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 » Start times

Hi, I am seeking your thoughts on start times. Whilst I understand that some start times are set by a buddy-up, and perhaps logistically with the Timed Races, I am wondering why some other races start some 30 minutes before a WX update (eg The Valetta race).

Given that we have SOLers spread across many many time zones, this practice almost certainly ensures quite a few SOLers need to not only get up at two or three in the morning, but further, have to stay awake for another half an hour and re-do all their DCs to cope with the new WX.

If however the race started 30 minutes after the WX, the problem would disappear. Maybe there is some other reason for races to start 30 minutes before a WX and I have missed it.

cheers
Dingo
Good morning John and all.

I understand quite well John’s claim about some SOL races Start times and If I may, I’ll extend it to all SOL races that (eventually) Start 0,5 hr before the next programed WF releases (in UTC: 10:30 hrs; 16.30 hrs; 22:30 hrs and 04:30 hrs).

Without any reasonable reason/s for scheduling SOL Start races for those hours - again, 0,5 hr before the next programed WF - the recommendable would be to delay the Start to 0,5 hr after the WF's release hours, at least.

That is my suggestion.
Now, if it is doable, I really don’t know.
Anyhow, I expect from SRC a statement about it, please.

João/psail
Sail Fair.
Thank you for raising the matter of start times with respect to Wx times. I will refer it to SRC as we develop the programme for 2018.
Thanks Richard.
Hi SOLers!

I'd like to offer somehow different view on this. With start 0.5 hr before new WX, skipper have 5.5 hrs window for routing, confusion, rerouting, decisions, DC setting, a cup of coffee with doubts, DC re-setting etc. Or simply set DCs and go to work/bed, returning to race for new WX. However, he/she can be sure for boat's course for the first 0.5 hr of the race, even with DCs set 5 hrs earlier, with no unpleasant surprises.

We all have to get up at least once in the night for the new WX anyway (in longer races), but with start time 0.5 hr after WX, skippers get only that 0.5 hr for all mentioned above, and all prior considerations and DCs already set would become useless.

Me think it's rather to have known accurate WX conditions on start 5.5 hrs before than only 0.5 hr, while have to check new WX anyhow. And that leaves more opportunity for SOLers to find the time and set start DCs, if needed.

With start right after new WX, that opportunity is limited, and if skipper is unable to go online inside this 0.5 hr window before the start, that can be major handicap in this crucial part of race.

Fair winds all!

Mladen/SimeMali
Ibis redibis numquam in mare peribis
Good morning Mladen and all.

To my mind the “routing” purposes doesn’t exhausts in the unique, if not ultimate task of establishing “DC’s”.
Far from it and, even more IRL.

Not all SOLers (most probably, the majority) wake up in the middle of their “nights”/sleeps for re-routing in function of new WF’s releases. I included.
Off course, there’s a natural and self-accepted reduction in what concerns the level of competitiveness - for routers and non-ones that sleep.
Even so, you can still win (some) races.

Speaking from my own experience.
In a normal race preps (and when time is available) I’ll make at least #4 routings for each of “my” daytime WF release hours (10:30 hrs and 18:30 hrs, both UTC) to cover aprox. the last 48 hrs pre-race moments.
For obvious reasons, those routings very rarely define the effective “Start” DC’s to be used.

One thing, independently of day/night time, is to mobilize yourself two times in a short period of 0,5-1 hr for the task of, routing, and/or define and input DC’s.
The other, with just one intervention, knowing also you have some “stability” in your choices till the next WF in 5-6 hrs to come.

Exception made to light Wind race conditions, usually there’s some continuity in what concerns successive WF’s and corresponding routings results, i.e., there aren’t “step jumps” happening on the HDG’s you’ll have to sail. Anyhow, there’s always the TWA option for those situations, which seems to be an extended preference for SOLers, namely for reaching/keeping VMG, Up & Down targets, and also for “Start” purposes when there’s open waters in the course to be sailed.

João/psail
Sail Fair.
I think Simemali has made some good points. :)

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 will open soon
▶ 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 Kipper1258
  9. Sailonline Yacht Club Member rafa
  10. Sailonline Yacht Club Member bonknhoot

View full list

Series

Mobile Client

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

The mobile client