I’m off to see what the Azores look like!

upgrade pack is a decent advantage I think, you get
. better sails
. the ability to programme course changes & waypoints (you can sleep as she sails herself)
. auto sail selection (the heavy spinnaker is a must for a strong tailwind, i hit 16knots last night

I might have a rummage around and see if I can’t find a prize somewhere, likely to be either mobile phone related or a bottle of booze. Sloe gin should be about ready for the finish of the race

Is this the same as that Volvo round the World race thingy a couple of years ago? With Terpischore and that??

No I’m not going to sign up; it’s a massive time dump nearly as bad as STW! 😯

(Scuttles off to find VR website…)

EDIT: Bollocks to it the website’s shit and won’t let me register for some bizarre reason. 🙁

En raison d’un pic de frequentation trop important nous ne pouvons vous fournir le contenu demande pour le moment. Merci de bien vouloir patienter et de ressayer dans 15 minutes.

Toute l’equipe de Virtual Regatta s’excuse pour la gene occasionnee et vous souhaite une bonne navigation

Like, WTF? In English please…. 🙄

I think there’s a day or two at most to be made in the North Atlantic although quite a bit of time could be lost. I think the key to the first leg will be the S Atlantic.

I just registered. Rodderz

“For reasons of peak in demand we are not able to complete your request for the moment. Thank you for your patience and try again in 15 minutes.

All the Virtual Regatta team apologises this and wishes you a good navigation”

There were a couple of phrases i was not sure of.

There are now over 30000 people playing this. Over 5000 have joined since this afternoon!

Probably mostly French people. They have given up burning cars for the evening.

bloody ‘ell, stevomcd got a jump on us all by being a late starter….

I’ve been killing myself on the winches and he does a bloody Dr Who and appears! run out the cannons and prepare to repel boarders.. its time for some piracy on the high seas.. arrrrrrr

It will all even out in the end I reckon. I am not worried 😯

Made up my mind to try the inshore route as I really dont like the weather forecast for the Canaries and further out. Off to bed now or whatever the nautical term is….

getting a funny weather situation where your gona get a lift which ever way you go 🙁 and I need to go to bed. Which way, which way..?

sleep is for the weak,, i’ll be up all night tacking into the strong winds (and sleeping when everyone shoots past me)

think i might just set a course and head to me bunk

So the the race has began. Some have gone West looking to ride the lows down to the Equator. This would seem to be the sensible choice, i would think there is pretty much certain to be wind out there.. Some have started to hug the coast, Hoping the coast though the light winds tomorrow and pick up a nice tail wind the day after…

Bugger, i think I made the wrong choice now. Looks like there will be zero wind where I am heading.Bugger, bugger, bugger!

I’m staying out west, just can’t decide how far west to go. To turn south and spend 36 hours tacking into a headwind or scoot further west and catch the tail wind.

I’ve gone west, but have bottled it a bit, so now going south westish.

is tacking the only way to deal with a headwind? trying to cut down on internet usage at work… oh well

Warton, unless you have an engine tacking is the only was to get upwind. But if you get far enough out West you should be able to ride the express train south on the low.

i might go further out then, as it stands I’ll just skim the western side of those islands…

late start for me – bawbag – going to head out.

I was in towards the coast to get some speed and everyone seems to be dying a death in close to the coast. I am now crossing out west and will ride the low down. Just need to get out further than west Africa.

I do want the pro sails however…. do we buy them???

Going west young man.

Rodderz, it is considered bad form to have the upgraded sails! I think its only BigG that has them from the STW lot. Might be wrong though. Anyone else feel they have something to share ?

😳 upgraded before the “no upgrading” rule was posted. I think it is making bugger all difference though to be honest – have ended up using the normal sails 75% of the time thus far.

Tongue in cheek really. I don’t care. Still going to win. 8)

Unless, of course, i spend the whole time becalmed off the NE coast of Morroco.

I’m going with the all-out-or-die option…. see you in the Azores!

Sadly I’ve become quite addicted to this game. Running in the background constantly! For a game where nothing happens for hours at a time, it is very compelling.

WellI signed up, it was looking good whilst choosing my boat colours etc but whenI got to the game it went really laggy on my htc desire, and missing clicks. Almost impossible to seta course accurately 🙁 one for the PC suppose, played, the volvo ocean race one but lost interest halfway round!

I travelled to Sweden this am with work and first time i got a chance to look was around mid day. Now watching the winds. Taking a 241 heading (south west) looking at winds in 12hr to 24 hr. Just made a slight correction to make it a more westerly course as the 12 hr and 24 winds are a bit more promising but easing off.

I will not buy the sails although more gear seems more fun…

Joined up. I did it last year and eventually got bored, but it was fun.
Paramedic Pirate 😀

planning on turning south and tacking madly towards madeira. winds are looking good just off the coast south of the canaries, and will probably stay inshore of the cape verde islands.

the winds to the south west of the azores will leave you in slack winds i think.

after the stage to Cape Town, I take it we all start again together for the next leg? Or do the first finishers get to turn straight round and crack on? Surely there must be a time limit to get into port in that case?

Everyone starts the stage at the same time. So if you don’t complete the previous, don’t worry

I’ve signed up and applied for the stw group as: series 1

has everyone been adding the names of the other STW members to their friends list? Makes it easy to spot where the buggers are!

Im the one who is in the middle of both fleets – mr indecisive.

I sailed this leg once – did a Cowes to Gran Canaria paid delivery trip as a student. It blew a hoolie for 2 weeks in November. Better than Uni though.

God it’s calm out there now! The next 24 hours are looking dull!

im waitong for a lift so I can gybe on it – need to go to bed soon and its taking ages to get there. The Southern Ocean is more fun than this leg.

Need to hold my nerve and not chicken gybe back to the West. Easier said than done though.
6 knots of speed in 7 knots of wind. Don’t these things go on apparent wind?

Still interesting out where I am! Only trouble is I’m half-way to New York and we’re supposed to be heading for Cape Town!

get a load of Jockonabike. he must have the Gucci sails doing doing 11.3 knots in 10 knots upwind!

Getting nervous and full of self doubt? not me 😳