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Board » Practice Racing » Pre-set practice race areas

There are times when there isn't a possibility to run a practice race in a conventional sense - i.e., races are running and there is no practice time.

At moments like these, and they are not that often, several have voiced the idea of a practice race course officially set up in the system which can then be used for a couple of hours only.

As a practical matter, it is not possible to create a practice race course without "pinning" it to a specific area - each waypoint has its own lon/lat - with map/weathersystem.

So if we chose a few areas in the world where practice-race quality winds are most likely to occur, I could ask the 'Gods to set up weathersystems tailored small to fit that zone.

The area(s) we choose can then be populated with a range of waypoints that we pick/choose as we want.

To this end, please would you all come up with a handful of places in the world where we are likely to nearly always encounter practice race quality winds!!

Thanks!!
RC...Sounds like a very good suggestion. Don´t where...Southern Ocean...lol,,,but it would good if it´s near land. Go ahead, that would be fine ! Robert
Robert
Set up a race site, near to each main race, but which is entered ONLY from the practice race site, with the boats auto-transported to the start, and returned to the main race site after the finish.
If it breaks, it's not strong enough--if it doesn't, it's too heavy.
Rod - yes, that would be doable. But what remains is the legwork needed to get a small group of practice races and their weathersystems/areas pre-set.

I am no sailor and apart from the S Oceans am not aware of parts of the sailing-globe where reasonable winds are usually available.

If someone could come up with these it would be a starting point!
*******************
I have been giving some further thought to this and the snag, really, is that a full-blown practice race set up in the style of a real SOL race will make a "blip" on the server and overtime practice races will take over.

We have to ask ourselves.. is it really appropriate for just a small group of us to potentially muck up someone else's race?

As it stands, our practising during the practice time of a race is not harming anyone.

If we were to have separate practice races that stand alone from SOL races then they should be open to all and publicly visible.... otherwise it smacks too much of cronyism.

There is a halfway solution though...a reusable practice race that has some but not all of the characteristics of a SOL race, a course in the race preview stage that is re-usable.

In other words we have a start and we have a finish line and we have waypoints. All of these are movable to accommodate variations on our racing.

What we would not have is either towback OR automatic start.. we would need to set start DCs or be online... but what we would have would be ranked finishes.

If we then wanted to use Mark Boats for waypoints/gates, they can be registered and sailed into place or we could have fixed SOL-style waypoints.

After each race I would, however, have to delete the registered boats to release them from the finish.

OR we could simply use the course/area as we do now - setting our starts and monitoring our finishes and just using the zone available.

What do you think?

Go to this url:

TEST PRACTICE
register your boat and then tell me what you think.


REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED!!!! 1935hrs

--- Last Edited by RainbowChaser at 2011-02-25 19:37:01 ---
it's oké, strong winds that are a little chance of direction
Perfect !!
Robert

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