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Profile for Dingo



Name Dingo
Email Address johnhockings@outlook.com
AvatarUsers avatar
Posts94
  • Dingo's BWR Manual
    Board » Technical Discussion
    I've written a short manual on the use of BWR for Sailonline. The key ingredient is that Kroppyer has kindly developed a little programme to convert the saved BWR routing as DCs suitable for Sailonline. I'll see if I can get it added to the Sailonline Links on their website.

    https://drive.google.com/.../1m00l23AL-Zm--B.../view...
  • Re: In Memoriam - Finn Møller Christensen
    Board » In memoriam
    You will be very much missed in these waters dear Finn.
  • Re: qtVlm thread
    Board » Technical Support
    One configuration setting which is useful to adjust is under the advanced tab. There you can adjust the amount of detail shown in coastlines. For more detailed routes near land it could be useful to raise the level of detail.
  • A QtVlm beginners tutorial
    Board » Technical Support
    Attached is the gist of the email I sent to Satori who has indicated he will tidy it up and post it somewhere when he has the chance. Meanwhile, this might help get a few more SOLers into QtVlm and routing in a fairly simple way with instructions which follow the normal sequence of routing using QtVlm for SOLing.

    I'll monitor for queries and suggestions and try to incorporate what I can into the tutorial as time permits.

  • Re: "newby" doing Newport Bermuda Race - Expedition & Wx advice
    Board » Technical Support
    Some further notes: we're using effectively NOAA .25 gfs not nam wips as the latter does not extend far enough east. However, my notes above referring you to Brainaids site is the best source for your grib updates to use in Expedition. These Brainaid gribs already contain the smoothing which is applied by the simulator so that there are not jumps between one grib update and the next.

    Re the html5, the simulator used flash, and now we are developing an html5 version so that we are ready when flash is no longer supported. If you press the Go To Race button, you will get the old flash-based simulator, and if you press the html5 button you will get the newer version. They both are suitable for use and give the same results, performance, etc.
  • Re: "newby" doing Newport Bermuda Race - Expedition & Wx advice
    Board » Technical Support
    Hi, I'll try to keep the answer simple so you can participate in the sailonline Bermuda simulation and route using Expedition. You can get your polar and the latest grib for the Sailonline Bermuda race from http://sol.brainaid.de/sailonline/toolbox

    Here you will find the latest weather updates (they come at approximately 16:30, 22:30, 04:30 and 10:30 UTC, and are always available from Brainaids under the Weather tab.

    You can also downlaod the Expediton polar for your chosen boat from the same site, using the Polar button. You can also get the waypoint co-ords from there, and also you can enter your steering commands there using the DC Editor button.

    You don't have to make any changes to the grib you download from Brainaids - it's ready to use without scaling etc.

    There are no currents in the simulator.

    If you want extra, you can also look at http://solfans.org/wxinspector/ where, if you log on using your boatname and password, you will find under the Optimal Angles button, your max upwind and downwind vmg angles for the current wind, for those times when Expedition gives you dotted routing solutions (outside max vmg values).

    Hope that helps and fair winds.
  • Re: DC Checker Releases
    Board » Technical Discussion
    Me too, I thought I was going mad searching the settings. Did discover a hundred other options I'd never looked at before though. :)
  • Re: DC Checker Releases
    Board » Technical Discussion
    Thanks Kipper.
    I get agreement in client, AGL, and raw nmea data in QT. It’s just the boats instruments that have integer TWS only. I think it’s therefore a QT problem or I have an incorrect setting somewhere. I will try a new load and see if I get the same then.
    Spoke to matai, there was a bug in last version, which he's now fixed..will be updated soon. meantime, the previous version works okay 5.9.7 P2.


    --- Last Edited by Dingo at 2020-05-02 08:02:52 ---

    --- Last Edited by Dingo at 2020-05-02 08:15:25 ---
  • QT decimal points in wind speed
    Board » Technical Discussion
    Same issue here, can you let us know if you find the solution? Cheers.

    I have the latest version. I noticed something strange. The wind is currently 7.238knts in AGL, 7.24 in SOL and 7 in qt. However, if I open the polar in qt (from boat settings or clicking on the compass) the TWS is shown as 7.00knts and then if I turn off nmea, it then shows 7.24 knts. I wish I could go back one version of qt to try it there.

    Edit: installed 5.9_7 P2 and have decimal points in instruments back.

    --- Last Edited by Dingo at 2020-05-02 06:27:48 ---

    --- Last Edited by Dingo at 2020-05-02 06:50:43 ---

    --- Last Edited by Dingo at 2020-05-02 07:12:37 ---
  • Re: qtVlm thread
    Board » Technical Support
    Hi Matai, I've been trying to disable the beep sounds associated with routing, simplifying and optimising. I tried turning them off in configuration/routes/beep when routing/simplification, but this did not stop them. In the end, I had to disable the Windows asterisks default sound to remove the beeps. Can you confirm? cheers, John

Races

Next Race: 00d 00h 00m


Current Races:

Auckland to Noumea 2025


The ARCH competition is transitioning now from the Arabian Sea to the Pacific Ocean, featuring a 1000 nm route from Auckland to Nouméa. Organized by the Royal Akarana Yacht Club, the race last occurred in 2018 and was set to resume on May 25, 2024, after a lengthy hiatus. However, due to political unrest in New Caledonia, the event has been cancelled. Fortunately, those situations do not impact our virtual race, so prepare your Open 60 for another exciting adventure.
Race #1888
INFO from brainaid.de
Open 60 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking:
ARQ1 - ARCH - SUPSOL – SYC
Race starts: Feb 10th 17:00 Registration will open soon
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Tyger Memorial Race 2025

Dear Robert Neilson, gone too soon, but, a volunteer crew having brought his Tyger home in our first Ocean Race of 2025, here is a further opportunity to remember him and his great contribution to Sailonline, by blasting around an 80nm triangle on his home waters of Port St Philip Bay in spanking-new-to-SOL very-Robert very-macho, grind-greedy Cookson 50s. Tell tales of his derring-do in Chat or add something for posterity to his Tyger IN MEMORIAM Forum page. Sail on, SOLer.
Race #1891
INFOby brainaid.de
Cookson 50 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: SYC
Race starts: Feb 08th 06:00 Registration Open!
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Sinbad by Balloon 2025 - Dondra to Toamasina


Above you see a stratospheric balloon, that if only we had gribs at that altitude would get blasted along quite rapidly and predictably. Alas we just have our SOL balloon that sails rather lower to the sea and that we have crossed the Atlantic in, west to east, last year for the first time in the southern hemisphere. So much fun was had by all, that this year we will attempt the Indian Ocean, but in four legs. Another great piece of fiction, the voyages of Sinbad By Balloon not magic carpet, although you may need a bit of magic to make any progress at times. Pack your wicker basket full for your first leg of at least 2300nm from Sri Lanka to Madagascar; it’s not a picnic hamper, you could be in the air for longer than you hoped!
Race #1883
INFOby brainaid.de
SOL Balloon PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: SYC - SBB
Race starts: Feb 05th 11:00 Registration Open!
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Barbados to Tristan da Cunha 2025

Sailonline is proud to present to our virtual sailors, an all new series RWW 2025 (Round our Water World). Sailing from remote island to remote island with forever only a faintly curving line between sea and sky on the horizon. "Dry land is not a myth". The series ranking uses best 7 from 8 races for scoring, and this first race, from Barbados to Tristan da Cunha, a 4000nm leg into the Southern Atlantic, will be sailed in ex-Volvo OD65s (version 3). The race is also part of the OCCH 2025, ranking best 10 from 12 races.
PRIZE: SMPF
Race #1889
INFO by brainaid.de
OD65v3 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: OCQ1 - RWW - OCCH - SUPSOL - SYC
Race starts: Feb 03rd 11:00 Registration Open!
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Race to Up Helly Aa 2025

A-OI!!! The fiery spirit of Shetland’s Up Helly Aa festival is here, and Sailonline’s much-anticipated annual race to Lerwick is back! Spanning 383 nautical miles from Aberdeen, this exhilarating event pays homage to Europe’s largest fire festival. Piloting our Dehler 46s, designed by Judel/Vrolijk in 2015, our SOLers will navigate the challenging waters, competing for glory as flames illuminate the Lerwick skies in celebration.

SAILING NOTE: Gruney may be approached from any direction but must be passed for rounding purposes as indicated on the chart.

Will you master the course, outmaneuver the competition, and claim victory? The challenge is on—join us!
Race #1880
INFO by brainaid.de
Dehler 46 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking:
SYC
RACE CLOSE: Friday,
February 7 at 2300 UTC.
Race starts: Jan 30th 15:00 Registration Closed
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Africa by Sea 2025 - Port Said to Tangier


Back in the 7th C BCE, pharaoh Necho II may have commissioned Phoenician sailors to explore south down the Red Sea and if possible return north via the Straits of Gibraltar. Herodotus was inclined to dismiss the story as it included reports of the sun standing in the north, which had to be nonsense. Silly old Herodotus, but who cares, 2800 years later we will repeat the feat, but we’ll go the other way round, and not in a galley but in different modern sailing yachts, beginning with the comfort of an IY 14.98 for the first leg of 1900nm from Port Said to Tangier.
Race #1854
INFOby brainaid.de
Italia 14.98 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: SYC - ABS
RACE CLOSE: Sunday,
February 9 at 2300 UTC.
Race starts: Jan 22nd 17:00 Registration Closed
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Vendee Home - Cape Horn to Olon 2025

Welcome to our 2025 Ocean Race Championships starting off with the classic 6900nm drag race from Cape Horn back to the coast of Brittany leading or following the boats of the Vendee Globe fleet. A new polar from the board of the BNH Design Partnership is being made available to you for this one, in the hope that aboard her you too will be able to cover 600nm in a day when the conditions are right! It's winter outside, so like the IRL sailors, enjoy and stay inside!
PRIZE: SMPF
Race #1874
INFO by brainaid.de
IMOCA 60 Foil v2 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: OCQ1 - OCCH - SUPSOL - SYC
RACE CLOSE: Saturday,
February 8 at 2300 UTC.
Race starts: Jan 06th 11:00 Registration Closed
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