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 » ESRW - a proper RTW race

SRC probably has enough race proposals to last a lifetime, but, if we agree that long distance ocean races are the lifeblood of SOL, then perhaps we could do with some more variety in this category.

I am no fan of Google Earth as a route-creating tool, but, when I came across GEPath1_4_6.exe to make life easier, it motivated me enough to want to convert my ideas into .kml files.

There are a number of them. I'll deal with the first one now.

For a long time, I have felt that these races down the Atlantic, around that southern island and back up are badly described as "round-the-world". Round Antarctic seems more accurate with a leg to get there and another to get home again (if you're French).

A proper round-the-world race surely should attempt to circumnavigate the globe there where it is wide, so either a round hugging equatorial latitudes, or a spin hugging one or other meridian from North to South and another back from South to North, or the other way around.

The stumbling block of course is that made-up races are not 'real' races, but does that really matter?

Also I am conscious of a certain distaste for in-course marks among sections of our ocean racing community, so my first proposal, a race in six legs chasing the setting sun, has none. This results in some finish lines being far from square to the line of approach from final coastal obstacles, but with legs of on average around 3500nm that hardly matters, and, a plus point, it makes life easy for the course planner as well.

Here then I give you the ESRW, the Equatorial SOL Round-The-World Race.

ESRW-I - Haifa to Sao Vicente - 3400nm
ESRW-II - Sao Vicente to Colon - 3200nm
ESRW-III - Panama to Honolulu - 4600nm
ESRW-IV - Honolulu to Port Noumea - 3350nm
ESRW-V - Port Noumea to Singapore - 3950nm
ESRW-VI - Singapore to Kuwait - 3600nm

Some highlights.
The race starts off the coast that is home to the world's first monotheistic religion and finishes off a coast where the world's most recent monotheistic religion is the dominant faith.
I considered Port Said at the entrance to the Suez Canal as the final destination, but felt that we would have more fun sailing up the Persian Gulf than dito up the Red Sea. As a result, the circumnavigation is slightly less complete.
The furthest South of the equator our course takes us Port Noumea on New Caledonia.
The furthest North is Haifa, our departure point.
Three of our ports of call lie within 10 degrees either side of the Equator.
Colon and Panama, either side of the Canal (we will not sail the canal), and Singapore.

Pick a fast boat. I suspect the wind will be all over the place, so a Mono 90 or a Maxi 100 perhaps, for both up- and downwind performance.

bonk(ers)

PS As before this attaching files isn't going terribly well, so 'bear with'
Attachments
more legs
Attachments
'last legs'
Attachments
sol on this occasion was I, bonknhoot. I recommend this race to SRC.
Clipping along
Other than the Suez and Panama Canals, why not a 'real' RTW Race? Three legs---long, yes, but so is an IRL RTW! It would give a "Great" choice of actual route to the SOL competitors!
If it breaks, it's not strong enough--if it doesn't, it's too heavy.
Yes indeed, definitely an option - Israel to Panama, Panama to Indonesia, Indonesia to Egypt or Iraq.
Clipping along

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