Tacticat Euro Regatta

by Amando Estela 16 Aug 2007 12:37 BST 13 August 2007

The race starts in the Tacticat Euro Race (virtual tactical racing on the internet) © Tacticat

On the starboard layline in the Tacticat Euro Race (virtual tactical racing on the internet) © Tacticat

On the spreader leg in the Tacticat Euro Race (virtual tactical racing on the internet) © Tacticat

Tacticat (www.tacticat.com) is an Internet environment where sailors of different countries and sailing classes meet to train tactics virtually racing each other.

Although races are open 24 hours a day every day of the year, every now and then special events are scheduled. Mid August we started to host a weekly regatta, on Mondays. To be hosted in London Server, USA server and Australia Server in different Mondays.

Tacticat is free, administered and maintained by sailors.

August 16, 20:30 GMT (that's 9:30 for us Brits) 36 Tacticat users logged on for the first weekly regatta this week hosted by Europe with sailors coming from as far as Venezuela and America to take part (some Canadians also took part whilst feigning work I believe).

With 8 races scheduled (two for each class) with lasers chosen as the first class to sail using the I flag to make sure of the discipline on the line. BigNeil fired off the line to early start which he held throughout the race with HamB and Rafel chasing and pushing hard all the way round.

Race 2 again raced in lasers was a blistering win for MagicMatt who was a rather large distance away from second place JoeFalchetto and third place Zirimiri. For the third race the class was changed to Cats and Can2809 took this one, though it was the only race he sailed, with mickeymouse2007 in close pursuit and HamB showing consistency in third.

Race 4 got under way with a slightly starboard biased line which Topper159 Tillerman and Heini took advantage of pushing hard out to the left to take advantage of the swinging wind and more wind. At the finish Topper159 just took it from Tllerman after Tillerman clipped Topper's stern and had to do a 360 but he still managed to hold off Heini to the finish.

We changed class again for the start of the fifth race to skiffs with new improved downwind wind shadows. With the wind swinging more and more to port the right paid bringing MagicMatt out on top again for his second win of the evening with Fin007 in second and Vilan in third.

The sixth race provided the most drama of the evening with starboard bias again on the line Topper159 and HamB started well at the boat end tacking early to take advantage of the shift leading the boats into the windaward mark with Heini following close behind. This held until halfway up the last beat Topper159's internet connection went and he disappeared from the race, leaving a very confused HamB in the lead and Heini promoted to second (also a distraught Topper159 banging his head against the keyboard and cursing his Internet provider). HamB looked certain of winning until 2 boat lengths from the finish his boat somehow capsized him and drowned his hopes of a race win as Heini cruised past to take gun.

The final two races were sailed in the newly made keelboats (modelled I think on the Americas Cup boats). In which HamB made up for the last race and took the win from MagicMatt and Rhodes. In the final race Hobiecat and Galibuli stormed off to and early lead with the ever consistent HamB in close pursuit and it remained this way at the finish.

HamB showed that consistency pays taking the regatta from Heini and MagicMatt. Thank all competitors for turning up and making it a fantastic event.

Overall Results:

Pos	Boat	Nat	Laser-1	Laser-2	Cat-1	Cat-2	Skiff-1	Skiff-2	Keel-1	Keel-2	Total	Nett
1st	HamB	USA	2	8	3	5	(16)	2	1	3	40	24
2nd	Heini	GER	(37 DNC)	7	9	3	6	1	7	4	74	37
3rd	MagicMatt	FRA	12	1	18	(37 DNC)	1	14	2	5	90	53
4th	zirimiri	ESP	4	3	4	11	(24)	16	5	11	78	54
5th	Tillerman	USA	10	19	8	2	8	(21)	4	13	85	64
6th	mickeymouse2007	FRA	17	5	2	6	13	(37 DNC)	16	8	104	67
7th	FIN007	FIN	9	16	13	8	2	13	(19)	7	87	68
8th	bluenose	CAN	5	4	17	12	(37 DNC)	10	9	12	106	69
9th	BigNeil	GBR	1	10	5	19	10	4	22	(37 DNC)	108	71
10th	Topper159	GBR	11	14	14	1	7	(37 DNC)	15	10	109	72
11th	joe_falchetto	ITA	13	2	22	9	11	(24)	17	14	112	88
12th	JohnB	GBR	14	13	20	(37 DNC)	5	17	13	9	128	91
13th	mcscw	USA	(37 DNC)	6	11	14	17	8	11	37 DNC	141	104
14th	Fin100	FIN	(37 DNC)	20	24	7	21	11	6	16	142	105
15th	Rafel	ESP	3	9	7	16	25	18	(37 DNC)	37 DNC	152	115
16th	Rhodes	USA	(37 DNC)	37 DNC	10	15	15	20	3	15	152	115
17th	windvane	USA	16	17	16	20	9	12	(37 DNC)	37 DNC	164	127
18th	Activator	GBR	21	22	12	22	27	5	20	(37 DNC)	166	129
19th	theycallmegod	GBR	20	24	25	17	12	19	18	(37 DNC)	172	135
20th	ywurry	USA	(37 DNC)	37 DNC	15	13	14	7	23	37 DNC	183	146
21st	Jefferson	CAN	(37 DNC)	15	6	4	18	37 DNC	37 DNC	37 DNC	191	154
22nd	giorgiogiorgi	ITA	(37 DNC)	37 DNC	37 DNC	24	4	6	10	37 DNC	192	155
23rd	hobiecat	ISR	(37 DNC)	37 DNC	37 DNC	23	19	25	14	1	193	156
24th	vilan	ESP	(37 DNC)	37 DNC	37 DNC	10	3	3	37 DNC	37 DNC	201	164
25th	ricardo77	ESP	18	18	23	26	26	22	(37 DNC)	37 DNC	207	170
26th	phantom	GBR	15	11	(37 DNC)	37 DNC	37 DNC	15	24	37 DNC	213	176
27th	FinnishGuy	FIN	7	21	19	21	(37 DNC)	37 DNC	37 DNC	37 DNC	216	179
28th	rds	USA	8	(37 DNC)	37 DNC	18	23	23	37 DNC	37 DNC	220	183
29th	coconero	VEN	22	23	(37 DNC)	25	22	27	37 DNC	37 DNC	230	193
30th	galibuli	ITA	(37 DNC)	37 DNC	37 DNC	37 DNC	37 DNC	37 DNC	12	2	236	199
31st	MonnenII		19	12	21	(37 DNC)	37 DNC	37 DNC	37 DNC	37 DNC	237	200
32nd	Wiggy	USA	(37 DNC)	37 DNC	37 DNC	37 DNC	37 DNC	26	21	6	238	201
33rd	va_va_voom	GBR	(37 DNC)	37 DNC	37 DNC	37 DNC	20	9	37 DNC	37 DNC	251	214
34th	isonic	GBR	6	(37 DNC)	37 DNC	37 DNC	37 DNC	37 DNC	25	37 DNC	253	216
35th	CAN_2809	CAN	(37 DNC)	37 DNC	1	37 DNC	37 DNC	37 DNC	37 DNC	37 DNC	260	223
36th	s8j4mphyc	USA	(37 DNC)	37 DNC	37 DNC	37 DNC	37 DNC	37 DNC	8	37 DNC	267	230