VENDÉE GLOBE round the world race

[maitai]

Tip: you can download http://www.virtual-winds.com/maitai/VDG_boatImg.zip and unzip the content in img\boats to get some images of the real boats

[rgleason]

Wiki Menu and Keyboard Shortcuts
B - Center screen on your boat.
E - Show/hide labels
0 - Show/hide opponents
P - Show/hide POI
R - Show/hide Routes
See link for other key shortcuts.

Center chart To center chart at any point (use cursor, left click on the point, then right click and pick "Center here"

[rgleason]

Sometimes I believe that "Simplify" over simplifies (this can be seen by looking at the wind patterns as you change time) and additional minutes can be gained by adding points, in this case four additional POI to the Route and then re- optimizing. Note the longer Red route which has been optimize to be a single leg.

[rgleason]

Loading qtVlm with a bad internet connection causes the Routes to be destroyed, leaving just the POI Marks. It is just an inconvenience, but can it be remedied?

[maitai]

You can "quit without saving" from qtVlm menu. It is useful in that case so you don't loose everything and can wait for the connection to be back on.

[rgleason]

Yes, hitting the X in the upper right or Quiting from the menus does work, if you haven't tried to do anything else. Sometimes my wireless connection kicks out and causes problems.

[rgleason]

When positioning a Route by using Shift-Left Click on a "Not Simplifiable" POI (at an increased map zoom- or large scale), the actual route lines will jump slightly depending on the Isochrone line being used and the route line may not cross the Ice Gate, however the actual POI is positioned over the Ice Gate line. Will the boat still cross the Ice Gata?

[maitai]

You have to be VERY careful with this. VLM considers that a WP is reached when the remaining distance is less or equal to the distance made by the boat during last vacation (5mn here). Which means in ALL cases the boat will never exactly make it to the WP. In you case no, the gate will not be validated. To be safe move the POI a bit north so the line really cut the gate. And if you plan to sleep during the boat's gate validation be even more careful especially if there will be a grib update in-between. One technic is to change the pilototo order to have it later (say 15mn or so), but to have a good reasonable "heading-to-follow" in the order. So if the boat is late at the WP due to a grib change, the pilototo order won't occur before the WP is reach, but if the boat is faster it will follow the heading for a while before the pilototo order is executed, which doesn't hurt if the heading is well chosen. The worst case is to miss the gate by some cms, can cost you hours. It has happened to all of us

[rgleason]

Thank you Maitai, I guess I've been very lucky, but am trying to squeeze time out now too, so I will have to be careful because I have been asleep at every mark so far and have not missed one yet. I'm going to have to think about what you said some more, but thank you.

[rgleason]

Maitai, I must have a lot of luck so far. When one wakes up how would you know that your boat has not passed a gate properly or touched an Ice Gate successfully? Thanks.

[rgleason]

Kirke is anyone at the helm? Hope you've got a plan to get to the Ice Gate. Perhaps you've been away for awhile....Maitai, too bad someone couldn't take the helm for him for a period, he was doing very well.

[maitai]

He can define what we call boatsitters. Just has to define them in VLM website and his boat will appear in the boatsitter(s) boat list. So someone else can take the helm if needed, but he has to allow it.

[rgleason]

What a great idea. So I'd need a partner in a different time zone. I see Kirke has tacked and seems to have a plan, fortunately.

[hwecken]

Hi Rick
yes you must be on the helm on the waypoint at the gates or put the waypoint in a sure distance after the gate when you are not able to control it.
on my side i am only on watch in the morning after the weatherchange and then after work in the evening.
Now to my plan, I have tacked too late due to being at work, so now i must take the gate at the eastern end. Maitai is now in the better position because he is actual navigating in the next weathersystem which will lead him in a fast way to the next icegate and i have to wait on my way to the west pacific gate for this weathersystem.
But the boatsitter idea is great !
Good luck to all
Hartmut

[rgleason]

Hartmut, sorry about that, I have some of the same limits, but you are still in good position and I think you will catch and ride the wave at the eastern end. I am headed that way too and if the grib does not change too much (if it speeds up I'm in trouble) I have a chance of catching it too.
Thanks for the warning about the Gate.
Best
Rick