Replay World of Sailing [Without Playing Cards]

This simulation is based on, but not limited to, the sailing events included in the 2012 Olympic Games. We have included in the package the Men’s Finn, Star and 49er Classes, and for the ladies the Laser-Radial and 470 Classes. These represent a typical cross-section of the type of racing seen at Weymouth for the Olympics and hopefully will provide exciting replay racing.

Each Class consists of between 16 to 26 boats (but see Note ! below). There are ten races (but see Note 2 below) plus a Medal Race which is contested by the ten top boats from the original Class races. Points are scored for each boat finishing a race depending on finishing position, 1 point for finishing first, two for second, etc., etc. Boats that fail to finish or compete in a race are given a points score equalling the number of boats in the fleet, plus one. In calculating the points total to determine who sails in the Medal Race the worst score is dropped, and, obviously, the lowest ten scores go into the Medal Race. In the Medal Race itself the Class score totals are carried forward (less the dropped race score) and points are doubled up in the Medal Race, so the winner scores two, the fourth boat eight, etc.

The total of Class points and Medal Race points determine the destination of the medals, if equal the better placed boat in the Medal Race takes preference.

Races are run in varying wind conditions, usually with wind speeds between about eight knots and twenty-two. Some sailor/boat combinations prefer light wind conditions, some do better in moderate or strong winds, and we reflect this by giving three Skill Ratings (SRs), one for Light, one for Moderate and one for Strong. The SRs are a very important part of the design and ensure that the better sailor/boat combinations will usually feature at the front of the fleet when the Finish Gun goes, but, of course, there can be surprise results.

Races take around 30 minutes to replay, with a Start and then seven legs taking the boats around the marks that have been placed to set the course. The legs vary from Beat (a tacking leg into the wind), Reach (with the wind coming at right angles to the boat), Close Reach (the wind is coming at any angle of about 30-45 degrees towards the front of the boat), Broad Reach (wind from behind but at an angle of 30-45 degrees) and Run (the windward leg, wind more or less directly behind, spinnakers used if the Class has them - Finn and Laser-Radial don’t have them). The main tactic of this type of sailing is to find and use the best wind available, and this often means tacking to the opposite side of the course to the bulk of the fleet. This is a risky business for two reasons, firstly the wind may not be more favourable on that side even though you think you’ve spotted dark patches on the water that indicates the surface is being affected by stronger gusts, and secondly if the separation (the distance between the two parts of the fleet) is wide a sudden wind shift may favour the main part of the fleet but will not help you, so, maybe, your main opponent in the Class will gain a big advantage over you. In ‘RWoIS’ we simulate this risk-taking, for good or bad, and it may be a decisive factor in the race. Where boats use both side of the course their route to the mark converge from different directions and this too can be important as a boat that is windward of another has the advantage and the leeward boat has to give way by gybing to avoid contact. This can sometimes mean that its line to the mark is disrupted to such an extent that it needs to circle round to approach it again.

Another close-up-and-personal tactic is to try to mess with an opponent’s air (creating ‘dirty’ or ‘bad’ air) by getting between the wind and the other boat, denying your opponent the speed-creating wind. On a Run this can often result in a spinnaker losing its shape and collapsing, causing a serious loss of speed which is difficult to recover. In all types of legs the boats gybe and luff to change direction by getting the wind on the opposite side of the sail. The extreme of this is tacking where the boat zig-zags against the wind, the only way it can make progress on an upwind leg. All these procedures can create problems and provide opportunities to gain an advantage over other boats and in this simulation the commentary will try to explain briefly what is happening.

With 24-plus boats and eight Turns per race we obviously can’t provide a detailed graphical display of the race. We don’t even attempt to simulate exactly what is happening to every boat each Turn, but we do chart the gains and losses of about 50% of the boats and this, plus the use of the SRs, ensure that the fleet becomes realistically separated during the course of a race while keeping the results accurate and the playing time to around 30 minutes per race.

While each type of leg is different in nature the effect on the boats in game terms is quite similar – some will gain and some will lose ‘ground’ vis-a-viz the fleet. However, Beats are likely to provide more opportunities for gain or loss, and Runs the least, so this is reflected in the various Charts. We also provide a selection of courses for you to select from, and these contain a different number of the various types of legs, and this affects to some extent the nature of the races. The Mens’ 49ers use what is called a Windward Course where the legs are either beats or runs, but more of that later. The races are run in Light. Moderate or Strong winds, rolled for before the race starts. This affects which SR to use and also affects the Distance-to-Time conversion which will be fully explained in the Rules.