Volvo Ocean Race Game Edition

UPDATE DECEMBER 14, 2009: NEW SOFTWARE FOR VIRTUAL RACES The description below refers to the special edition of our Advantage software we offered for the 2008-2009 Volvo Ocean Race Game (VORG). This was a new application for Advantage, which was developed over the past decade for "real" ocean races. Over the final legs of VORG we added some new features and modified others to support VORG and similar races. We have made further improvements, and now have released a new, special edition of Advantage for use with virtual races (including Virtual Regatta and Virtual Loup-De-Mer). For information, follow this new link to Advantage Virtual Edition
SPECIAL: VOLVO OCEAN RACE GAME EDITION
We have been designing top-ranked routing software for over a decade: SEE OUR REFERENCES CHECK OUT OUR TACTICAL SOFTWARE AND CURRENT & WIND DATA FOR RACES WORLDWIDE
LEG 8 PACKAGE IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD (MAY 31) - ORDER NOW!
Check out our VORG Article in latest edition of Seahorse Magazine ... Click Here To See It
Our Advantage Leg 7 WINNERS: each gets free Advantage License & Charts to Compete in Leg 8 1. PWCS LROI 3 2. Mad Dog International 174 3. Mobidik 327 (all users are eligible for best 4 legs grand prize)
Over 100,000 armchair sailors are now competing in the Volvo Ocean Race Game, putting their routing skills on the line. This is a great opportunity to learn how routing software works, in a realistic setting where you can see the results and compare your choices to those made by competitors. And, you will be using the same tools, techniques and information as the "real" Volvo Ocean Race navigators. HOW IT WORKS: for a nominal fee, you purchase a limited license to use our top-level racing software, Advantage, for the duration of one leg of the race. Your package comes complete with charts, a polar file, and all Advantage components except those used in actual onboard racing. This special copy of Advantage has been modified to calculate boat motion (including optimal routing) in EXACTLY the same way the Game does, which gives our users an incredible edge. Otherwise, the program works exactly the same as our unlimited editions. The program also REDUCES the amount of time you need to spend on the game, since you can tell 12 hours in advance exactly when you will need to make a course change. FOR THE SKEPTICS: for those that question how routing software can help, you have to keep in mind that critical routing decisions are based on what the winds will be like 4-5 days ahead, or more, and hundreds of miles from your current position. You have to think globally, not locally. The wind information provided by the Game only goes out 36 hours, but the winds used by the Game can be predicted quite well up to 7 days ahead. Knowing the predicted wind isn't enough, you have to know where your boat will be days later in order to apply that knowledge to routing. This requires you to take into account numerous course changes, as well as the performance characteristics of the boat at many combinations of wind speed and angle. If you can do this in your head, you are better than the professional navigators doing the Volvo. This is not to say that it takes judgment out of the Game. Wind predictions are not perfect, and there are still decisions to be made, particularly when winds are light. But why work with a big handicap, when our software gives you the same tools as the pros and a real chance to win? Leg 5 (from Qingdao to Rio) really emphasized the importance of routing, and many of our clients finished hundreds of places ahead of competitors who had won and dominated previous legs ...
UNIQUE ROUTING FUNCTIONS
THE IMAGE BELOW illustrates a routing solution for the initial part of Leg 4 (Singapore to Qingdao). The red line shows the optimal (quickest) route from the starting point ("1", off Singapore) to an intermediate point ("3", off Taiwan). The other colored lines show comparison routes that help to put the optimal route in perspective. The times (in HR:MM:SS) for each route are shown in the 'Best Course Comparisons' form, color-coded to correspond to the route. Advantage is the only routing software that computes quantitative comparison routes. The definitions of shorelines are built into the charts supplied with the package, so you can perform realistic routings that don't try to take shortcuts over land. The optimal (red) solution in this example takes about 144 hours, some 12 hours faster than the blue route closer to shore, and more than 60 hours faster than the yellow route furthest offshore. The computation employs the same wind prediction files used by the Game, and realistic polar performance data. One computed, routing solutions are redrawn if you zoom in or out, or switch to a different chart, and you can step along the solution at intermediate times to see progress along the optimal and comparison routes. Predicted boat positions at 1017 on 1/1/2009 are shown by the black dots, and distance from those positions to the destination (DTG) is shown in the right-hand column.

NEW CHARTS AND FUNCTIONS FOR LEG 6 AND BEYOND
The Leg 6 Package includes both overall charts and detail charts to take you from Rio to Boston - routing example below.

For Leg 6 there have been a number of significant improvements in Advantage, including a quicker interface and improved course and wind functions. The VORG edition also includes an interface to VORG, shown below for Terraphobia. The VORG interface takes data directly from VORG each time VORG updates, and automatically places your boat token onscreen at the proper location. The form summarizes key data from VORG (this requires internet connection).

OTHER IMPROVED FUNCTIONS: In leg 4, the Advantage Super-If function could be used for short upwind and downwind sections, to compute precise tacks (angles and times). For leg 5 this function was generalized so it can now work with the wind file predictions, as well as with constant wind. This enables it to be used over greater distances, for example in an upwind leg that spans several wind squares, so that you are always going upwind but at different speeds and angles in adjacent squares. The improved function enables you to compute optimal tacks across several squares (you need to adjust to the optimal target TWA as you move into a new square - note that the laylines are curved and "tack" lines now curve to reflect these changes). Unlike a computation in a single square (within which wind is constant) there is now a preferred tack (port in the example) which takes you to the upwind waypoint 46.5 minutes less than the starboard tack.

A NEW FUNCTION: When you use Super-If with a wind file, you can set the maximum number of tacks in order to reach an upwind (or downwind) mark, and the program will compute the quickest (shown in red) and comparison tack sequences. This is similar to the routing solution except that it is generally used over shorter distances and shows actual headings.

CUSTOM CHARTS & WIND MODELS: our supplied charts have less background clutter and enable you to get a better overview of the entire course. However, for shorter portions you many want to make additional charts of your own, based on other chart images you may have. In particular, you may want to create Advantage charts from screen prints of the Game charts with our ChartMaker utility. You can then use such a chart with the Wind Model utility to create your own local wind model that matches the Game winds exactly. Note that the Game arbitrarily makes small changes in wind speed which have little effect on overall routing, but which require some adjustments moving square to square. This new technique enables you to make precise local calculations with Advantage. It takes only a few minutes to create such a chart.

WHAT YOU GET IN THE PACKAGE
Advantage Level 3, without live on-the-water functions, specially modified for the Game, and licensed for a period beginning a few days before the current leg and ending after sufficient time to complete the leg. For Leg 8 the license will run from the time of purchase through June 11. A set of charts at different resolutions covering the leg, with built-in shoreline definitions. A "starter" polar performance file (sufficient for most calculations), which you can edit and improve as you go to more closely match your boat performance. Detailed INSTRUCTIONS as to how Advantage may be most profitably be used in the Game. The complete, illustrated TUTORIAL that explains all Advantage functions. Eligibility for the following AWARDS: (1) free license for next leg to top 3 finishers in any leg; (2) free unrestricted copy of Advantage Level 3 to top finisher of the Game (best 4 legs).
*COSTS AND HOW TO ORDER*
THE COST: Our intent is to set a nominal price so that everyone can afford to try out the program and participate more effectively in the Game. The list price of Advantage Level 3 is US$1,900, but the special license for one leg of the Game is just US$20 - that's right, just 20 Dollars. HOW TO PAY: use link below to send us an email and we will instruct you as to the best method to make payment from your location. Please include your name and the name of your "boat" in the Game. Note: we now take Paypal for VORG orders.
More About Advantage	EMAIL US TO ORDER	Volvo Ocean Race Website