Sail Away Simulator

[Jacinto Man]

Inits current form, Sailaway hits the rocky shoals when attempting to provide realism to a PC audience: complexity in a vehicle typically requires complex controls. Racing sims, flying sims, military sims: they all require complex and often expensive peripherals to allow the player to interact with the complexity of the machine. Flight simmers need HOTAS systems and rudder pedals, racing sims only come alive with a good force feedback wheel and an equally good set of pedals, and military sims require decent voice comms with squadmates. Sailaway has none of that. At this point in time, Sailaway is very hard to manage alone. Note that large and/or powerful sailing vessels actually are extremely hard to manage alone, so this is not a surprise, but it is again something to be aware of.

All is not lost, though. There is still active development going on, so some of what I consider to be gaps or faults may yet show up in a future update, but for now Sailaway seems to be at least partially lost at sea. Some of the fundamentals are in place and working well, but control is difficult and 6,000-mile cruises are visually boring for 5,998 of those miles. Sailaway will appeal to a select audience, but casual sailors will want to look elsewhere.

It its current form, Sailaway is an adequate way to learn about complex sailing vessels, travel the world by sea, and race online with other skippers. It is fairly straightforward to learn, but the limitations of controlling a complex boat with a keyboard and mouse are very evident. Sailaway is not for the casual player.

I've been fascinated with video games and computers for as long as I can remember. It was always a treat to get dragged to the mall with my parents because I'd get to play for a few minutes on the Atari 2600. I partially blame Asteroids, the crack cocaine of arcade games, for my low GPA in college which eventually led me to temporarily ditch academics and join the USAF to "see the world." The rest of the blame goes to my passion for all things aviation, and the opportunity to work on work on the truly awesome SR-71 Blackbird sealed the deal.

My first computer was a TRS-80 Model 1 that I bought in 1977 when they first came out. At that time you had to order them through a Radio Shack store - Tandy didn't think they'd sell enough to justify stocking them in the retail stores. My favorite game then was the SubLogic Flight Simulator, which was the great Grandaddy of the Microsoft flight sims.

While I was in the military, I bought a Commodore 64. From there I moved on up through the PC line, always buying just enough machine to support the latest version of the flight sims. I never really paid much attention to consoles until the Dreamcast came out. I now have an Xbox for my console games, and a 1ghz Celeron with a GeForce4 for graphics. Being married and having a very expensive toy (my airplane) means I don't get to spend a lot of money on the lastest/greatest PC and console hardware.

My interests these days are primarily auto racing and flying sims on the PC. I'm too old and slow to do well at the FPS twitchers or fighting games, but I do enjoy online Rainbow 6 or the like now and then, although I had to give up Americas Army due to my complete inability to discern friend from foe. I have the Xbox mostly to play games with my daughter and for the sports games.

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When the barometer dips and the seas are sloppy, practicing your sailing skills at home is a great way to pass the time. Here are five dry-land training options to take your nautical knowledge to the next level.

What's the old saying about idle hands? Keep a piece of rope handy and download a knot-tying app like Animated Knots by Grog. The U.S.-based Grogono "Grog" family has a long history in Olympic sailing, and their app will walk you through everything from a basic bowline to a Brummel splice using 3D animations and high-definition videos.

The BoatUS Foundation has partnered with boating experts like the Colgate Offshore Sailing School and the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary to bring you a selection of online courses including Learn to Sail, Weather for Boaters, Modern Marine Navigation, and Sailing Lingo. Courses are designed to take 2- to 3 hours and include interactive exercises and quizzes. Pricing ranges from free to $40, and discounts on select courses are available to BoatUS Members.

Avoid confusion when spelling words on the VHF radio (or phone) by learning the phonetic alphabet (e.g., Alpha, Bravo, Charlie). You can use cue cards to memorize the 26-letter alphabet or try using an app like NATO Phonetic Alphabet. Not only will it clear up your radio communication, but you'll be bound to impress the next call center employee you talk to.

Developed by The Irregular Corporation, the advanced sailing simulator, Sailaway puts armchair sailors at the helm. Sail anywhere in the world with accurately modeled waves and weather based on your location and real-time data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It's possible to virtually cross an ocean, race with other sailors, or even compete in the Vende Globe. When you log out, the game goes on, and you'll receive e-mail updates on your boat's progress.

Learn the age-old art of navigating by the stars. Dominique Prinet, a sailing instructor and former high arctic bush pilot, teaches the art of celestial navigation in his excellent books Celestial Navigation and Celestial Navigation Exercises for Class and Home Study. The books are available in print or eBook format. Tip: A sight reduction app like this one is a handy way to check your celestial navigation calculations.

Feel like going sailing but don't want to drive to the marina? Kick back in your La-Z-Boy, fire up your computer, and start tacking. A new sailing simulator called Sailaway lets you command a 38-foot cruiser, a 45-foot wooden yacht, or if you're feeling feisty, a Mini-Transat racer.

Featuring accurately modeled waves and water color based on your location (waves and wave behavior differs from ocean to ocean), and day and night skies, Sailaway is the most advanced sailing simulator on the market.

The lifelike settings let you sail across the Pacific if you want, through real (virtual) waves and spray, subtly trimming in whatever wind speed you chose. The sails will dutifully luff if you're not paying attention, and there's a whole range of sailing instruments to keep your attention. The program allows you to virtually sail and even race with other armchair sailors around the world.

OrbCreation has re-created the oceans of the planet with unparalleled accuracy with a detailed world map. In Sailaway, making a trip across the Pacific takes months, just as it would on a real boat. With a persistent online world, adjust your settings and your boat will continue to sail even if you aren't online.

"Sailaway started as an experiment to see if it would be feasible to create a sailboat that responds to sail trim changes," says Richard Knol, the one-man development force behind Sailaway, "but it soon transformed into a full-time passion project, in which every aspect of sailing was being implemented in the most comprehensive way possible."

Published by new independent games publisher, The Irregular Corporation and developed by OrbCreation, the ultimate sailing simulator is compatible for PC and Mac for $39.99. You'll need a stout computer for the processor-hungry graphics, but you won't have to fight traffic or clean up the boat afterward.

Charles Fort is BoatUS Magazine's West Coast Editor. He often writes local news items for BoatUS Magazine's Waypoints column and contributes to Reports, in-depth tech features in every issue written to help readers avoid accidental damage to their boats. He is a member of the National Association of Marine Surveyors, he's on ABYC tech committees, and has a 100-ton U.S. Coast Guard license. He lives in California.

Navigate your fleet and sail for fun; run a business; have a romantic encounter in the tavern; capture pirates amid intense battle; explore inland for treasure... Experience foreign culture, make novel discoveries, and sail away!

A real-world scale map, and highly detailed recreation of the ocean, land, monsoon currents, and weather changes form a huge maritime world. Face sudden changes in weather, unpredictable winds, sunken treasure, pirate attacks, and luring danger. And experience a novel and thrilling voyage through the ocean.

Almost 200 unique ports full of exotic local culture to experience. You can resupply, trade, accept commissions, recruit sailors, invest, and engage in many other activities in the ports. You can even form a land expedition team to explore inland!

Prices fluctuate with the situation at the ports, ultimately translating to higher profits. Promote port development through trade and commissions to increase the variety of goods, items, and premium ships available.

You will assume the lives of four captains with unique backgrounds. Over 30 outstanding individuals like British scholars, legendary pirates, Jewish merchants, and Japanese ronins are waiting to be recruited. Use them wisely to bring out the best in them.

Historical ruins, sunken ships, pirate treasure... The high seas are full of secrets. Explore the unknown, unearth mysterious treasures, uncover ancient civilizations, and freely explore every corner of the world!

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