The world's most high-tech sleigh - Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15

We look at the cutting edge technology that allows Santa Claus to deliver gifts to sailors right in the middle of one of the most extreme sporting events on earth.

He's got a nine reindeer propulsion system, and red-nose navigation...

Expect more like this to be uploaded to the Official Volvo Ocean Race YouTube Channel in the future. Get all the latest updates on www.VolvoOceanRace.com

The 1973-74 Whitbread Film Remastered - Volvo Ocean Race

A brand new digitally restored version of the official film for the 1973-74 Whitbread Round the World Race. The official film from the first Whitbread had previously only been available in low resolution, and in an inferior quality transfer from the original film reels. Now for the first time we're able to share the 40-year-old images in high definition.

Expect more like this to be uploaded to the Official Volvo Ocean Race YouTube Channel in the future. Get all the latest updates on www.VolvoOceanRace.com

TRAILER - The 1973-74 Whitbread Film Remastered

A brand new digitally restored version of the official film for the 1973-74 Whitbread Round the World Race will be available December 23, 2013. Here is a trailer of the film.

Expect more like this to be uploaded to the Official Volvo Ocean Race YouTube Channel in the future. Get all the latest updates on www.VolvoOceanRace.com

Noodles logbook: Sailing the Clever 23

Sailing the Clever 23

That weekend quiz was - ofcourse - about the brand new Clever from ReneMarine. It's a cute little 23 footer closely modelled after the real thing, namely the Sportina 680. I've already had the pleasure of sailing a beta version with Rene. This time I met Rene's business partner Jethro. He was in demo-mode and very eager to show off the features of this new little wonder. I hopped on board to see the show...

Boarding completed

Actually, the correct name of the boat is just "Clever". There is no 23 appended, but since this is a 23 footer, that number seems to stick. Just as it does on a Banner 23 or a X35. So, here we are. Boarding completed. I sat down and Jet wanted me to start the engine. I usually don't use engines for maneuvering, but since this was a demo-trip, so I thought what the heck and clicked the outboard thingy at the back...

Motoring about

The engine plunged the prop into the water and started emitting that classic hum that outboard engines always have had. Rrrrrrrrr. I put it in reverse, and we moved away from the pier. Put it in forward and we sailed out the marina with the lovely Rrrrr in the ears. My mind was elsewhere. I was thinking about all those times I'd done just this with my dad. The only thing missing was the change in the pitch of the engine sound as the waves raises and lowers the propeller. It gets pretty annoying after a couple of hours.

Everything works

The lil outboarder is just a 4Hp thingy, but it was quite powerful. Jet had to tell me to keep it down while inside the harbour. I slowed down, but it was a demo-trip, so I had to see how much it could do. Way more than those famous "Two knots in the harbour please". After  a while I looked up and realized that everything seems to work. The flag, the guestflag, the little windmeter and the windex all turned and rotated according to the wind. Very nice. What's even nicer is the fact that they're actually visible from the cockpit. Just like the real thing.

Sails up!

So let's see those sails up. Since there was a working windex, I steered the boat up against the wind to set sails. RL sailors will know that it is very hard work to set sails while reaching, if at all possible. Sails up. There was a tiny little thing that was weird there. The sails didn't really luff when headed precisely into the wind. I am sure Rene can fix that in a matter of minutes. Apart from that the hoisting of the sails went smooth. Furling sails all over. Jib and main. Not the Spinnaker though. It's a classic spinakker not a genakker.

Classic spinakker

Here it is. The Spin. The shape is super classic and it looks very nice and real. The instruments did too. I checked them to see the speed gain from the spin. There's a hud with some really nice instruments. They'll display just about anything you want. Speed, depth, windangle, apparent windangle and more. Press the buttons to switch display. Very nice, comfy and just like they are in RL, except these virtual ones will tolerate full pressure from a foot while hoisting the sails.

Smooth sailing

The sailing experience is quite good. That's partly due to the graphics. Sailing a detailed boat makes the illusion just a little better. Note the very nice mainsheet. Sadly the jibsheets are missing, but I am sure that will come in an update. The boat has full WWC support, so you get all the goodies of the WWC package: Wind, waves and current - all with local variations and more. But it gets better. While fully supporting the WWC for racing the Clever also has rez and sail. There's no popups requiring you to acknowledge the windsystems or anything, It just sails on whichever local cruisewind is available. I like.

Telltails?

What I miss is telltails! There's no telltails in the jib, and to be honest they are quite hard to do without in a race. However, the jib is a furling jib. Who'd race with that? Furling jibs rarely have the optimum shape anyway. Not to mention the problem of having no battens. Instead there is a leechtail in the main, and it seems to work pretty much as expected. If the main is too tight the leechtails folds onto the backside of the sail. This does not offer the precise steering guidance that those missing telltails in the jib would have. However, it does help the trimmer quite a bit. I am pretty sure this is the first time I've seen working leechtails in SL.

80%

If the wind gets too strong, the furling works great on both sails. It even works while sailing, so the reefing options are endless. This is not just an eyepleaser. The furling / reefing system actually works and allows you to sail in many different windspeeds. You can furl anywhere between 0 and 100 percent, and the sailing characteristics change with it. Here's a 70% jib and a 80% main. Check the heeling. I sat to leeward to make the heeling more visible. The crew has numerous positions and they influence the heeling. 

100%

Here's what the heel looks like with a 100% sail area! It seems the VPP in this boat is quite comprehensive. The best thing is that even with all this math going on "under the hood", the sailing remains smooth and realistic. The steering is precise and swift, though somewhat different from other boats. Pulling the tiller makes the boat turn until you actively put the tiller back in the middle. This will require a little getting used to. However, when you think about it, it is a step towards more realistic sailing. Boats are not cars. Boats don't have autocentering of the wheels. Hey, they don't have any wheels at all.  

Refreshing boat

Back at Tradewinds, I gotta admit, this was a very nice and refreshing little demo-trip. So many things are done right in this build. It's a very nice little day-cruiser. I write daycruiser deliberately. There's no nightlights. Mind you there's room below deck for a cozy weekend for two. Not only that. There's full WWC, so let's see some racing. That'll be fun,  - even with that furling jib. This adds another trimming option for the racing crew to play with. Racing on a boat with this level of realism makes the experience so much more immersive. I am almost glad it's winter and the RL sailing is over. That means I can go sail this one...

More on ReneMarines website, right here.

Noodles logbook: Sailing the Clever 23

Noodles logbook: J-news

J-news

Something is cooking in Craigs brewery. It's huge, it's fantastic and now it is also sailable plus it has a couple of features, which I've never seen before in the virtual waters of SL. Check this out, and tell me what you think you see:

Craig Ktaba's J

Huge sails, fantastic hull, sheets, stays and running stays all over, giant windex that you can actually see from the deck, but that isn't really it, is it? There's something else that's different from just about any other boat I've ever seen in SL. I know, it is hard to see the details, but this boat is so big that it hardly fits inside a picture. I can zoom out, yes, but that leaves all the fine details unrevealed. SL itself isn't really able to show all the fine work in one picture. Not even if I set graphics to super-ultra high.

Helmsman view

Here's what it looks like from a helmsman perspective. Note the woodwork. That deck looks sooo silky smooth you just gotta go feel it. Even close up it's supersmooth like few other boats. Despite the huge size, this boat is slowly coming alive. The first time I sailedher she was kinda quirky. Slow reacting and moving like it was doing a break dance. It took many seconds for a keypress till anything happened.

Smooth sailing

That's changing now. The sheets are still a bit slow reacting, but hey... a sail this size isn't close hauled in three seconds anyway. However, the interesting thing is the steering. The steering is reaching a point of livelyness where it is fun to sail this. I begin to believe this boat, when it rezzes and says: WWC enabled. Let's race! Except there are no telltails, so how can we trim the sails?

Inshore

Imagine eight of these giant boats doing inshore racing in the souther parts of Blake. That would make for some interesting situations with loads of rules being yelled across the water, hehe. Scandinavians will probably know the famous Tjörn Rundt. If not, google it and see the fun of 400 boats doing "rock slalom".

Navigator, where art thou

I know I'd wanna have a navigator that I trust more than a hundred percent, but let's get back to the boat... Check the shot above! See those lines there, - hanging loose? Those are running backstays. They're loose on the leeward side to let the sail adjust, and they're tight to windward. It's messy, but it's needed with a mast this size, or it will go overboard.

Look up to trim!

Here's a look up those giant sails. Yes, they will luff when not in trim. There's a visible luff and ofcourse there's a sound. Note the running stays on this - the windward - side are tightened. Also, note the windex up there. Yes it is visible, and yes it works just as you'd expect it to.

What is that?

But let's get back to the surface. What is that thing there at the bow? Is that... wake? Real bow wake?

Is that like real bow wake?

It sure looks a lot like real bow wake. It sounds like it too. I am not entirely sure what Craig is doing here, but is is definately something else. Something exciting.

A real boat

So let's do a recap. So far we have a boat that looks amazing. It has sheets, and running stays plus a working windex. It has bow wake that looks way better than anything else I've seen inworld, and it has WWC... and now it also feels alive like a real boat. This is starting to look like a real sailboat simulation. A really exciting one...

Noodles logbook: J-news: Something is cooking in Craigs brewery. It's huge, it's fantastic and now it is also sailable plus it has a couple of features, whic...

Noodles logbook: Telltails

Telltails

What's the story with those telltails anyway? Put simply telltails are the racers primary window into the inner workings of the engine. Telltails are not saying anything about the speed. What they do is they give you, the helmsman, and very precise indication of how well the engine is running. The engine being the airflow over the sails. Why is that better than a hud / instruments? Because at a glance the helmsman is able to determine if the windangle is optimized for speed. The telltails will also - at a glance - indicate what course adjustment is needed to get to the optimum windangle. Looking at a hud, you only get a number. You'll need to compare that number to something else in order to make it usefull.

Jib with telltails and leechtails

Here's a picture of a jib with telltails and leechtails. Note the position and the colour coding. Starboard telltail over the port side telltail to avoid confusing matters. Position? Right behind the headstay, so that the helmsman can see them and so that the telltails show the airflow of the front of the sail. Optimum speed is found when the airflow is good, and that means the telltails are horizontal. If the windward telltail flutters, you are too close to the wind. If the leeward telltail flutters, you are too far away from the wind.

The sail work as a wing. If there is one sail, it is pretty easy to imagine. Air flows over the sail and creates a pressure difference just like the wing on a plane. The only difference being that the wing pulls the plane up, whereas the sail pulls the boat forward. Telltails show the airflow coming on to the sail. Leechtails show the air coming off the sail. If there are two sails, they work almost as a single wing. The main being a sort of trimflap for the jib. When there's a main, the end of the wing is effectively the leech of the main, so that's where the leechtails go;

Main with leechtails

The leech tails are very important, but not for the steering. Leechtails are more of a tool for the trimmer. The leechtails should point aft as if the sail continued some 10 inches in that direction. If they bend to the backside of the sail, the sail is stalling and the leech is too tight. If they flutter, the leech is too loose, and that's pretty much all you need to know in order to trim your sails and sail max speed. Of course there are other factors such as the fullness of the sails, the leech tension, the twist, halyard tension, headstay tension and what nuts. However, when the basic trim is in place, the leeches take over and become the most important second by second "device" for the helmsman and the trimmer to make the boat go faster. 

This is ofcourse a very short version of the truth, but still... it should be pretty obvious why telltails are key to a good sail simulator. That's why we love the Flying Fizz. It not only behaves pretty much like a boat, it also has those telltails working almost like real ones.

Thanx to Mikko from WB sails for letting me use these pictures. Go there and read moregreat articles about saildesign.

Noodles logbook: Telltails

Sean Poynter en Tarifa

Otro vídeo del joven Estadounidense campeón Mundial ISA y rider de Starboard Sean Poynter filmado por Sundown Entertainment durante su ultimo paso por España, más especificamente en Tarifa, Cadiz, Andalucia. Con su estilo muy fuerte y suelto a la vez con esas tablas a las dimensiones ya imposibles para la mayoría de los supistas "normales", veamos a Sean cogiendo olas con una tabla de Stand Up Paddle de forma excepcional pero también surfeando con una tabla no tan diferente de su tabla de SUP en las aguas de Tarifa. Durante su paso en España, Sean se dió el lujo además de ganar el 3ro campeonato SUP&Surf Tarifa, que no está nada mal.

Fuente y Texto: http://www.standuplatino.com

SUP Valencia

Dongfeng taken for a test-drive - Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15

Dongfeng Race Team's brand new Volvo Ocean 65 racing boat came through an ocean test-drive with flying colours. Our own Rick Deppe was on-board to see the boat's innovative features put to the test in the English Solent.

Expect more like this to be uploaded to the Official Volvo Ocean Race YouTube Channel in the future. Get all the latest updates on www.VolvoOceanRace.com

Topaz Winter Sailing

Disfruta todo el año del mar y el viento... NO CERRAMOS EN INVIERNO, ven a navegar en 595 o con los TOPAZ, a uno o a dos... neopreno y al agua... ya verás como disfrutas!!

 

Marina Mercante envía una propuesta para modificar la normativa sobre titulaciones náuticas

– 4 DICIEMBRE, 2013

La Dirección General de la Marina Mercante ha enviado a los agentes sociales una propuesta de orden ministerial por la que se regulan las titulaciones náuticas para el gobierno de embarcaciones de recreo. Esta es la segunda propuesta que circula desde la entrada en vigor de la actual normativa. La anterior fué rechazada en 2011 y finalmente no entró en vigor. Si bien, diversos medios de comunicación han recogido esta noticia dando por hecho el cambio de normativa, incluso dando fechas de entrada en vigor, lo cierto es que el envío de esta propuesta no significa que salga adelante y la situación real es que actualmente se encuentra en periodo de consulta y alegaciones que podrían dar lugar a modificaciones o no, o a que la propuesta sea descartada, como ya ocurrió con la anterior.

Según el texto enviado el fundamento de esta propuesta es la posibilidad de introducir modificaciones en el otorgamiento de determinados títulos náuticos de recreo, agilizando los procedimientos administrativos y la carga de funcionamiento derivada de los mismos para la administración marítima. No se recoge por tanto como se venía debatiendo dentro del sector en el fundamento del cambio, asuntos tales como la adecuación de las titulaciones náuticas a las normativas de otros estados de la unión europea, la adecuación de los temarios a las tecnologías actuales o la lucha contra el fraude en la expedición de las titulaciones náuticas.

Numerosos agentes sociales han hecho público a través de sus fuentes de información o de las redes sociales que presentarán alegaciones contra esta propuesta, lo que dificultará el consenso en la norma y podría retrasar este proyecto. Si bien, todos los agentes sociales consideran que existen posibles mejoras en la normativa, no parece que aligerar la carga de trabajo a la administración sea el motivo del cambio que estos requerían.

Lo que se desprende del texto es que, de salir adelante, la formación para la obtención de las titulaciones náutica se encarecerá notablemente debido al incremento de las horas de prácticas, especialmente en el capítulo de radiocomunicaciones.

Entre otros cambios, la propuesta incluye modificaciones como la eliminación de la autorización federativa (Titulín) y su sustitución por un nuevo certificado de atribuciones similares que también podrán expedir las escuelas, el aumento de las atribuciones en la eslora para los poseedores del título de Patrón de Yate y Patrón de Embarcaciones de Recreo sin necesidad de hacer prácticas en embarcaciones de una eslora superior a 12 metros, propuesta esta última que ha sorprendido a las escuelas náuticas, por lo inadecuado de que se habilite a un patrón a gobernar una embarcación de 24 metros sin haber subido jamás en una embarcación de por ejemplo, mas de 6 metros. Además, muchos navegantes han mostrado su malestar por el agravio que supondría que, según la norma con la que obtuvieron su título, unos navegantes hayan tenido que hacer hasta 88 horas de prácticas para poder gobernar barcos de mas de 20 metros y necesariamente en barcos de prácticas de esloras similares, y que con la nueva propuesta, los futuros patrones solo tendrían que hacer 16 y en un barco de cualquier eslora, lo que no parece lógico en ningún caso y afectaría negativamente a la seguridad de la vida humana en la mar.

Tampoco se incluye en la propuesta ninguna medida para erradicar los fraudes en las expediciones de titulaciones, como los ocurridos recientemente en los que estuvieron implicados famosos deportistas, por lo que, presumiblemente, será necesario continuar trabajando en el texto si la administración quiere resolver este problema.

Además, la propuesta ha levantado las quejas de algunos usuarios que lamentan que en el futuro, para acceder al título de P.E.R haya que ser mayor de 18 años (hasta ahora era posible acceder con 16 y consentimiento paterno) o que siendo poseedor del P.N.B. haya que aprobar un examen teórico para acceder al P.E.R de 28 preguntas sin tener ni un solo fallo, o que se prohíba la realización de las prácticas en aguas interiores, lo que implicará un incremento del coste especialmente para los residentes en provincias no costeras que tendrán que desplazarse a zonas marítimas y el cierre de escuelas náuticas que venían operando desde hace mas de 10 años en aguas interiores.

Mientras no se sepa que va a ocurrir con esta propuesta, las asociaciones de escuelas náuticas recomiendan a los interesados en obtener un título, la obtención con la norma actual, toda vez que de salir una nueva normativa en esta línea, la formación en las escuelas, especialmente por el aumento de horas de prácticas, encarecerá la obtención de los títulos.

NOTA INFORMATIVA PARA LOS INTERESADOS EN OBTENER UN TÍTULO NÁUTICO PRÓXIMAMENTE:

Debido al gran número de llamadas recibidas diariamente en nuestras escuelas sobre este asunto, Cenáutica informará de cualquier cambio oficial en la normativa en cuanto se haga público mediante este boletín. Respecto a la fecha de la entrada en vigor de una posible nueva normativa, según la información que el Director General de la Marina Mercante ha transmitido a la asociación de escuelas, no existe ninguna fecha prevista, por tanto las informaciones aparecidas en medios sobre que entrará en vigor a primeros de 2014 podrían ser falsas

Recomendamos a los interesados en obtener una titulación náutica no demorar su obtención para evitar los incrementos de precios por el posible aumento de las horas de prácticas en caso de que saliese una normativa finalmente en esta línea.

Marina Mercante envía una propuesta para modificar la normativa sobre titulaciones náuticas

Fizz Cup 2013 Gold Final Teaser

This video to announce the promising final of the FIZZ CUP 2013.
They will race for the GOLD trophy, and it's gonna be a great show.
A big party and the trophies ceremony will follow at the HOLLYWOOD BOWL (Hollywood sim).
Saturday 7th, December, 12PM SLT
Location: Blake Sea Travertine (spectators platforms in Sitaca sim)

Fizz Cup 2013 Silver Final Teaser

This Friday, 6th, 2PM SLT, at Blake Sea - Travertine: 
Not to be missed: *SILVER* *FINAL* of the *FIZZ* *CUP* *2013*
As an appetizer before the GOLD FINAL (Saturday, 7th, seehttps://plus.google.com/u/0/b/1052128... ), this event promises to be a success and a date to mark on your calendar. 
Location: Blake Sea Travertine (spectators platforms in Sitaca sim)

"Sailing for our nation" - Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15

Team Brunel skipper Bouwe Bekking is delighted to be sailing for his nation - the Netherlands - in the upcoming edition of the Volvo Ocean Race. And he's in it to win.

This will be the Dutch skipper's seventh participation in the round-the-world race, and the sponsor's third involvement. Brunel's entry into the 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race makes it four teams announced so far.

Expect more like this to be uploaded to the Official Volvo Ocean Race YouTube Channel in the future. Get all the latest updates on www.VolvoOceanRace.com

Teaser Voiles de St. Barth 2014

En attendant le 5ème anniversaire des Voiles de St. Barth... 14 -19 Avril 2014.

Speed Blade Prototypes – The Loftsails

SPEED BLADE PROTOTYPES

by admin, in gear with no comments yet

As seen in Namibia during the Luderitz Speed Challenge, The Loft Sails Speed Blade Prototypes range (5.6, 5.1 and 4.6) is a collaboration between Patrik Diethelm and Monty Spindler, specialized for the extreme speed windsurfing. Designed with full, powerful profiles and slightly lower aspect ratios for control and speed when at the upper end on deep angles to the wind. The Loft Sails Leech Tuning System  provides the key to leech twist tuning, making a stable profile that remains alive, exhausting effectively over the entire leech.

Speed Blade Proto – Patrik Diethelm

Alain De Gent BEL 33: “The 5,1 worked great, it felt light and balanced, when down hauling it completely it felt like I could hold it forever, I was on this size while the heavy guys were on similar sizes and that says enough, I think. Looking forward to sail it again asap.”

Speed Blade Proto – Alain De Gent

Lena Erdil TUR 33: “The Speed Blades Protos we have here in Namibia are great, they feel superstable and powerful, just what we need to get us through the sometimes gusty course here.”

Speed Blade Proto – Lena Erdil

Pics by WindsurfAustralia.com and Patterson

tags: alain de gent, lena erdil, luderitz speed challenge, monty spindler, patrik diethelm, speed blade prototypes

Speed Blade Prototypes – The Loftsails

Omar Sánchez Interview – The Loftsails

OMAR SÁNCHEZ INTERVIEW

by admin, in interview with no comments yet

After completing his first season in the Loft Sails Team and scoring his best ever PWA Wave result with a final 15th place we talk with Omar Sanchez to find out more on him joining Loft Sails, the PWA competition season and of course his future plans.

Omar rotating a Push Table one of his trademark moves

LS: So Omar, first of all congratulations on your 2013 season results, now that the season is over, how do you feel about your final result?

OS: Thanks for the congrats, about the final result, I am really stoked, as you say is my best ever result for me.

LS: What was your best and worst moment of the season?

OS: My best moment was definitely when I passed my heat against Kenneth Danielsen in Denmark, meaning a top ten finish in the event. The low moment for sure was in my home spot, Pozo, as you know the event ended with no official competition due to lack of proper conditions, which is really strange. I was really looking forward to perform in front of my crowd.

LS: So, you were ranked just out of the top ten after the Tenerife and Klitmoller events, when all of a sudden a Hookipa event is announced just before the final in Chile …

OS: Yes, when the competition in Hookipa was confirmed, I had to decide if I go to Maui or Chile, and finally chose Chile.

LS: Would you have attended the Hookipa event would you have known in advance about the cancellation of Chile’s final wave event?

OS: Yes for sure.

LS: Have you been to Hookipa? Being a Pozo local, how is your Starboard tack sailing?

OS: Yes, in 2010 for a photoshoot. I like sailing on Starboard tack but I have to practice more on these conditions. Here in Gran Canarias we only get starboard tack conditions 5 or 6 times a year ¡¡¡¡

LS: What are your thoughts on the current PWA Wave Circuit?

OS:  I think if there were more competitions like Maui, Chile, La Torche… would be perfect for windsurfing.

Omar nailing a frontside 360

LS: How was your adaptation to your new rigs? What was your initial feeling compared to your past ones?

OS: It was very easy as they are very light and comfortable.

LS: We saw you at first testing both, Pure Lips and WaveScapes, but you finally seem to stick to the Pure Lips, please give us your call on both sails and the reasons for your final choice.

OS: For me, sailing in onshore conditions like Pozo, Denmark, etc  I prefer Pure Lips with 5 battens as they work  better with  these conditions. For spots like Maui or Chile with lighter conditions and more side shore wave riding the 4 batterns WaveScape would be my weapon of choice.

LS: Give us your rigging and setting tips and your mast choice, RDM or SDM?

OS: Pure Lip 4,0m on a 72l Wave board and RDM 75% carbon Loft mast.

LS: What is your trademark move and what new moves are you working on?

OS: I am very confident on my Pushtables when jumping and Frontside 360 when surfing. Right now I am trying to master the double forwards.

LS: Jumping or surfing?

OS: jumping and surfing … hehehee

LS: What spots would you like to visit?

OS: Chile and South Africa for sure.

LS: How did you get into windsurfing and when did you take the decision you wanted to be a professional windsurfer?

OS: Because I live in the best beach in the world to learn and progress, Pozo Izquierdo for the practice of windsurfing.

LS: What are your plans and goals for 2014?

OS: I want to be in the top 10 next year.

Thanks Omar and good luck ¡¡¡

Pics by Territorio Comanche

Omar one handed backloop

tags: omar sanchez, pure lip, pwa

Omar Sánchez Interview – The Loftsails