Facebook

Login

Support Sailonline

If you haven't already - join the SAILONLINE YACHT CLUB!

Please also consider making a donation - all amounts are greatly appreciated!

Board » Technical Support » * * * Vic-Maui Malfunction Alert * * *

Passing the Cape Flattery Waypoint to the North when "Rounded" causes the Boat Ranking to place you at the bottom of the list with a DTG of 2704.1 nm in a race that is 2311.4 nm long.
None so blind
This is a small problem with the way SOL calculates the distance to go:

You need to look at the half angle line from the next waypoint to pass. SOL searches for a great circle passing this line orthogonally and going through the position of your boat. In this case the great circle passes the waypoint Nakalele at some distance, so you get a longer distance to the waypoint and a longer distance from there to the finish.

See attached sketch for details.

The above algorithm is necessary so the DTG function is continuous and there are no jumps in the ranking during passing of a waypoint.

The real bug is in the overall calculation of DTG, the above algorithm is only applied to the next waypoint to pass, if there are more waypoints the distance of the great circle going through these waypoints is used in the calculation. This causes the jump in DTG after passing Cape Flattery.

As the ranking issue will sort itself out once the boats are about 400nm offshore, I'd consider this a minor problem, rankings will be fine for the remaining 2000nm of the race.

_/)_/)_/)
The sea is lovely, dark, and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to sail before I sleep, And miles to sail before I sleep.
Attachments
Super explanation... even my little grey cells comprehend!!

Thank you :-)
Thanks for the technical details of the situation. I had not encountered this sort of behavior in any previous races.

P.S,

Thanks for the graphic & expanded explanation,

Standing down from * Alert * status :)

--- Last Edited by Aethereal at 2010-06-26 12:19:06 ---
None so blind
The half angle line is derived as follows:

Take the line (I think it's the loxodrome) from the previous waypoint (or start point) to the waypoint in question and the line from the waypoint in question to the next waypoint (or finish). These two lines of the race track define two angles, a greater "outside" angle and a smaller "inside" angle. The "outside" angle is on that side where the waypoints needs to be passed. The line cuting this angle in two halfs is the "half angle line" I was referring to.

When your boat passes this line, the server will mark the waypoint as passed (if passed in the correct direction, of course).
_/)_/)_/)
The sea is lovely, dark, and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to sail before I sleep, And miles to sail before I sleep.
This "small" problem creates a huge mistake in the case of the race "Ron Cazar". Please find a way to solve the problem!
nacrr
Thanks to Eddie's technical description & some subsequent discussions with 76T an idea occurred to me on how to improve the DTG measurement without radically altering the method by which it is derived.

I post it here so that my understanding of how things actually work can be evaluated.

As it stands now the "Bearing to Mark" splits the difference (Half-Angle) between the incoming Rhumbline and its exit. Crossing this imaginary line is where a rounding is registered and the closest approach to this same imaginary line is how the DTG measurement is calculated.

Now if this "Bearing to Mark" was rotated forward in favor of the exiting Rhumbline until it was perpendicular to it, then the closest approach measurement would more closely resemble the actual course distance.

My suggestion is to give the Bearing to Mark a forward bias.
None so blind

Please login to post a reply.

Races

Next Race: 00d 00h 00m


Current Races:

Bar-tailed Godwit - Alaska to New Zealand 2026


Welcome to the autumn return flight of our bar-tailed Godwit, reflecting the bird's annual migratory route. This is the penultimate leg in our migration series. (The concluding leg is coming up simultaneously, 'Skimmer Dragonfly', start on the 11th of November. Not part of the 2026 OCCH). This race, at hand, is the next to last leg of the 2026 Ocean Race Championship. The voyage promises to be not only a test of skill and strategy but an immersive experience in the beauty of the vast Central Pacific Ocean. Join us as we push the boundaries of seafaring prowess on this epic adventure.
Let's fly like a Godwit!
Race #2065
INFOby brainaid.de
GunBoat 90 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking:
OCQ4 - OCCH - SYC - MIG
Race starts: Nov 02nd 11:00 Registration Open!
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Mistli's Birthday BBQ Race 2026


It’s that time of year again – November 1, time for Mistli’s birthday bash and BBQ! It’s the usual tricky 61.5nm through the SLI-infested Stockholm Archipelago to Mistli’s place at Trosa, this year in a slightly slower but seriously Swedish Scampi 26!
Race #2063
INFO by brainaid.de
Scampi 26 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: RED - SYC
Race starts: Nov 01st 14:00 Registration Open!
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

ORCV Melbourne to Devonport Race 2026

Welcome to the prestigious Rudder Cup, Australia’s oldest and most iconic yacht race! For over 110 years, this legendary 196nm classic has tested sailors' strategy and endurance across the notorious Bass Strait from Melbourne to Tasmania.

Organized by the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria, this year’s battle against the unpredictable Southern Ocean features the stylish Dehler 46. Designed by Judel/Vrolijk as a proper looker and built to race, this regatta cruiser is a virtual flyer packed with modular racing upgrades. Can you master her speed and conquer the shifting elements?

Chart your course and race for glory in this historic adventure!
Race #2068
INFO by brainaid.de
Dehler 46 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: TQD - SUPBUD - SYC
Race starts: Oct 30th 03:30 Registration Open!
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Mad Max by Balloon 2026 - Across the Outback


Mad Max Rockatansky doesn’t get to go in a balloon in any of the Legends of the Wasteland, and the Wasteland is not necessarily the Outback of Australia, but Mel Gibson and film director George Miller indubitably are… of Australia, and ballooning as reconnaissance is a main feature of the Mad Max spin-off video game, so here goes: 1500nm in a balloon from somewhere on the edge of the Outback, Goondiwindi, to cross a finish line at Fitzroy Crossing, somewhere on the edge of the Outback!
Race #1974
INFOby brainaid.de
SOL Balloon PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: BOL - SYC
Race starts: Oct 14th 13:00 Registration Closed
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Arctic Tern - Greenland to Antarctica 2026

Welcome to the fifth leg of our MIG series. Now it's time to race the Arctic Terns, on their migration from Greenland to Antarctica, 8300 NM. This is also part of our monthly Ocean Championship, and as such the first race of OCQ4 2026. This race will be sailed in our Maxi Trimaran. Race #2061
INFO by brainaid.de
Maxi Trimaran PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230 Ranking:
OCQ4 - OCCH - SYC - MIG
RACE CLOSE: Wednesday,
November 4 at 2300 UTC.
Race starts: Oct 05th 11:00 Registration Closed
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Go to race archive

SYC Ranking

  1. Sailonline Yacht Club Member CriticalHippo
  2. Sailonline Yacht Club Member KaSToR
  3. Sailonline Yacht Club Member rafa
  4. Sailonline Yacht Club Member rumskib
  5. Sailonline Yacht Club Member Panpyc
  6. Sailonline Yacht Club Member cdhinman
  7. Sailonline Yacht Club Member rthinman
  8. Sailonline Yacht Club Member BRENTGRAY
  9. Sailonline Yacht Club Member brandystrega
  10. Sailonline Yacht Club Member ms0689

View full list

Series

Mobile Client

SYC members have the benefit of access to our mobile/lightweight web client!

The mobile client