VENDÉE GLOBE round the world race

[messias]

Just curious... is any of you sailing without the "pro-sails" pack?
If so, current position? I´m in the 1.746th

[barnakiel]

I know someone who doest but at VR. They are somewhere around 176k.

b.

[messias]

Yep, that´s what I was talking about. The VR.
Anyone else? What´s your current position?

[rgleason]

Everything is upside down. It looks like half the fleet is going the wrong way around and those with higher places are ahead!

[messias]

That´s what it seems... I´m trying to figure it out, but still can´t!

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by rgleason

Everything is upside down. It looks like half the fleet is going the wrong way around and those with higher places are ahead!

Not sure you guys are understanding what you are playing: progress is measured relative to a point somewhere out there beyond van Gogh, right?

Alas one can guess that there is a chance of the provider screwing up measurements - they have already had two dramatic wipeouts of their servers (or perhaps it is a server) and we are expecting another one in about 18 minutes.

I am providing wx advice to one of the players and their boat is not optimized, neither do they have any gadgets. Gadgets just let you organize your time but the extra sails make you go faster or at better angles.

Their boat is right now somewhere between 150 and 200 k even though they are in the group closest to the doldrums and exactly where the wind window is expected.

Take it easy with the positions though - sure the one who finishes first, wins ;-)

BTW Yesterday during the wipeout some positions were lost on VR server. It IS a lame company, not sure why VG selected them to be the official player as I know there are other options.

b.

[barnakiel]

182k

b.

[messias]

Ahaa...

So I guess I´m not so bad after all. (1891th, without pro sails)
But it is a game of endurance, so let´s see...

[messias]

Anyway, there´s something really fishy going on arround the VR.
I´m just looking at a couple of boats doing 12,8 kts... in a 3,2 wind?! That´s some special kind of pro-sail, indeed!

Can anyone figure THIS ONE out?
..."Diesel sail"???

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by messias

Anyway, there´s something really fishy going on arround the VR.
I´m just looking at a couple of boats doing 12,8 kts... in a 3,2 wind?! That´s some special kind of pro-sail, indeed!

Can anyone figure THIS ONE out?
..."Diesel sail"???

You may have ticked the wrong wx file or else it is just a screen/flash refresh issue. Which one is making 12.8 in 3.2? Take down the name, report them.

VR is as far from decent as possible when it comes to informing you e.g. what the reference point is. It looks like all boats on the E side are in the top 10 even if they are safely moored in Casablanca. ;-)

Crossing the zone will be a poker to many, I guess one is better off entering the thing close to a wx meridian so that should the wx update roll to one's disadvantage, they can quickly sail over to a more windy square. Well, unless both squares get becalmed ;-)

188k making 13.1 in 13.

b.

[messias]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

It looks like all boats on the E side are in the top 10 even if they are safely moored in Casablanca. ;-)

b.

That´s right!
I´m in 11ºN, 47´(position-1970´th), and the guys down at 6ºN 13´ are... on the 204.000´th ?!

I don´t get it, even if the reference point is "closer" to me...

[barnakiel]

I think next 48 hours will clear up the mess.

b.

[rgleason]

Was 841 sometime after the start (boat on constant heading overnight), then 17 along upper African coast, getting up at night to check on the boat etc, now at 6-41 S, 28-43 W the boat is 282 making its way across the low. My novice status shows, and I still have a lot to learn, including how to keep the time involvement down.

I believe the program measures straight distance through the gates to the Cape. for example. Pgen is still No. 1 along the coast in about 3.5 knots. That boat's progress down the coast was quite good for awhile and it looked for a time like the way to go (I certainly took the coast for the first part).

Now the weather in the Southern Atlantic seems to be changing again and it's more difficult to determine a route. I think you have to watch the changes and try to time it, but the boats seem like they're so slow. One wave of weather after another goes over.

I don't mind the server going down. I think its pretty darn nice to be able to play this game and I am willing to support it and better hardware. I' m learning quite a lot about this and I am very appreciative. Maitai has been a great help explaining things and getting me started, and I don't like hearing disparaging comments about this race or how it is run. I happen to think these guys are pretty good and "above board" and I intend to learn from them. We're lucky the French allow Americans to join!

Good Luck all. The numbers are upside down because there is not a really good way to calculate the number quickly, it is just a guide anyway. As the race strings out it will become more accurate.

Rick

[maitai]

In VLM the ranking is based on the shortest distance to the next gate, here WP2-Gough Island. So the East boats seem to be closer, but imo that's just an illusion

Thanks Rick for your update of the English wiki

@Barnakiel what exactly "wx" stands for? I am wondering since the begining...

[messias]

Originally Posted by rgleason

and I don't like hearing disparaging comments about this race or how it is run. (...) We're lucky the French allow Americans to join!

I don´t think anyone has made disparaging comments... It´s a plain fact that things have gone a little bit "confused" with the servers and some other issues. I have just pointed out some things that surely did look "strange" on course. The boats I mentioned doing 12+ kts in 3.2 winds were not a "refresh" problem on my screen (but then again there might be something "fishy" with my own computer or I-net connection... or glasses).

And don´t forget that it IS a commercial thing! They´re not doing it (the VR) for the fun of it. It´s a world-wide money making machine that sells products to the wannabe sailors...us! Apparently 328.547 so far...
I personally did not buy sails, heading schedulers or whatever, so I´m sailling for free and that´s the reason why I didn´t/wont make an official complaint, but for those who have, it works like a contract, even if its "just a game".
That´s all I´m saying...

Regards and better winds to all, from the african coast... stuck in a 3.6 wind