| Transpac 2003: Update on March 1, 2003 | ||
| The following is our recap and tactical analysis of the 2000 Pacific Cup. Click here for the 2002 Pacifc Cup. This summer, in 2003, we will again offer our topranked "Force 4" tactical program and mid-level "Offchart Racer" ocean-racing program to participants at a discount. Our routing module puts you on a par with the best "rockstar" navigators, and is very easy to use (includes Tutorial). | ||
| You can
download a free evaluation copy of Offchart Racer from our site: see Offchart Racer for 2003 Also see current/wind/tactics package for DCNAC Race |
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| THIS PAGE DESCRIBES
THE 2000 PACIFIC CUP... FOR THE 2002 PACIFIC CUP SEE THE FOLLOWING PAGES ON OUR WEBSITE: (1) DAILY TACTICAL ANALYSIS (2) WIND/CURRENT/TACTICAL SOFTWARE |
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| San Francisco to Oahu, Hawaii: Weather Routing is the key to avoiding the Pacific High and
finding the best winds to Hawaii ... The new "offshore" edition of our tactical program "Force 4" finds the best route out the Gate, balancing current, wind and boat polars, and then analyzes the wind forecast to find the optimal route to Hawaii.
The example below is taken at max flood, with typical summer winds of 20 knots out of 250 deg T. The red route is the quickest, with a selection of alternative routes in other colors shown for comparison (note that the corresponding times are color-coded in "Best Course Comparison" box). |
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Once you are out the Gate, the trick is to analyze the wind forecasts across the Pacific and pick the optimal course. Force 4 does this for you, trying out all possible alternatives to find the quickest. It also displays comparison courses and times (color-coded for easy reference.) You can time-step along the courses to show where your boat would be at a given time on each route. The computation takes into account the variation in winds day by day as well as point to point, from boat position to the finish. Force 4 also enables you to take weather fax and satellite download images (as in the examples below), and convert them into navigational charts, so you can see boat location and proposed routes in context with wind, pressure forecasts, storm tracks, etc. - and likewise track your competitors! |
EXAMPLE ONE: WIND FORECAST ON 5/14/2000
| Wind/Pressure Image from the Web (low off CA Coast) |
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| Best-Course Routing Solution |
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| In the routing solution, the fastest course is shown in red. Alternative courses are shown for comparison (times and courses are color-coded). In this case there is approximately a 25 hour difference between the red and green courses. The black dots show positions on each track at the time shown at the bottom of the box (16:25). At that time, distance to the destination is shown in the right hand column (total time on course is in left column). |
EXAMPLE TWO: WIND FORECAST ON 6/20/2000
| Wind/Pressure Image from the Web (high NW of Golden Gate) |
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Best-Course Routing Solution |
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| You can adjust the alternative courses in various ways to explore different scenarios. When time differences are relatively small, you may wish to choose a route based on some other criteria. In the actual Pacific Cup, the center of high pressure is often further south than in this example, and the routing solution will typically dip south to avoid it. |
For Details about our Tactical Software - Click Here
