Two years gone

So I totally forgot my blogoversary. This guy reminded me by email. In fact he almost complained about it; Really sorry. Here's a late blogoversary post then, - with the requested view in the rear mirror. However, I'll start with the cake. Two years of blogging from sailing in SL calls for cake.

Gotta love that cake

So what's happened? Despite the sad fact that we've lost the Sailing Academy, virtual sailing seems to be in pretty good shape. The technical problems with sim crossings in SL seem to be under control. Mesh begins to look good. It's geeky, but mesh allows for much more detailed boats; New boats have been introduced by well known boatbuilders such as the Melges 24 from Qyv, the Zeeschouw from Rene, the Oceanic from Motor, the Spark from Becca, the 2.4mR from Qyv, Victors Dragon and let's not forget Nomads Nemo III.

The Ktaba 20

Trudeau Yachts has also released a couple of boats. I haven't sailed any of them, but they can be seen on the Trudeau site. There are probably even more new boats out there. Some of these might be built on Beccas BWind sailing engine, which was has launched in a much improved version 2.0. Sadly, we've also lost a few builders. Balduin Aabye, builder of the Bolero, left us. So did Corry Kamichi, builder of Wildwind boats, though it seems she is back again.

The VO65

Some of the most interesting new boats are probably Craig Ktaba's Ktaba 20, and Dutch Kain's VO70 and VO65, and why? The VO65 and the VO70 are simply majestic builds, and despite their size they actually sail pretty well. The Ktaba 20 is differently classy, but she sails so nice, and the Ktaba 20 has - as one of the very few boats in SL - sheets on both the main and the jib.

My absolute favourite still, the Flying Fizz

In general, most boats - if not all - are still playing catchup with the now three year old Flying Fizz. Pretty amazing really. If you clicked the link and read about the Fizz, you'll see it is a pretty complete  package. Not entirely perfect though; There's no bailers, and you cannot change the mast rake. So, there is room for improvements; I have a wishlist on the page called real sailing. I'll send it to Santa.

Racing the Q2m

So, do I have a favourite post of the year? I absolutely do. The picture above is from that post, and it is called Q2m feel good race. That post shows not only the beautiful Q2m. It also shows really good virtual racing. However, my favourites aren't everybodies favourites. The three most popular post this last year has been a friend lost, sailing is sailing and at the beach. Pretty different posts. Not sure what I can learn from that, except it is impossible to know what will become popular posts. Which is good, because then I can just go on posting without chasing "hit posts". BTW: Requests are welcome. Can't promise anything, though.

Thinking about the future

The future? I dunno, - who knows really? I have a feeling, a good feeling, that SL Sailing will evolve into an even better simulation; There will probably be even better wind systems, more advanced sailboats and sail engines that are easier to use, and somewhere along the road these three things will form a much more realistic sailing experience. It all sounds very exciting, and I really cannot wait to see it all.

The blogging? I absolutely love it. It has become more of an addiction than I ever anticipated. I am sure I still have loads of boatly stuff to blog, and tons of blogstuff to learn; Those inspiring blogs, where I lurk to learn blogger tricks and to read about sailing, they are in my blogroll. The quests? How about the quests? On the realism quest, I am seeing good progress. Sadly, the virtual Strawberry Margarita hasn't materialized. I'll keep looking for it...

My first time

A few weeks ago I was interviewed for a newspaper called Surf'n Sail. Dunno what went wrong, but shortly after I received a mail from the Redacteur... He was sorry to announce that the last issue was indeed the last issue. Ever. Strange, I thought the story was quite funny.

My first bubbly

The reporter was a real sweet-talker, so I told him the full story. If he was touched by it, then he never showed it. He kept on scribbling on his ipad like forever; Then he took a few pictures and went off. However, usually less than ten percent of a story makes it to print. This time was no exception, so here it is... The subject of the interview was...

My first time

I met this dude. I forgot where; Probably at the Sweethearts Club. He was sweet and good looking. I was young and clueless. Not like today, where I am a bit older, hehe. Anyway. We talked for a while, and he went in to the usual craptalk. You look sweet and all that. After a while he asked me some more personal questions; What do you like to do, when you are not here. Stuff like that. At the time I had no idea what to do in SL. So, - I told him I was pretty clueless on that.

Me trying to look clueless

He was a real sweet-talker too; I guess they have a club or something. Anyways, he went "pretty allright". He never did comment upon the cluelessness. A little later he moved closer and asked if I wanted to see what he liked to do. Something really nice. Something wild, wet and crazy; You will like it. It's not dangerous at all, just put on a bikini. 

That's when I got suspicious. 

However, I went along. He changed to boxers, and we sat down on this device, still chatting. He went on about how this is so much better, when you are two, and that's when he started talking strange. First he said, please sit still while I turn this thing on. Ehm... what thing? Then he started saying "start", "raise". I went, geeezzz, can you talk to it? Can I tell it what to do? Amazing. Lemme try...

Question: Will bubbly undress any woman?

Then we started. Strange sensation. First we moved slowly; It was unreal. Didn't hurt a bit. Seemed perfectly safe. Then we went faster. Kinda exciting. All kinds of images flashing through my mind. Phew! Very hot; Very wet. Faster and faster we went. Sounds getting louder and louder, me getting all dizzy until suddenly...  He yelled "I lost control", and it all came to an abrupt halt. Always stops too early, right!

He said, eeek - we're stuck! 

I was like what? Now? What do you mean stuck? Then he started saying lower. Lower. Geeezzz... like now? Then it gets weird. He went on saying "raise", "lower", "raise" a few times until he firmly announced: It doesn't work any more. Gaaahhh. Not dangerous huh? Here I was, - thinking he was on top of things, and then he pops it like that? Game over...

Gotta get me one of these

Ok, I stopped hyperventilating. Got myself together and said thanx for the ride. He wanted to know if I had enjoyed it. Told him it had been fun, but not nearly as much fun as I had expected. Told him I knew it could be so much better. He didn't understand. So, we parted, and we never spoke again. Can't even remember his name. Too bad really...

What really happened was, he go so excited he forgot to control the darn thing; We simply hit an island, and the boat broke. Not physicaly. In SL boats break programatically. We simply sat there. The boat was stuck, and we were stuck in it. Total downer.

Felt like sailing a paperboat

Of all this, the only thing that made it to the paper was, that I had a bad first experience sailing, and that I concluded that virtual sailing virtually sucked. I mean, that boat didn't feel like a boat. It had no heel, no balance, no trimming, no wind indicator, no compass; All you did was steer and drive. Duh! Much later, I learned about the yacht clubs, and then the sweet people at Tradewinds YC showed me some real virtual sailing in the Flying Fizz. That kinda got me started.

Turns out most boats in SL are controlled using commands like "raise", "gybe", "lower", "moor" et.c.

All this just to point you to a hilarious post over at O Dock, a very inspiring and funny sailing blog. Can you believe that?  If you go there, then make sure you also read the comments. Sooo funny. O Docker, thanx for "turning me on". 

365 days ago

Today is my one year blogoversary. Whoa! 365 days of fun has passed. Unreal. A year ago I was completely  unaware what blogging meant, was and could. I just felt a strong urge to write. Suddenly it appeared to me; Blogging is the answer. I spent a few hours searching for blog tools, and soon after I posted my first entry. So, here I am. Still finding my way through the blogosphere.

Yay!

There are lots of blogs out there; Even lots of sailing blogs. Good ones. Many of these have inspired me, and  I will just mention a few of the better ones. Alex & Taru's blog is the blog about the ultimate sailing dream. Tillermans blog is a totally different sailing blog. Always interesting, often in a totally unexpected way. I guess I like surprises... Oh, - Captain JP's blog not only inspires me, - it gave me my best "blog-laugh" so far with the story about Buff's TV show. Maybe I should get me a blogroll or something.

And the quest? How's it going with the quest for realism? It's flying. Sailing in SL gets better by the day. Boat builders are improving, refining and creating better boats in a pace I can hardly keep up with. Balduin Aabye just released a Bolero with real telltales. ReneMarine has something truly amazing in the works, and Quest Marine just release the Q-Scow. A dinghy that actually feels like a dinghy. And then there is the Nemo, with a brand new realistic windsystem.

Boat race? Yes, indeed!

Clubs, sailors  and RDs are embracing the ISAF ruleset. Certain birds are singing about sailing in SL being even better in the future.We have weekly races for training. Weekly graded races provides a ranking in more than a handfull of boat types. And then there's a few cups around too. One world Cup, ACA Cup, Flying Fizz Cup. Nuff said. Look at the picture above. It does look like a boat race, right.

The other quest? Well, ever since my first day in SL, I've been looking for Strawberry Margaritas. Haven't yet found any, but yesterday I came close. I was in Costa Rica sims, looking for a marina, where I could launch my Fizz. Didn't find it. Instead, I found a bar that featured Strawberry Daiquiri. Not the same as a Margarita, but close...

Lounging with a Strawberry Daiquiri

This picture is just me enjoying the Strawberry Daiquiri at ElMegros place. I guess he is ready for round three of the Flying Fizz Cup 2011. Look at all those Fizz Cup flags! If you zoom in, you can see the zodiac in the back. Right there is the starting line.

Strawberry Margaritas 4ever!


Should I look back? Just a little?? ok...

Most beautiful post?
Do I have a most beautiful post? It is probably the one about the LeetleCat.

The LeetleCat II in the North Sea.

Most popular post?
The Mothosphere went crazy when I posted this.

Me Mothing south of Tradewinds YC.

Most surprising post?
I never anticipated this post would become so popular, but it did...

Night sailing in the Bolero.

This will do for now, unless someone comes up with an absolutely fantastic category, which I have left out.

Summing it all up... Quite a few people have chosen to read my scriblings, and I am happy for that. I hope, I have inspired at least some of you to sail more in SL, - and maybe even in RL. The thought of that makes me smile. In any case, if you've had half the fun reading my blog, then I've had twice the fun writing it.

It's a new year, it's a new life... and I'm feeling good.

Potato, potahto

SL sailing is nice and easy; Lean back with your favourite coffee cup, grab the mouse and click a little to sail. Hit F1 to shout "Protest". F2 to hoist the spinnaker. F3 to gybe it. No sore arms from pulling sheets and halyards. Couch potatoes will love sailing a modern fourty-footer like this, and that's why I call it couch potato sailing. Not to be mean; Only to be fair :-)

This is SL; I can still answer the phone.

Real sailing is nice and easy too; Heel over, grab your favourite brand of beer, and if your boat is properly balanced, you will only need to adjust the tiller occasionally to sail. That might not be entirely true for a Moth, but many other real boats feature couch potato sailing; So there... Potato, potah-to. However, it can be the excact opposite too; Gybing 90m2 of spinakker in 12m/s wind can be both tough and wet.

This is RL. The cellphone is no good here.

Often the spinpole is flying over your head, so pushing the pole forward and in place takes both muscle and  training. Me, I am often on my toes to reach the spinpole, so when a wave hits, I am flying too. Anyway, I am out sailing. Please leave a message after the tone, and have a grreat weekend.

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.

Wax on, wax off

It's that time of year again. The ice is breaking, birds are singing, and on the Marina the sound of sanders are inevitable. I was there yesterday; Wax on, wax off. As usual it was rather cold, way too cold for epoxy-work; Very important to keep up the pace to stay warm. Wash, paint, wax and done...

Let's get out there...

Some of the guys spice it up with a luke-warm stout and a mars bar. I think I'll test the new burger-outlet. I am told they have veggie sandwiches. The picture?? Everybody knows what a messy marina full of eager sailors look like, so... here's the view from my car yesterday, when I was heading home from work. Let's get out there. There's real racing to be done.

Winter wonderland

Someone asked me, why I am sailing in SL. Actually that's really easy to answer. Now, I promised myself to keep this blog clean and not post RL images, but for once I will make an exception. This is my world during winter:

Beware of the killer penguins!

OMFG. It looks like Greenland. Even if I had an ice-boat, I'd be scared of meeting a bunch of killer-penguins on a field trip. I know, - they live on the southpole, and I am in Europe, but you never know... Anyway, instead of getting a depression from looking over the sea, I can go here:

Mmmmhmmmm...

Nice and warm afternoon in "Coconut Islands"; Beautiful too, - and thats not all; You can't see, what you can't hear. Seagulls, waves, wind; Sometimes dolphins and whales will pop up for air. So... why not hop aboard and do this:

... sail!

Ahhh, - that feels great. It's not the real thing, but the sceneries are definately worth it. Some of the boats are worth it, and sometimes there is even a race that's worth it; Besides that, there's a bunch of sweet people  doing the same thing. Many of these hang at Tradewinds Yacht Club. See ya there...

Shortly after

Right. Nothing. Shortly after came a shell. An empty one. It looked like a blog, but still there was next to nothing.

Me, My Fizz and Tradewinds...

What? Blogging is about content, right? Right! Yes, true... but... Blogger is a nice system. Simpler than WordPress, easier than TextPattern and... oh there are a million others. They all have myriads of knobs and handles to pull, as does Blogger; Tweaking those settings is part of making a blog look personal. Anyone  working with a computer knows this: Tweaking takes time.

In the beginning

In the beginning there was nothing.