for recreational sailors and cruisers, racers and commercial skippers

Local Knowledge Marine Software

 

7/23/01  Daily Routing Analysis of EDS Atlantic Challenge

bulletDAILY ANALYSIS FOR JULY 22, 2001 - Click Here
We apply our "Force 4" routing software to evaluate possible routes for the competitors in the EDS Atlantic Challenge. The software  utilizes boat polars and a 10-day MRF wind forecast to predict boat speeds at various times and locations, and then searches for the fastest possible route. This is always shown in red, and alternative routes in other colors (corresponding times and distances are color-coded). The alternative courses do not represent "second best" or "third best" solutions, but are constrained initially to various sectors relative to the rhumbline (e.g., to far right).
Below is the routing solution for Sill Plein Fruit, from its reported postion "4" at 1400 UTC on 7/22 to a point "8" approaching the entrance to Chesapeake Bay. Precise routing is critical here, with a difference of almost 18 hours between two courses (red and blue) each fairly close to the rhumbline. Winds shown are as predicted at the time of the position report.
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Below the same solution is shown, with actual boat position "S3" and winds 24 hours later, at 1400 UTC on 7/23. According to the router, the boat could have reached the positions shown by the black dots on each colored route. The position "S3" is a bit behind the black dot for the red route, perhaps because it followed a different course to get there (via intermediate point "S2").
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Below is the routing solution for Gartmore, from its reported postion "6" at 1400 UTC on 7/22. It has relatively little to gain by route selection, and its best route puts it almost 15 hours behind Sill Plein Fruit.
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Below the same solution is shown 24 hours later, at 1400 UTC on 7/23, with reported position of Gartmore "G3" and wind at that time. Gartmore has continued south of the optimal red route, and appears to have lost ground compared to the predicted positions shown by the black dots. This could be because of local wind variations not included in the forecast.
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Our "routing" works just as well for currents. If you are doing the Big Boat Series in SF, this is a must!! (BIG Flood !!)