RL, the virtual laser just took a major step up my boat scale. It's not a big thing. Nevertheless it's pretty BIG. Can you see it?

Woohooo!

It's one of those things that you just absolutely need on a boat; Especially if you're learning to sail or trying to sail really fast. I can remember me learning to sail. First thing I ever bought for my savings in the boatshop... Can you see it now?

Yeah...

No. Not the sailing gloves. Not the shoes. Here's a clue: It's red and it's not the boat, nor is it the letters in the sail. Now do you see it?

... and it works too

Isn't that just soooo very nicely neat, cute and great? I guess there's still hope for virtual sailing, hehe, and there's more...

The Laser test

A few days back Jane posted a really thorough test of the Laser on her metaversailing blog. It has the usual high technical standard - plus it's not too much of a sales pitch :-D

I'm gonna get ya

It's a must read for virtual sailors. Check it out here... Nice huh! The Laser still isn't perfect, but it sure is a nice ride. Question is how far it can go...

Laser Launched

The virtual Laser was launched a few days ago. Sadly, I wasn't able to attend the event, but I hear they had a wonderful race. As in full of wonders; Crashes included, teehee. Anyway, here's a few pics of the final version. So far.

Hiking hard in the afternoon sun...

There's a couple of things worth mentioning. First, the steering. I haven't mentioned it before, but on the test versions the steering was... shall we say less than optimal. Not flaky or bad, - just not precise enough to satisfy racers. In a boat this lively, you need to do small and precise adjustments on the direction. Continously. It's been fixed. Weeee.

Who's shadowing who?

Then there's the fittings. Look closely at the picture above. Can you see it? There's carbon blocks all over. Well, except for that thing there on the mast. The test version had Harken ALU fittings, but they (Harken) have a whole series of Laser carbon fittings including the tiller extension available at a bargain price. (Not). All that extra gear is now included in the standard virtual Laser. Woohooo.

Close race

These pictures? We didn't really race. It was more of a cruise. I know I had coffee while underway. Was looking for a cupholder. Dunno what Dutch had. We sailed from Tradewinds down south, all around the Blake Sea and then back home. Such a refreshing sail. The boat really sails very well. The feeling is great, and it's dead easy to sail. Still, it requires so much attention to sail it fast. 

Beating around the... island?

Bottom line? It's a really nice and fun boat. It has serious limitations when it comes to racing though. No windshadow, no bending, no currents and waves and no local windshifts. More on that in a future post. For now lets focus on the fun. Even with the missing WWC features, I'd say it is worth the money. Nuff talk. There's a free demo available at Dutch's hide-away. Go try it and decide for yourself. Then maybe come back here and share your thoughts. 

Send more sailors

Weekend's gone. Monday's gone too. It's so back to the chaingang. Time for a little daydream. Let's dream of fast and smooth sailing. Tacking right on top of the fleet. Those first few super-important moves right after the start. Heart pounding like crazy. Here's a pic I took last week; I call it "Send more sailors".

"Send more sailors"

I know. The Laser hasn't been launched yet. Told you it's a daydream. Just imagine twentyfive of these moored at TYC, while we're outlining the course back at the round table. Then the RD shouts "lets get out there", and twentyfive sailors rush to their boats, set sail and steer south.

Daydreaming

Right south of Tradewinds is the starting line in Siracusa. Oh the fun of having seven close races in less than two hours; Loads of tacking, luffing and room shouting, then planing downwind looking for that extra puff. While we're waiting, check Tillermans ramblings on propercourse... There's a few good points on upwind tactics. They're good no matter what boat you sail. Mmmm. I like daydreams; Especially the wet ones... how about you?

Bent into shape

More good news from the Laser-lab. A few days back I asked if anyone could spot, what was missing on the Laser. The good news is: This one thing I was referring to, whatever it was, is no longer a missing feature.

Weeeeee

Dutch was not exactly enthused by the thought of redoing the part in question. He made it sound like a very big deal, but somehow his magic worked overly well. Soon after - few hours after actually - there was a new an improved version in my mailbox. I rushed inworld to sail it.

Can you see it?

When I logged in, I got a message about a VO70 race in the North Sea, so I decided to sail from the Mango Marina. Haven't been there for ages. There was a good breeze - like 15 knots or so, so it was great fun with  plenty of planing. And the missing feature? 

Can you see it now?

Here it is in full detail, and if you cannot spot it now, you either need glasses or you've never seen a real Laser. First one to mention it in the comments I'll send a postcard. No, not you Dutch :-D

Coconut Island?

Besides the Laser itself, the sailing in the North Sea is always a pleasure. While the real North Sea is cold and windy, - the virtual North Sea is warm, friendly and full of little coconut islands like the one in the back. Yummy. Sailing "knife in teeth" is fun, but sailing "sand in toes" is nice too.

Indians in the North Sea

Here's another few islands. The one to the left has a tipi on it. Never hear of the North Sea indians, but there you go. The vikings sailed to New Foundland, so why shouldn't the indians sail the other way? Ahh, there's another feature that is now working. The centerboard now works as expected. 

Centerboard working

It actually comes up and down when you "tell it to". Pretty neat, hehe; Most importantly it makes it easier to round a mark and get planing right away. It'll start planing on a reach, so if you execute the rounding carefully, you can be planing even before you are on course to the next mark.

Hiking strap working too

There's just one more thing I'd like to mention. If you check the first pic, you can see the hiking strap holding my feet. It's bent upwards. On this shot here, I am not using the strap, and you can (just) see it hanging loose. How's that for attention to detail?

While the attention to detail is immense, the real keyword for this boat is "refreshing". I had a truly  refreshing sail with this baby in the North Sea. Refreshing as in - it felt like sailing. This boat looks so real, you automatically expect it to be like a real boat. It's almost there. I still miss a few details such as the vane on the Shelly Fizz, and there's other stuff I'd like to add. Nevertheless, I can't wait to sail it again... 

Laser action

Enough talking... Let's see some action. Here's me and Dutch racing a bit; Me pinching, trying to cover...

Pinching

Here's me, fully concentrated on getting max speed out of this thingy. The Laser is extremely lively, so it is imperative to steer and stay focused all the time...

Full speed

... Dutch is doing pretty good too. Stay focused... stay absolutely focused. No looking at the scenery. No looking back. I can hear his bow wake... is he coming closer? Stop thinking and start sailing...

Focus

Eeeek. He's got a little lift there, and maybe - just maybe - I was thinking too much instead of sailing. Hey! Ahoy there!! This here is just about close enough.

That's close enough pal

Ok, so he got away. After all he built this baby, so he should know it better. Not an excuse. Just an explanation, teehee. Nah, I kinda lost focus in sheer excitement over this boat.

Hey! That's far enough pal...

However, there's no reason to give up. Never. never give up. There is always an option to win it back. Something will happen. A lift, a shift, he will make a mistake, a huge bird will land on his boat and drag it down - something will happen... just wait for it.

Working hard, hiking hard

My turn to get a lift. See... The gab is closing; Just a few more minutes of hard hiking and...

Weeeee!

Yes, - I am back on top. This is an absolutely amazing boat... and it isn't even done yet. I am not sure I can possibly imagine how great this will be once finished. This will raise the barre. Virtual sailing in SL will never be the same again.

Still a few details are missing. We already covered the continous sheet loop and the missing traveller in the comments here. I covered the non-carbon blocks in this post. It is not the centerboard, because it is already working. Well, it is sorta working, but only when it wants to. What's left? I wonder if anyone can spot it...