.png)
¶ Introduction
Who doesn't like the Ocean? The warm sun and cool breeze can be especially relaxing after a long hard week of whipping ponies into shape. Well this is at least true so long as you are not living in a place like the United Kingdom, if so then please expect harsh bitterly cold wind, overcast weather and the occasional used condom floating on the currents to keep you company.
So with that lovely imagine burned into your mind, Tall Tails would like to present to you it's first ever Regatta event!
With the lovely Alexis Brekka taking the helm, we will be offering a wonderful sailing experience around the Blake Sea within SecondLife. The Regatta's plotted course was designed with fun and sightseeing in mind, our host has tried to pack as many unique and interesting places into a relatively short course. If you have never sailed at all before, don't worry since it is very easy and similar to any other kind of mainland travel. Also; if you don't own a boat or ship, don't fret! Other captains should have some empty seats available on their boats, and if you wish to Captain a vessel yourself, we will provide some free boats further down this page.
¶ When Is It Happening?
Date: May 2nd 2021
Time: 1PM SLT
We aim to host this on a Sunday, with 1PM being our ideal time for setting off as we believe this should give our none European members a chance to take part.
¶ Route
If you are a captain, please try to show up a little earlier to prepare your vessel. The starting port and sim allow rezzing anywhere in the water. We recommend traveling at a comfortable speed of 5m/s or around 10 knots. If a reasonable speed is kept, then the course will take about 40 minutes to complete if done without stopping. Sightseeing can add some more time, so the course may take an hour if all goes well.
¶ Start - Pastiche
Location: Pastiche
The island has a private home on it, but the dock is public. The dock and sim allow for rezzing where we can gather. Once your boat has been rezzed please move away to a respectable distance to allow other captains to rez their boats. Depending on the popularity of the event you may need to move to Location 2 early so we do not fill up the sim.
¶ 2 - Quagmire
Location: Quagmire
Pass through this narrow channel slowly on your way to Location 3, watch out for the red car-crossing ferry, it is very solid and very real, try not to get sunk!
¶ 3 - Meersal
Location: Meersal
Point of Interest: Britannic
See the Britannic at Pompelmoo by looking to the left as we pass by. Yes, that ship can really 'sail', however that one is for display purposes.
¶ 4 - Tromp
Location: Tromp
Navigate around the small sandbar, you will see a firepit here. Then head East between the channel of islands.
¶ 5 to 6 - de Ruyter
Location: de Ruyter
Point of Interest: Blooms of Jellyfish
Small ships can pass through the channel here slowly. Look underwater through the channel! Warning! Larger ships will need to go south around the channel.
¶ 7 to 8 to 9 - de Grasse
Location: de Grasse
Point of Interest: Nautilus Harbour & Penteconter
See here the entrance to Nautilus harbor and the Greek boat, a Penteconter, guarding the bay as well.
¶ 10 to 11 to 12 to 13 - N. Alonim
Location: N. Alonim
As we travel East along Nautilus, you can follow the shoreline. There are some small sandbars that deep ships would need to watch out for, and a few broken docks extending out from the bay. So if you follow the shoreline too closely, watch out for those.
¶ 13 - N. Symacom
Location: N. Symacom
Point of Interest: Pharos Tower
Leaving Nautilus and entering the Blake Sea. Swinging down south of Symacom, you can see Pharos Tower before continuing out into Blake. A rez zone can be found here.
¶ 14 - BS. Lanyard / BS. Half Hitch
Location: BS. Half Hitch
Point of Interest: Half Hitch Lighthouse
Traveling through these two island sims, you'll see the nice lighthouse on Halfhitch and the cute inland bay there. As you head to Crow's Nest, you can speed your ship up some if you like. Be aware of other boats.
¶ 15 to 16 - BS. Crows Nest
Location: BS. Crows Nest
Point of Interest: Crows Nest Lighthouse
The classic lighthouse in the middle of the Blake Sea. If you're daring and in a small vessel, you can try to sail your ship between the rocks.
¶ 17 - BS. Turnbuckle
Location: BS. Turnbuckle
A little vacation sandbar. It's cute, has some places to lay and tan.
¶ End - BS. Windlass
Location: BS. Windlass
Our landing point! You can head to any dock on the island or moor along the beach as well. Take note that your boat will be auto-returned if you stand, but there are rez spots at the dock on the south end of the island here. As captain, I tend to tell my guests to step onto the dock/beach before I stand myself. That way, only I might end up in the water because of ship-return.
Feel free to explore the island! It is a cute classic little vacation spot. The waterfall on the west side of the island is a favorite spot to moor at and relax.
¶ Navigation
Wind settings for sailboats can be whatever you like in honesty. But if looking for a recommendation, we would suggest starting with the wind at 270 degrees until we get to the Blake Sea (route marker 13). Sea winds can be a bit different, and the wind would come down from the North at 0 degrees.
Windspeed would be something comfortable to have your sailboat moving at about 10 knots.
¶ Sailing Course HUD
Alexis Brekka who has spent the time creating this event is a fan of using the world map and minimap while sailing. We do however know that many regatta clubs like to use HUDs to keep track of their courses. This can be used instead of the other maps if you want to try to immerse yourself and not use those pop up maps.
With some help from Loren Fox we will be using the same HUD we have used previously for the Ponyplay Carting Excursions. This HUD will be passed out by event organizers on the day the Regatta is held.
¶ Sailing Tips
- Always have minimap open and zoomed out so you can see well around you. Unlike traveling on the road, other sailors can come from anywhere around you and you can spot them much faster using the minimap.
- Turn your view distance up to see farther. We reccomend sailing using view distance of 200, but 100 and 150 work just as well. Ocean sims tend to be more empty than mainland sims, so a larger view distance on the ocean shouldn't strain your computer too badly.
- Avoid simcrossing at corners as much as possible. Since you can sail your boat wherever you like on the water, this can make turning or adjusting your course through a sim corner easier than traveling on the road.
- Be aware of other boats and avatars. Everyone out here is kinda doing their own thing, their own way. Some people like to moor where ever and relax. Some people are racing or having their own regatta. Some people/bots are afk underwater for who knows what reason. The golden rule however is; if you see another moving ship, give plenty of space to pass. If you see a parked ship, stay just outside of general chat range unless you know the occupants.
¶ Life Jacket!
Being a water event, health and safety requires that we have to at least inform you that lifejackets exist. Wearing one is up to you however!
Some can be found on the marketplace, but we would encourage making sure you are getting a functional one if you pick one up. Though, if you feel like you're a confident swimmer, you could simply use a swimming HUD instead! (These can help prevent you from sinking like a rock if you fall off the boat)
A free lifejacket can be purchased here.
A free swimming HUD will be avaliable on the day from the organizers.
¶ Boats!
So, you need a boat huh? Well SecondLife has a lot of options! Take a look below for some ideas!
¶ Freebies
Boats can be expensive! Luckily we have a selection of free boats avaliable for those taking to the sea for the first time!
¶ Hornless Vikings Workshop
Link: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/81180
The Emergency Response Boat is an excellent little free craft. Using it will make Axelle jealous!
¶ Michie Marine
Link: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/22448
Much more variety of boats, but with varying quality. The Hydrospeeder K-10 is excellent for undersea exploring if you are so inclined.
¶ AleyMart
Link: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/161413
The stuff is old but still works well... give them a look sometime! Perhaps you would like to follow the group using the power of your arms alone? If so the Working Rowboat is for you!
¶ Big Brands
If you are willing to spend some Lindens, SecondLife has some very complex but amazing to sail boats. Take a look at these, perhaps something will catch your eye!
¶ Bandit / The Mesh Shop (TMS)
Link: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/120514
In-World: Dutch Harbor
TMS is the standard for quality boats in SecondLife. They provide an excellent sailing/boating experience. Plenty of relaxing and cuddle positions about the boats. Some can be found online but even more are in-world only. You can demo any ship they have at the inworld store too.
¶ BBX
Link: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/63972
In-World: Sunny Bay
BBX do some amazing modern and sleek ship designs. With a mixture of sail and mototboats they have many many options. The price is high, but you certainly get what you pay for.
¶ Ultramesh
Link: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/168151
In-World: Newport Bay
This brand doesn't have too many boats, but their vehicles are excellent. Less cuddle animations than TMS but the vehicles cross sims smoothly and can be heavily modified. Demos are avaliable in-world too.
¶ N+K Shipyard
Link: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/178635
In-World: N+K Shipyards
Maybe not something to have use this regatta.. but brand we still wished to show. Alexis LOVES their ships but they are not beginner vessels or for people who just want to cuddle on a boat. They are the only square-rigged sailboat/ship brand in SL and create some of the biggest ships aswell. These ships demand that you practice with them to sail them correctly.