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Right. These pictures really need no comments. They clearly speak for themselves, and I will let them...

Flying Fizz on a beat

Let me just say, that the Flying Fizz provides a very intense and realistic sailing experience; One of the best available. Any RL sailor will feel right at home.

Downwind building up speed

Naturally, it adds to the experience that Marin knows precisely how to handle the jib and when to hoist the gen, when and how to hike, and when and how to adjust the power of the sails. You can adjust the depth of the sails individually.

The Fizz was born with an on board speedpuck

I don't really need to tell you, we had a great time, do I? More on that later, in a post called Destination Paradise or sum-ding. If you never tried the Fizz, then get one at Tradewinds Yacht Club. It is free, and it is great fun. And if you keep capsizing, I'll be glad to help. If the Fizz is just too much, try the Baby Sloop.

Cutter sailing revisited

After a vacation it is usually time to tidy up and stuff. When you do that, you often find old - and sometimes dear -  belongings long forgotten. That's how I found this:

The Seagull sailing at sunset somewhere west of Tradewinds.

It is called the Seagull. And here I was thinking the cutter from ReneMarine was my first cutter..! Ok, so maybe Rene's cutter is a bit more detailed, but this one actually sails pretty well for its age. It has a BWIND sailing engine, and it comes with that nice little trimming vane that changes colour indicating the trim.

Sunset on a beautiful beach...

The boat is very easy to sail. It also seems quite stable. I went for a longer ride. Sailed west through Balduins Channel from Tradewinds, then down south through Knaptrackicon and then - after a while I turned east to reach the Blake Sea. Then up north and home to Tradewinds. All this with no crash.

A narrow passage...

Quite amazing actually. The boat also has room for passengers, so it is well suited for relaxed cruising with friends. However, it might be - in this version - it is a little outdated. Not sure if a newer version is out. Didn't seem like it. Never mind that. It is not a racing boat, but it sails well. I wouldn't mind taking the Seagull off shore.

Open sea ahead

I've never met the builder, Tomha Zymurgu. I went to his shop, and you can still get the Seagull there; It is also available in the shop at Tradewinds. BTW, there is something more exciting at Tomha's shop... a dinghy called the Flying Dolphin; Sadly it wasn't for sale.

Back home through Blake

Anyway, as you can see, the Seagull is a great cruiser; I had a very nice time sailing her, and there are plenty of places to go cruising, so no excuse... go see the islands.

Virtual Callypso

Just back from a rainy sailing holiday. Yuck. I logged in to sunny Tradewinds Yachtclub to see what's been going on. Ok, so they found a winner of the ACA 2011. Congrats. Details on metaversesailing. Talked to Bea about the new ACA boat version 3.1. Much improved it seems. More on that later.

Tradewinds is running a powerboat show, and I will shoot a few pics from that later, but what did I see, when I logged in?? I saw an almost mythical ship, and here it is:

The mythical ship at Tradewinds

It is of course Jacques Cousteau's Callypso. I've said it before. The creativity in Second Life never stops to amaze me. Look at all the details.

Details, details, details...

It is a faithfull replica of the ship, complete with the helicopter, zodiacs, and the little sub. Yup, it's all there. Amazing to walk around on this ship, which - I suppose - most people have seen on TV.

Here's another view. I also sat in the heli, but I didn't know the commands to fly it. Kudos to Jacques for his amazing work for the ocean and its inhabitants, and what a beautiful build by Sweecahcahche Ah. Hope I got the name right. The rainy holiday? Someone asked me to share a few pics. Not sure it fits this sailing blog though. Will think about it.

Roar Ege rounds Fastnet Rock

Back to the story about Sharp-Tooth-Isle. There are so many beautiful boats to sail. This time - as so often before - I simply logged in to Tradewinds Yacht Club and there she was; I was excited, because I have seen that particular boat many times - in real life. Moored in Roskilde. Sailing in Kattegat.

Back to the roots

It is of course the Roar Ege, aka Skuldelev 3, a viking merchant ship built around 1040 A.D. Beautifully rebuilt from scratch by the Viking ship museum in Roskilde, and now beautifully replicated into SL. I immediately contacted the builder, Linteus Dench and asked for a ride. He responded right away - and next time I logged in, it was time to take Roar Ege down south to the Blake Sea.

Me and Roar Ege rounding the Fastnet Rock in the sunset.

I so wanted to round the Fastnet Rock in Roar Ege; Always thought Captain JP's topbar picture was fantastic. This was my opportunity to take a perfect picture of a historic boat rounding a historic rock. The images are hi-res, so click'em to full screen, lean back and dream a little.

Full speed ahead...

So what's it like sailing Roar Ege? She sails well. Upwind sailing might not be her favourite, but apart from that - it is a pleasure. Easy to handle, nice sounds and the lovely BWind sailing engine for a natural sailing experience. Above I am going south - south-west of the Blake Sea, - after passing the Fastnet Rock. I forgot to note the speed, but from the picture I'd estimate we're close to top speed; The Roskilde site tells me, that's around 8-10 knots.

Have a look at the details.

The boat is full of tiny details, ropes, knots, steering oars and what not; I took a million great pictures and, I'd really like to put them all up here. However, these here will have to do, or the blog will be flooded. Besides, I am off to RL for for some real sailing; What can I say... priorities.

More details

Get a viking ship yourself, and go explore the seas of SL.You can catch a few more pictures of the boat at the Tradewinds blog, if you're hungry for more. I had a great time sailing the Roar Ege, and now I am looking to book a trip in the real thing. Yes, it's possible.

See the amazing view from Fastnet Rock.
Roar Ege is a little too old school for you? Check the Foiling Moth or the Q2m.

Becca's Baby Sloop

I've been meaning to post something about this boat for a while. Becca's Baby Sloop. It was not the first  sailing boat I came across in SL. I already knew the Shelly and the Fizz. However, the Baby Sloop was my first boat using Becca's BWind system, and it sorta started a wave of new and exciting sailing boats in SL. So it is a historic boat in some way.

Me and Xanadusu in the Baby Sloop.

I logged in to say hi to friends and maybe sail a little, and this guy - Xanadusu was in bad need of a sailing course. I had one in my backpack, but he insisted that practice is needed too. So we set sail, and went for a training session. Normally, I'd prefer the Shelly Fizz, because it has telltales and a really good windvane, i.e. it is more realistic. But, - Xanadusu just got the Baby Sloop, and it is simpler. Fewer things to worry about. By the way, Ivie was there too, eagerly motoring about in a Trudeau boat of sorts. It's the boat in the background.

South of Tradewinds; North of Schiffsratten.

We sailed around, - ehm... it took a few minutes to get out of the marina, because well... easterly winds. I talked and explained about trimming, and how you cannot sail directly upwind, and after a few minutes Xanadusu actually was sailing. Well done. The Baby Sloop worked perfectly for a training session; Rudder on left / right and sheets on up down. Capiche? Oh, and smooth simcrossing, low lag and no crashes. The trademarks of the BWind.

Tradewinds ahead.

After a few more minutes, Xanadusu spotted the island up ahead on starboard side, and we moored there, to see the sights. Sand, seagulls and a hut. Quite nice actually. I went on about the hundreds if not thousands of islands just waiting to be explored in and around the Blake Sea, Fruit Islands and more, and I think Xanadusu was bitten by the bug, - the sailing explorer bug. The BWind? It is being improved, stabilized and enhanced in many ways, and rumours has it, that a new and exciting version is coming up.

Looking forward to the new version

Did I mention the Baby Sloop is available for free at Tradewinds Yacht Club?

Sharp-tooth isle

This is really just a post to share an amazing view. There's no story behind it. So here it is: The view from "Sharp-tooth isle". That's what my grand-grand-grand-grand...very-much-more grand parents called it. More on that in another post. Look it up, if you are too curious to wait. Again, the view:

Me on Sharp-tooth isle

Don't look at me. Click the image, and see what's behind me. Ok, maybe there is a little story in this post after all. But it aint much. As usual I logged in to get my sailing kicks at Tradewinds, and what do I see? A beautiful ship at Tradewinds YC. That's not unusual, but wait... it is a ship I know. I have seen it in RL. I have even seen it sailing in RL. Many times.

Me enjoying the view over Blake

I wrote the builder right away, and he responded by giving me the opportunity to actually sail the boat, and that's how I ended up here on this piece of rock in the middle of the Blake Sea. You see, - the boat crashed. No! Not me crashing the boat by running aground here. I took the inshore navigation class. Another kind of crash, that rarely happens in RL. Sometimes virtual sailing suffers from computer related problems.

Is this sunset for real?

I won't blame the boatbuilder, and that's not what this post is about anyway. It is about the view. By sheer accident I happened to be in this spot, when that ship passed. Yes, it is a digital world. Yes, in many ways it cannot compete with the real thing, but seeing that ship out there, simply took my breath away. It is pretty, don't you think? Oh, and Sharp-tooth isle? Be my guest, - guess!

So many pretty views and sceneries. I ought to do a series just on that. Check the night swim, and here's a few shots from Fruit Islands. Definately also worth a visit.

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.