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 » Flag Officers » Race proposals » Balloon Transat

Page: 1 2 3 Next



Low-altitude Montgolfier race from Newfoundland to France. 1nm finish line, race to be scored normally with rankings fixed via dtf at race close.

Suggested race start for Fri//Sat with race close at midnight the following Sat.



Limited ability to steer, but we're equipped with anchors and many other SOL necessities for use during unfavourable wind, or when close to the finish. Routing isn't impossible, but it's tricky.

FAQ
Q: This race opened on the 31st - Isn't April Fool's on Monday?
A: Our mistake!

Q: So it's a joke then?
A: Oh, yes absolutely! It should be a fun race though. We have no idea how it will turn out.

Q: Why is the finish line so small? Wouldn't it be easier to finish if it was really long?
A: IRL Balloon racing is usually a test of accuracy instead of speed, trying to drop markers as close as possible to the goal. It's entirely likely that no boats will actually be able to cross the line, so it should really be considered the centre of a giant bull's-eye. Get as close as you can and then drop anchor. If the wind shifts you might be able to nudge closer. Maybe we could try a long-line race later - dateline in the Pacific always calls...

Q: How do we steer this thing?
A: There's limited ability to steer across the wind, but for big changes in direction you might need to wait for the wind to shift. Slow down or anchor.

Q: Anchor?
A: TWA=0

Q: Balloons can't steer!
A: This one can. It's part boat.

Q: Why can't we use winds at different altitudes?
A: Have you seen the picture? It would be crazy to fly any higher than 10m.

Q: "You can't get there from here!"
A: That's entirely possible within the constraints of the race. Given enough time and enough rum nothing's impossible. Get as close as you can!

Q: Can we fly over land?
A: Just spits, sandbars and really thin islands. Standard SOL sailing applies.


--- Last Edited by 76Trombones at 2013-04-08 13:37:09 ---
Attachments
That looks like a challenge. A bit of anchor time to get some sleep. I can imagine some weird tracks following boats/balloons. Got me.
“We may have arrived on different ships, but we are all in the same boat now!” Martin Luther King Jr.
Maybe we could make this a fun (non-SYC ranking) race and have a choice between the balloon and.... a type of boat that could be reasonably competitive with a ballon with a following wind?
OOOOOOH....I just ran the balloon flight forecasting tool. I don't think a UIM Class 1 powerboat would be able to keep up with the balloon. Low coeff of drag + jet stream speeds at altitude of 5K to 8K metres = HIGH SPEED!! This race may be long in distance but it could be over in 2 days. Is this right or have I missed something?
“We may have arrived on different ships, but we are all in the same boat now!” Martin Luther King Jr.
We're limited to 10m winds in SOL. It's still pretty fast :-D
I love the idea of a balloon BUT as SOL is a sailing site there may be objections to not having a sailing component, hence my suggestion of a "wessel choice" (balloon or boat)... :-D

Maybe the boat should be a regular Transat type... then those who want to sail a Transat can do that while erstwhile balloonists do their thing? How's that?

--- Last Edited by RainbowChaser at 2013-01-17 10:20:37 ---
Brilliant and innovative, 76T!!
Keeping things fresh and interesting is the goal and this is BOTH!!

Well Done and count me in!!

SP
I spotted this being mentioned in NYC-SFO race chat and... folks are right, we should "go for it" as a bit of a laugh.

When would be a good time to run it? After NYC-SFO is finished or does it not really matter as it is so off-the-wall?

:-)
Great Idea! Now all we need is two sets of weather data, one for 0 - 5000m, another for 5000 - 8000m. This will really make it 3 dimensional and even bigger a challenge :)

Page: 1 2 3 Next

Please login to post a reply.

Races

Next Race: 00d 00h 00m


Current Races:

Elephant Island to Marquesas 2025

Prepare to test your limits as we launch into the third leg of the RWW Series and the fifth leg of the 2025 Ocean Championship Series—an epic voyage from Elephant Island to the Marquesas in the heart of French Polynesia. This 4,700-nautical-mile challenge is a true test of endurance, strategy, and raw sailing adrenaline. Aboard the high-performance Volvo 70v4, competitors will face fierce headwinds as they round the legendary Cape Horn and make the thrilling transition from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Do you have what it takes to conquer the Pacific? Join us, and put your skills to the ultimate test.
PRIZE: SMPF
Race #1909
INFO by brainaid.de
VO70_v4 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: OCQ2 - RWW - OCCH - SUPSOL - SYC
Race starts: May 05th 11:00 Registration Open!
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Bosphorus Strait Sprint 2025


Welcome to the Bosphorus for a testing sprint twice through the narrow channel separating the Black Sea from the Mediterranean - the traditional boundary between Europe and Asia.
Race 1914
INFO by brainaid.de
Dehler 30 OD PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking:
SPRQ2 - SPRCH - SUPSOL – SYC
Race starts: May 04th 09:00 Registration Open!
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Bay to Bay 2025 - Leg 2 - Great Sandy Stait

After a thrilling opener, the 2025 edition of the Bay to Bay Yacht Race continues with Leg 2, bringing even more adrenaline and tactical excitement to the waters of the Great Sandy Marine Park. In collaboration with the Hervey Bay Sailing Club, our SOLers will once again take the helm of their lightning-fast 18-foot skiffs, this time tackling a 24-nautical-mile course through shifting breezes and tight competition.

With fresh legs, sharper tactics, and everything to race for, it’s anyone’s game! See you on the start line for the grand finale!
Race #1906
INFO from brainaid.de
18ft Skiff PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: B2B - SYC
Race starts: May 03rd 21:30 Registration Open!
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Bay to Bay 2025 - Leg 1 - Great Sandy Strait

Prepare for an electrifying start to the 2025 Bay to Bay Yacht Race! In partnership with the Hervey Bay Sailing Club, this first leg will see our SOLers take on a fast-paced, 16-nautical-mile sprint through the stunning waters of the Great Sandy Marine Park, weaving past the breathtaking landscapes of the Great Sandy National Park. Racing in high-powered 18-foot skiffs, the fleet will battle shifting winds, tricky tactics, and fierce competition—all in pursuit of victory! With the thrill of the race and an unforgettable sailing experience ahead, we can’t wait to see you on the start line!
Race #1905
INFO from brainaid.de
18ft Skiff PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: B2B - SYC
Race starts: May 03rd 01:00 Registration Open!
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Regata dell’Accademia Navale 2025

Welcome to Sailonline’s first partnership with the City of Livorno, in cooperation with the local yacht clubs and the Italian Navy, to offer you the online opportunity to race the Regata dell’Accademia Navale. 630nm in length, starting and finishing in Livorno, the race takes you the length and breadth of the Tyrrhenian Sea via Porto Cervo and Capri. Online, you will be sailing a Class 40, which should keep you well in with the top of the real-life fleet which we will be tracking on screen!
Race #1902
INFO by brainaid.de
Class 40 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: SYC
RACE CLOSE: Friday,
May 9 at 2300 UTC.
Race starts: Apr 27th 09:00 Registration Open!

▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Gulf of St Lawrence 2025


The Gulf of St. Lawrence, with one of the largest and deepest estuaries in the world, will be the site of a completely new race in SOL. Our Melges 40 will take us 950 nm from Bathurst in Baie des Chaleurs around the islands of Anticosti, Pelee and Prince Edward admiring beautiful landscapes along the way. Fair winds.
Race #1910
INFO from brainaid.de
Melges 40 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking:
ARQ2 - ARCH - SUPSOL – SYC
RACE CLOSE: Friday,
May 2 at 2300 UTC.
Race starts: Apr 21st 17:00 Registration Closed
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Transat à Deux 2025

Above you see a single-handed sailor semi-foiling his Beneteau Figaro III to the horizon. It is in fact Ireland’s Sailor of the Year and the overall winner of last year’s Solitaire du Figaro, Tom Dolan. Somehow, we got our hands on a polar for the Class, and rather than trying to surreptitiously track Tom and his mates in the 2025 edition of the Solitaire, sailing rather-short, single-handed legs across the Celtic Sea and Biscay, we thought we’d see how our virtual craft would fare on the Class’s double-handed 3900nm Trans-Atlantic, from somewhere in Brittanny to somewhere in the Caribbean via somewhere in the Canaries. Allez, mes braves!
Race #1901
INFOby brainaid.de
Figaro III foil PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: SYC
Race starts: Apr 20th 11:00 Registration Closed
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Sinbad by Balloon 2025 - Toamasina to Baia de l'Oiseau


You may recall that when last we visited Madagascar in the company of Sinbad, the Sultan commanded our intrepid inspirator to seek out fabled islands where in Summer the sun barely set. We did and we returned but the Sultan wasn’t happy with Sinbad’s report, so here we go again, now by SOL Balloon instead of sailing vessel. Expect to be in the air for at least 2100nm and depending on how the wind brings us, anything between two weeks and two months before we shall descend at the Sultan’s given coordinates!
Race #1884
INFOby brainaid.de
SOL Balloon PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: SYC - SBB
Race starts: Apr 09th 11:00 Registration Closed
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Valparaiso to San Francisco 2025

Get ready for an exhilarating new challenge as we set sail on the fourth leg of the 2025 Ocean Championship Series! Following in the 19th century footsteps of Isabel Allende's heroine, Eliza Sommers, 'Daughter of Fortune', this all-new route takes us across the vast eastern Pacific, from Valparaíso, Chile, to San Francisco, California - a 3500nm journey of endurance, strategy, and pure sailing adrenaline. This leg will be raced aboard the powerful Rapido 60, pushing sailors to their limits as they navigate the open ocean. Do you have what it takes to conquer the Pacific? Join us and put your skills to the ultimate test!
PRIZE: SMPF
Race #1900
INFO by brainaid.de
Rapido 60 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: OCQ2 - OCCH - SUPSOL - SYC
Race starts: Apr 07th 11:00 Registration Closed
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Go to race archive

SYC Ranking

  1. Sailonline Yacht Club Member Patrick70119
  2. Sailonline Yacht Club Member WRmirekd
  3. Sailonline Yacht Club Member CriticalHippo
  4. Sailonline Yacht Club Member KaSToR
  5. Sailonline Yacht Club Member FreyjaUSA
  6. Sailonline Yacht Club Member vida
  7. Sailonline Yacht Club Member rumskib
  8. Sailonline Yacht Club Member bonknhoot
  9. Sailonline Yacht Club Member Kipper1258
  10. Sailonline Yacht Club Member rafa

View full list

Series

Mobile Client

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

The mobile client