Zezo forum:

Post by KenAdamson | 2020-08-09 | 09:58:35

This has happened a few times, now - most recently today in the Europa race: using the Programmation waypoints, my SW-bound leg around Sicily ran aground. The reason is that it looks like my boat speed wound up being much lower than predicted, and the turn happened about 50nm too early. I set those turns up about 6 hours in advance, and ... I guess? the weather changed quite a bit in the next few hours?

I'm new - if that sort of thing just happens (I know - it's weather - we can't predict it with perfect accuracy), then meh - no big deal - and I'll have to rely on waypoints more when I'm trying to have a life that isn't checking my boat(s) every couple hours :)

Ken

9 Comments

Post by BooBill | 2020-08-09 | 12:58:34

Waypoints are essential if you are making a close approach to land and especially if your routing will cross a weather update. Get the Route Zezo.org Chrome extension if you don't use it already. It gives you a drop-down with the lat lon of each of your segment start and endpoints and the time to that point.

Check visually that your route set by the waypoints does not cross land, like an island. Unlike the program route, VR will not warn you if your waypoints touch land. You can set a waypoint inland, or a route that crosses a tiny island that may not be visible until you zoom in (see Vestas 2014-15 Volvo)

VR will then sail precisely and directly between those points without regard to time. It does estimate the time to reach each point. Good idea to check the wind direction at the estimated times to make sure you are not sailing a sub optimal wind angle at any point.

Post by BooBill | 2020-08-15 | 03:10:37

And, I just ran aground on Ponta dos Capelinhos. It looks like I was not the only casualty. I even noted LuxAirFrance do it ahead of me. But, I'll be okay, I've got space between my waypoints and land. Nope.

I guess, warning to anyone coming behind. Land isn't where it appears to be.

Post by shockwave11 | 2020-08-15 | 03:22:00

Yep pretty much our whole team has hit that point.

Post by YourMomSA | 2020-08-15 | 04:04:01

I think using dashboard to navigate buoys works well, but it isn't as good for land... because VR's definition of "land" doesn't precisely match Google Maps. I'm not sure if that's what led to so many groundings or not. I set my waypoints very close to VR land without regard to Google land in Dashboard, and that worked out safely.

Post by LinusVanpelt | 2020-08-15 | 07:12:49

I join YourMom, if you want an exemple :

On the south west of Brittany, near Eckmuhl lighthouse, the point 47:47:40N 04:22:51 is clearly on open sea on Google maps, but as there are shoals all around, this point is just in a very thinny passage between to ground areas on VR.

The ideal would be to have a drawing of the VR map on Google map on the Dashboard ! :)
It seems that some have done it.

Post by BooBill | 2020-08-15 | 10:35:56

The list of people who grounded looks like the VR Hall of Fame.

My grounding appears to have happened at the worst possible time, right after a 5 minute update, meaning it was almost a full 5 minutes before I took any action. Still it only cost me 23 positions.

If I try to say I've never snagged a sandbar in real sailing trying to cut a point to close, I'd be lying. Let's put this up to the cost of trying to be too competative.

Post by Hardtack | 2020-08-15 | 11:24:51

This is not directed at anyone in this thread, but I can only confirm what YourMomSA and LinusVanpelt said. Don't navigate land features by the Dashboard map. It's not the same map, it has a different coastline. Islands appear on one map but not on the other. Et cetera. I said it before, and I'll also put this warning in a more prominent place in the manual (but most people don't read it anyway).

@Linus, I agree that some players probably have access to the VR map. I saw screenshot of a Google map overlayed with small rectangular outline that looked like the VR map. Someone posted it on the VR forum, but unfortunately I cannot find it anymore.

Obviously having access to the raw VR map data can sometimes give you a big advantage. As far as can see, you don't gain a lot over navigating by the VR game UI by sailing closer to land, but it seems that sometimes you can make a passage work or spot passages that you don't see on the game UI at all.

Post by BooBill | 2020-08-15 | 12:58:11

I for one would love to have access to the VR Map. I set my waypoints only by reference to the graphics on VR. There was a clear blue pixel between my track and the visible land. I then checked the Dashboard map. I was well clear at the point where I ended up grounding, but touching at another point around the corner, so I moved that one further offshore.

I agree there is not much gained from cutting so close to land, and clearly much to loose.

I did take great pleasure rounding the Fastnet mark by 50cm though. Confirming that by way of the Dashboard maps was invaluable.

Post by zezo | 2020-08-18 | 15:37:50

Reverse engineering the visible map tiles and displaying them should not be very hard, but we still won't know the exact bitmap the server uses for collision detection. It could be the best resolution visible image, but could also be something else.