December 23, 2008
Merry Christmas from Singapore
I have not posted any progress reports for the yacht Hold the Mayo in the third leg of the Volvo Ocean Race game because I became too involved in making progress!!
Unlike the previous two legs which were primarily reaching and running this leg was almost all beating into the wind. This made it tactically more challenging and more interesting.
On port tack - sailing to the northeast - I lost boats by the hundreds every 10 minute cycle of the game. The first couple of times this was quite unnerving. But the losses were always made up on starboard tack.
I did well. As I approached the turning mark at Palau Weh I was in 1,400t place and on a lifted starboard tack thus still gaining boats.
Unfortunately the ever improving number of my rank in the fleet became a Siren's Song. I stopped looking ahead and thinking and sailed for the moment to moment gains. Gains that proved all too fleeting. Here is how the game site described the last segment of the leg (emphasis added):
In the real world, I have done a fair amount of inshore around-the-buoys racing. In that type of racing you generally try to pass a turning mark as closely as possible without hitting it. Taking this approach to the mark at Palau Weh, took me out of the better wind. By the time I came to my senses I was too committed to a middle/inside track to change.
Mistakes three and four were navigational errors. In both cases I miss-judged the boundary between wind zones and instead of moving from one decent wind to another I spent some time in adjacent zones with little to no wind.
I did eventually recover a bit and in the last 350 or so miles I picked up about 1,000 boats to finish a still disappointing 3,726. I try to tell myself that myself that this is a respectable finish in a fleet of 110,086, but it doesn't work!
So from the entire crew and shore team and virtual dock in Singapore, Have yourself a Merry Christmas!
Leg 4 starts on January 18, 2009. Destination Qingdao, China
Unlike the previous two legs which were primarily reaching and running this leg was almost all beating into the wind. This made it tactically more challenging and more interesting.
On port tack - sailing to the northeast - I lost boats by the hundreds every 10 minute cycle of the game. The first couple of times this was quite unnerving. But the losses were always made up on starboard tack.
I did well. As I approached the turning mark at Palau Weh I was in 1,400t place and on a lifted starboard tack thus still gaining boats.
Unfortunately the ever improving number of my rank in the fleet became a Siren's Song. I stopped looking ahead and thinking and sailed for the moment to moment gains. Gains that proved all too fleeting. Here is how the game site described the last segment of the leg (emphasis added):
The Malacca Strait is not feared for the traffic of giant vessels, fishing boats and nets or millions of seaweed but for the trickiest part of this short leg. It is going to be a tense run to the finish as the Malacca Strait works its magic, narrowing the fleet down into a funnel and slowing us down considerably.
The forecast is for little to no wind and who will get the little zephyr is anyone’s guess? Staying North of the Strait looks good at this stage however the extra distance might be too costly whilst the most direct route could be the quickest way to get there.
Only 40 miles separates the leader from the 50,000th placed boats and any single mistake will be extraordinarily expensive. Positioning ourselves in the strait will be crucial and a little bit of luck will not go astray as well.
Following the tracks of the countless competitors tells us that sleepless nights and tense moments are on the card until the finishing line is in sight!
A single mistake I might have survived. There were at least 4 that cost me greatly. The first was sailing to the fleet position number and not the wind and the course. This facilitated the second mistake which was that the lack of strategic focus allowed the wrong instincts to take over.The forecast is for little to no wind and who will get the little zephyr is anyone’s guess? Staying North of the Strait looks good at this stage however the extra distance might be too costly whilst the most direct route could be the quickest way to get there.
Only 40 miles separates the leader from the 50,000th placed boats and any single mistake will be extraordinarily expensive. Positioning ourselves in the strait will be crucial and a little bit of luck will not go astray as well.
Following the tracks of the countless competitors tells us that sleepless nights and tense moments are on the card until the finishing line is in sight!
In the real world, I have done a fair amount of inshore around-the-buoys racing. In that type of racing you generally try to pass a turning mark as closely as possible without hitting it. Taking this approach to the mark at Palau Weh, took me out of the better wind. By the time I came to my senses I was too committed to a middle/inside track to change.
Mistakes three and four were navigational errors. In both cases I miss-judged the boundary between wind zones and instead of moving from one decent wind to another I spent some time in adjacent zones with little to no wind.
I did eventually recover a bit and in the last 350 or so miles I picked up about 1,000 boats to finish a still disappointing 3,726. I try to tell myself that myself that this is a respectable finish in a fleet of 110,086, but it doesn't work!
So from the entire crew and shore team and virtual dock in Singapore, Have yourself a Merry Christmas!
Leg 4 starts on January 18, 2009. Destination Qingdao, China
Posted by: Stephen Macklin at 10:25 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
1
While you're there, sing a few carols and pour some eggnog as you enjoy Christmas.
Posted by: T F Stern at December 24, 2008 12:54 PM (Ruh11)
2
Merry Christmas.
You might want to think about ice boating sometime. It's very fast. A lot like sailing, but in a boat that has skateblades, on a frozen lake.
Posted by: R. C. at December 25, 2008 10:36 AM (5UbkE)
3
TF. The virtual eggnog in Singapore just isn't going to cut it!! Not even with a good shot of virtual rum!
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas to you, R.C.
I did try ice boating once. It's very fast. A bit unstable. And the price of capsizing is way too high for my old bones!
Posted by: Stephen Macklin at December 25, 2008 11:46 AM (R7LgM)
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