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 » Practice Racing » Practice Racing - Notes/Rules and Info

Posted by
RainbowChaser


Users avatar

Posts
2656
Registered at
2009-06-14 09:44:50
2010-09-23 18:19:48 - Practice Racing - Notes/Rules and Info
Post annotated by RainbowChaser :
This thread was moved from the category Races.
INFO

Click the thumbnail for a brief Introduction to Practice Racing



WHO CAN SET UP PRACTICE RACES
In principle, anyone can, providing they have the passwords to the boats used as marks. The passwords are kept private to prevent folks having fun playing with the marks and not returning them to where they have been placed, at great effort, by a course designer!!

The list of SOLers who have the passwords so can design practice races are:

Bimmer
glynnwi
calmxy
GREATSKUA
RainbowChaser
sassy63
Wolff

NOTES/RULES

360 Penalty Turn: means to sail your boat in a full circle, stopping at least twice so that upon completion a full loop is shown in your updated track. The penalty must not be combined with a tack, gybe or mark rounding so that the full impact of the loop impacts performance.

Chat - all practice race chat takes place in either the main (English chatroom) or sometimes the Sail Talk Chatroom of the relevant race. This is findable by using the dropdown menu at the top of the Chat column and selecting Sail Talk.

DCs / Delayed Commands - setting these can be tricky if you are wanting to be precise, esp. for practice race starts, so using Brainaid's Toolbox DC Editor is a simple way to be accurate. The Toolbox (which has other stuff I don't know about) is findable
here

Finish: To stop you must set a TWA=0. Please do not do this until you have sailed well clear of the finish line so you do not obstruct the field for those ranking the finish.

Finishing: As you see your pink boat cross the line, please announce your arrival (word/phrase of your choosing) this helps indicate who crosses in which order.

Islands: If an island is also identified with a Mark beached on it, then even if there is a small gap between the island and the Mark, BOTH are to be rounded!

Joining in At Any Time: Practice Racing is very sociable so everyone is welcome to join in a race at any point. Matchracing from where you join the flotilla is great fun.

Marks/M: - these are references to boats that are called Practice_Mark_1 through to Practice_Mark_5 and usually abbreviated to M1, M2 etc. They are used as rounding points and often as start/finish points where islands or natural waypoints are absent or insufficient.

Mark Rounding When Marks are boatshapes, your track may cut through the boatshape but remain the correct side of the "mast" (central dot), In night-mode, the riding lights must be completely rounded. Where marks are shown as dots, your track must not touch any part of the mark on full zoom, If it does then it is up to another boat to protest before end of race. If found guilty then a 360 must be executed. This includes the Marks denoting the start and finish lines of a race.

Missing a Mark: Like in real life, if you start from the Gun in a practice race and miss a mark then you will only be eligible for a ranking if you either (1) return to the mark and round it correctly or (2) all racers agree a 360 penalty may be sailed.

Newbies: Everyone starts with a credit of three "free" races during which you may race hard but errors (mark cutting, OCS etc) won't be penalised BUT you also cannot take a podium/Top Five place or be awarded the G-SCOW. As a newbie you are invited to learn the rules and if you feel you are ready to race before your three "free races" are run, just say so at the beginning of a race!

Polar: simple explanation here

SLI Jumping: The "jumping" or crossing of small islands or headlands is not permitted in Practice Racing (although it is technically possible and thus doable in SOL races). If a boat executes a jump inadvertently, then if protested, a 360 must be executed before the next following mark or the finish, whichever comes first. If a racer announces that they are going to jump an SLI or have done so on purpose, then they will lose any podium/ranking and be listed last in the race.

Starting: Because practice racing is v v informal to start your boat you need to either set a DC (delayed command) OR be online to send the command in real time.

Stopping: Again because practice racing is an informal arrangement, to stop you boat simply Send Command of TWA 0.0.
______________________
#4786


--- Last Edited by RainbowChaser at 2019-11-19 20:03:28 ---

Attachments
Posted by
Do!


Users avatar

Posts
24
Registered at
2009-11-14 22:23:06
2010-12-27 12:25:22 - Re: Practice Racing - Notes/Rules (in alphabetical order)
Hello
I'm currently running on the Weddel-Bekerley Timed Race and I
poses a question: should we pass the finish line must
from west to east?
Posted by
Tempest


Users avatar

Posts
79
Registered at
2009-06-16 17:44:17
2010-12-27 17:28:27 - Re: Practice Racing - Notes/Rules (in alphabetical order)
Do, either way is OK
west -east and east- west both are good
Posted by
Rod


Users avatar

Posts
392
Registered at
2010-06-24 22:30:48
2010-12-27 18:24:51 - Re: Practice Racing - Notes/Rules (in alphabetical order)
Are you sure of that? In almost all racing that I have ever heard of, crossing the star or finish line in the wrong direction does not count as a completed part of any race.
If it breaks, it's not strong enough--if it doesn't, it's too heavy.
Posted by
RainbowChaser


Users avatar

Posts
2656
Registered at
2009-06-14 09:44:50
2010-12-27 20:17:25 - Re: Practice Racing - Notes/Rules (in alphabetical order)
Due to the nature of SOL it is possible to cross a finish line from "back" to "front".

Ideally, races are so designed that the natural way to cross is "front" to "back", occasionally, however, the design is such that the customary way to cross a line is difficult or non-DCable or just not optimal. In these instances the SOL system recognises a back-to-front crossing of the line.

Hope this helps.
Posted by
Alan (iomkiwi)


Users avatar

Posts
39
Registered at
2011-11-02 07:13:43
2013-05-31 19:23:27 - Re: Practice Racing - Notes/Rules (in alphabetical order)
Good discussion here on how radioyachties deal with rule breaches

http://www.mya-uk-forum.org.uk/p/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?5757.last

--- Last Edited by iomkiwi at 2013-05-31 19:23:52 ---
Posted by
Careka SOTP


Users avatar

Posts
35
Registered at
2008-02-26 07:56:07
2013-05-31 21:07:06 - Re: Practice Racing - Notes/Rules (in alphabetical order)
Jumping is not sailing, and will lead to DSQ,
Do it today.

Thread is locked.

Races

Next Race: 00d 00h 00m

Current Races:

Cross the Convergence 2026 - Masirah to Chagos


Having crossed, re-crossed and re-re-crossed the Convergence Zones of the Pacific and the Atlantic, we now face our second crossing of the Convergence Zone of the World’s third great equator-spanning sea, the Indian Ocean, taking us from the channel between Masirah Island and the Oman mainland to the Chagos Archipelago. It’s 1900nm and we’ll be sailing our very fine Archer 78, and won’t mention that both locations (of departure and arrival) are heavily militarized and the why’s and what next’s concerning that – mindful as always of SOL Netiquette.
Race #1988
INFOby brainaid.de
Archer 78PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: CCZ - SYC
Race starts: Oct 02nd 18:00 Registration will open soon
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Carib Rum Run 2026


Ahoy, ye landlubbers and seasoned salts! Welcome back to Sailonline’s legendary Carib Rum Run, perfectly timed to kick off on International Talk Like a Pirate Day, 19 September!

This year, we command the magnificent Falkun—the ultimate high-tech superyacht modeled after the iconic Maltese Falcon. This 1759nm slalom takes us through the Caribbean’s rum islands to plunder barrels from local distilleries and deliver them to the rum-parched sands of Cancun.

Join SYC before the finish to disguise yer boat with a pirate name for this race only. Hoist the sails, sharpen yer cutlasses, and plot your winning course!
Race #2060
INFO by brainaid.de
Falkun PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: SYC
Race starts: Sep 19th 05:00 Registration Closed
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Shearwater - Rio de la Plata to Irish Sea 2026

Welcome to the fourth leg of our MIG series. This time we're racing the Sooty Shearwater on their migration from the breeding grounds in South America to the northern Atlantic. This is also part of our Ocean Championship, and as such the third race of OCQ3 2026. This race will be sailed in our Gunboat 90. Race #2055
INFO by brainaid.de
GunBoat 90 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking:
OCQ3 - OCCH - SYC - MIG
RACE CLOSE: Thursday,
October 1 at 2300 UTC.
Race starts: Sep 02nd 11:00 Registration Closed
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Go to race archive

SYC Ranking

  1. Sailonline Yacht Club Member KaSToR
  2. Sailonline Yacht Club Member CriticalHippo
  3. Sailonline Yacht Club Member WRmirekd
  4. Sailonline Yacht Club Member rafa
  5. Sailonline Yacht Club Member cdhinman
  6. Sailonline Yacht Club Member Panpyc
  7. Sailonline Yacht Club Member rumskib
  8. Sailonline Yacht Club Member rthinman
  9. Sailonline Yacht Club Member BRENTGRAY
  10. Sailonline Yacht Club Member Sax747

View full list

Series

Mobile Client

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

The mobile client