Conference unifix::sailing

    
I was wondering if I could get some help? I've been working on an application
for the Apple Macintosh. It's an "Introduction to Celestial Navigation and
Noon Sight Reduction". I'm still working on the graphical interface but I think
I'm done with the actual 'number stuff'.

Anyway, I've ported over the 'number stuff' to the VAX and it seems to 
reproduce the Mac results. But, I'd still like a little further shakedown.
All this ported version does is an APPROXIMATION of a 'noon sight reduction'. 
The keyword is approximation. (The end program will NOT be used for navigation,
only as a learning tool! Latitude calculations will be accurate to +/-15'.) 
I've done a couple of sight reductions and I'm satisfied with the result.
What I'd like is if some other people could throw some more numbers at it.
The image can be found on TIECAT::DUA1:[HARDY]NOON.EXE. Any feedback would
be gratefully appreciated. Please no comments about the VMS 'interface'
(I mean, it's only a VAX! and also it'd be hard as hell to get a GPX
to fit in the NAVstation!). 


thanks,

Gary H...

    I saw two pieces of software in a shop called "The Armchair Sailer"
    on Westlake Ave in Seattle this past weekend.  Has anyone experience
    with them?  They are both by a firm named Dolphin Software.
    The first piece was a single package called "Sailing Simulator";
    the second was a set of about a � dozen volumes called "Sailing
    Instructor".

    Speaking of "Sailing Simulator"s, does anybody remember a dry land
    sail trainer in a Central Square, Cambridge (Mass.) storefront back
    in the late '60s?  The boat was a Firefly class, 12' sloop rigged
    dinghy made by Fairey Marine in England.
    
    Somebody had rigged it up on a stand with all sorts of servo mechanical
    thingies to make it respond to tiller and sheet adjustments.  I
    guess they thought it would appeal to people who were afraid of
    learning on the water.  I don't think they stayed in business more
    than a year or two.  I can't imagine it being a raging success.
    After all, what's sailing without the sea and the sky, etc.?
    

    
    
    I've seen a sailing simulator running on a PC... is there a copyable
    version out there that is available? (i.e. public domain or shareware)
    
    I had an idea a long time ago about a race simulator which would
    simulate wind effects from other boats & islands, current, leeway,
    oscillating winds, sail selection, etc.  I envision something like the
    famous 'flight simulator' which would operate in real time, would have
    realistic graphics, and would have a good model of cause and effect.
    
    Are any of the existing simulators realistic enough to be able
    to experiment with tactics?  To play against other sailors?  To
    model realistic wind shifts/weather patterns?
    
       (it's *got* to be better than ice sailing in a blizzard!!)
    
       /Jim
    

    I have a program / game on my Commodore 64 called "America's Cup"
    which my kids gave me for Christmas a couple of years ago. It's kind
    of kludgy as far as real time response and human interface (cranking
    sails up and down by rotating the joystick handle, but it does let
    one race against the computer, or another opponent. Each leg of the
    "olympic course" takes a couple of minutes to sail.
    
    Bill
    

    There's an ad in the November issue of Sail for a set of simulators for
    both IBM and Mac.  There seem to be 7 different (maybe only slightly
    different) versions:
    
    Coastal Cruising Simulator
    Saliboat Dynamics Simulator
    Advanced Racing Simulator
    Catamaran Race Challenge
    Sail Race Challenge
    Gold Cup Challenge
    Match Race Challenge
    
    They range in price from $40-$50.  The source is
    
    Posey Yacht Design, 203-345-2685.  Anybody have $40 they want to risk
    on finding out more?
    
    Doug.

    
            I have an immediate need for some sailing software that will
            meet the attached requirements.  It will be part of a DEC
            presentation to our customers.  Perhaps someone could
            recommend one of the packages listed in note 789.6
            or something different. References to the vendor or a software
            house would be very desireable. I've already called Posey
            Yacht Design (203-345-2685) and the answering service response
            was that they would return my call evenings as they were out
    	    days! This sounds like a moonlighting company rather than an
            established firm. Does anyone have experience with them.
    
    
                Application Requirements
    
                    - The user to compete against a clock while
                      racing a course. Ability to race against another
                      boat is another alternative of equal value
                      to racing against the clock. (The other boat
                      could be the computer or another user sharing
                      the same program through client/server software.)
                                                       
                    - Running in DEC Windows or similar GUI is also
                      desireable.
    
                    - The sailing course should be configurable for both
                      layout and length.
    
                    - The user interface commands should be intuitive.
    
    		    - There should be some ability to control the challenge
    		      level from a student thru the experienced level.
    
                    - The graphical output should be views of the boat
                      (fore, aft and abeam) with some displays on speed,
                      sail position, heading, wind direction and speed etc. 
    		      (similar to the product 'Flight Simulator')
    
                    - The graphical output should be superior as well
                      as fast (updating screen).
    
                    - This software could be run on either a DEC 486 PC or
                      a DEC RISC workstation.
    
    
    
    Dan
                                              

    
    
    After outfitting my new  XL at home with the normal packages (ie
    office, visual basic etc), I bought a copy of advanced sailing tactics
    by Possey from West Marine for $54.95.
    
    It has 5 different types of boats, 19 skill levels, 0-17 competitors,
    adjustments for wind strength, current, cpu speed, wave action,
    and location of land.
    
    you get to adjust main & jib tension, travelers, vang, outhaul, mast
    bend, crew position (fore and aft, hiked or center), sail selection
    (gennys, jibs, and spinnakkers), along with main reefing. You can also
    customize your boat (size, spars etc).
    
    You are given a count down for pre race moves. you have your bouys,
    committee boat, shoals etc. You have changing wind speeds and angles.
    And you sail against boats that will leave you in the dust just like
    the real thing. If you don't capsize or run it aground, your position
    is given when you finish.
    
    The menu bar is giving bearings to marks, vmg etc. You can constantly
    change parameters on a leg to see what combo results in the best speed.
    The boats are 3-D color, so you can see when the boat is really heeling and
    needs it's sheets eased.
    
    Well worth the money imho. Both from a tactics point of view and in
    sailing dynamics (try this for real and you will have a mutiny).
    
    john

    re. .8
    
    Hallo John. It sounds very interesting. I have a DEC PC 320 (b/w, 386sx
    2 MB RAM, DOS 6.2, Windows 3.1, 80 MB HD); do you think it could work
    on it? If yes, could you pls let me know how I can order it from Italy
    (AMEX welcome I suppose)?
    Even better if they had an Italian language version; do I ask too much?
    
    Thanks in advance and sorry if I trouble you. If you prefer you can
    mail me: ARRIGO DEANGELI @RIO.
    
    Ciao, A.
    

    re.9
    
    should run. I've been meaning to try it on my 386sx laptop. I'll let
    you know how she runs. Your software looks fine, and the 4 files are
    pretty small.
    
    They have a b/w monitor driver too, though the colors are really nice.
    I think they only put it out in English. Since it has menus, they would
    only need to change these and the documentation. I haven't sent in the
    comments card yet, so I'll jot that down. Personally, I'd like a 
    groupware version where you can play 4-10 friends at the same time and
    be able to toss in some extra boats to keep things interesting. I
    figure 90% of the application code is there (backwinds, colisions etc).
    
    I think the big instrument manufacturers should licence and give the
    code away. Once you get hooked, you start to realize how much you need
    a knotmeter, Apparent wind indictator etc. Probably a better return
    than some full color ad in a magazine. ;>)
    
       john

    Tks J, will wait for further infos, bye, A.
    

    RE .9
    
    The software works fine on a PC320. My PC320 has 4mb, but is identical
    otherwise (hdw & sftwr).
    
    The monochrome display is not bad, but I suggest a big pointer so you 
    can track it on the screen better.
    
    I believe you can order from the developer. I do not have the order
    form here today. See .4 for phone #.
    
    john
    

    
    I just picked up a copy of "Advanced Racing Tactics", per John K's (and
    other) recommendation.
    
    It strains the limit of my 386DX-33 machine, but its speed is
    acceptable at the fastest speed setting (it compensates for different
    speed CPU's).
    
    I find that I'm learning a lot and getting a lot of good practice. 
    I've always been impressed by Stuart Walker's book of the same name,
    but somehow in the heat of battle I could *never* remember what he
    said.  With a simulator I can pause the action, read a little, and then
    try out a strategy.
    
    My only nit with the software, other than performance, is that the
    marks have a way of disappearing when you get near them, and you can't
    change your point of view very flexibly.  I find myself wanting to
    rotate my field of view to see the position of a competitor (or mark),
    but you can only:
    
    	� see the 'flying eyeball' view from astern,
        � look to windward (just enough to see oncoming puffs, though)
    	� lower helicopter view (not updated freqently enough to be
    	  accurate on my system), and
    	� higher helicopter view
    
    There's also a racecourse view that basically puts the marks on a
    high helicopter view.
    
    Fortunately the high helicopter view includes a crosshair on your boat
    that tells you when you're abeam of the mark; otherwise there would be
    situations where you'd just have to guess when to tack.
    
    The pre-start simulation is excellent and educational.
    
    The disk I got came with both a DOS version and a Windows version.  My
    windows version doesn't seem to have sound support, or doesn't talk to
    my sound board, or...?  but the DOS version beeps prior to the start
    and has ** m u c h ** better reaction time.  The delay on my computer
    is such that I'm pretty much driven to use the DOS version, but both
    versions are very similar.
    
    As John K. said, well worth the money.
    
       /jim
     

    
    correction: the software I have is "Advanced Racing Simulator".  This
    seems to be pretty similar to "Advanced Racing Tactics", also by Posey
    Yacht Design Inc., but is a little different.
    
    maybe by springtime I'll get the hang of making a decent start.  :)
    
       /jim
    

    On mine, there is a set of gauges that tell me direction and distance
    to the next mark. I use this to find the mark easily. Wish I could 
    spring for the same thing on my real boat..... ;>(
    
    john

    Have loran? get LRX, exactly that (last)
    

Hello,

I have finally seen a Sailing Simulator in the shops over here. It
is called SAIL 95. Has anyone had any experience what this product.
If so a comment would be appreciated. It looks very new and you can select a 
black boat.

Cheers
revel

     I have a copy , but never installed it Revel. I intend on getting a
    multimedia upgrade kit this week and will then install it (you can
    hear the water lapping against the hull if you have sound card and
    speakers).
    
       john