virtual regatta planning tool

VRTool is an application designed to help you plan virtual regatta legs. This version was written with the Volvo Ocean Race Game in mind. It is freeware. Support is available in this page, in the game forum "free routing software (VRTool)" and in the game group "VRTool" (join to receive update notifications and news). Please do not ask questions via e-mail. Use the game forum so others can share the information.

VRTool screenshot

Features

• Track planner - Draw your planned track and calculate times in critical points. Tune for wind forecasts as you go. Try different strategies to minimize track times and take advantage of wind waves.
• Great circle and rhumb lines calculator for long passages.
• Wind grid visualization options showing arrows, barbs, wind speed, boat polars, and wind direction. Wind speed color gradient. Wind rectangle boundaries. Optional filters to hide winds too weak or too strong.
• Track animation - Review legas at high speed.
• Import boat routes (complete, but no time information)
• Import boat track points (one by one, as you go)
• Export data to other softwares. All data files in text format.
• Freeware - But use at your own risk. No support via e-mail.

What it does NOT

• VRTool will not perform any control action (like change course, sail etc).
• VRTool is only for Windows machines (XP, 2000, 2003, Vista).

Installing

1) Download the installer file using the link below and save to your Windows desktop.

3) Run the program using the [Start] > Applications > VRTool menu or use the desktop icon.

Updating

If you already have vrtool installed and want to update, download, run the installer program and install in the same directory (normaly \program files\vrtool\ ). Overwrite data files (unless you edited them).

Using VRTool

Run the VRTool and load the sample desktop (use menu option File > Open Desktop).

Select sample desktop file vrtool.nav. This will open the earth chart, including routes, tracks, marks. You can add your own routes, tracks and marks to the desktop. Remember to Save As using a different name when you finish the session.

In the tool bar you find the following tools:

• zoom - Click left mouse button to zoom in and right to zoom out.
• hand - Left click and drag the map.
• ruler - Use it to measure distance and course (if the wind grid is loaded it will calculate boat speed, track time and recommended sail, using the polars)
• route tool - Use it to draw multipoint routes. Right click to finish and give a name.
• track tool - Use it to draw tracks (points with time). If the wind grid is loaded for the whole track, it will calculate point date/times. When you cross a 12h intervals, wind forecasts change automatically.
• mark tool - Use to add marks to de desktop. Choose a name and icon for your mark (buoys, anchors etc)
• pointer - Use to point things in the desktop. It will show the associated texts (mark name, track point text, wind speed etc)

Open the properties frame clicking . This will show tabbed pages with the route/track editor; wind options and Boats.

Position the mouse cursor over the area of interest and press the [F2] key (or [Ctrl] [W]) . This will download the wind forecast for that area. Repeat the procedure as needed to populate the field.

Use buttons [Ctrl] [1] to [Ctrl][7].. or buttons in the toolbar to display successive wind forecast periods.

Use the leg calculator for great circle and rhumb line calculations (long distances)).
Add these routes to your desktop.

Destination

Set your leg destination. This will enable the VMC (velocity made good to course) and distance calculation.

To set destination, go to the Boat Attitude panel and click the [settings button] in the top left of the panel. Edit latitude and longitude of destination point. VMC, course and distance to destination calculations use great circle formulas. So don't try to set your destination from China to the Horn directly. This will set your course to the south over Australia, Antartida. So use intermediary destinations for the Pacific passage.

Track planning - Click the draw track tool button .

Click the first point of the track you are planning. As move the mouse, track data can be viewed in the floating cursor and in the boat attitude indicator. Left click the mouse to add a point to the current track. As you draw the track, point times are calculated based on polar charts and wind data for each point in the track.

Right-Click to finish a track. Choose a name for the track. Change color, width and other properties.

Use the button [Mark track 12h 24h..] to convert a given route or track to a new track with extra points added. The extra points are:

• Crossing wind rectangle boundaries.
• Crossing a wind forecast change time (12h, 24h, 36h etc)

These are the points where you may have to change boat course or sail, for best performance.

Note: The procedure produces a new track over the original. Delete or hide tracks using the listbox as needed.

Track properties can be viewed and changed in the routes/tracks Tab.

Real tracks and Planned tracks

It is important to keep your real track, adding track points one by one, as you go. You also might want to keep an eye on a few "friends", keeping tracks for them too. The program you do that for you (see "Boats" item below).

Planned tracks are drawn with the mouse, always starting in the last 12h boundary. This will keep the sync between track progress and wind changes. Go slow as you cross a 12h boundary and plot a point right after that, so you get a peek of the next wind arrow before continuing. After the complete track drawing, right click to finish. Them click [Mark track 12h 244..].

Polar lines

Polar lines allow the calculation of boat speed given boat course, wind speed and wind angle. Polar lines are used to figure the boat speed at points along your track and integrate boat movements.

Boats tab

In the Boats tab (former Users tab) you can query the game data for a given boat and friends. Specify the boat name and click [get]. This will download boat game data. After the download, you may:

• [Add point to boat track] - This will add a point to a track named TR_boatname (the track is created if needed). Use this option to create tracks for your boat and friends as you go. If option checked, friends tracks will also be updated.
  
  The point text will record data about the boat at that point (wind speed, wind angle, boat speed, course and classification).
  
  
• Auto update: this will trigger the update of data for selected boat and friends, each 10 minutes.
  
  
• Log changes - logs course, sail and windangle changes in your friends boats. Click show log to review changes.
  
  
• [add wind points to MyPolars] - Add points from boats and friends to MyPolars database (current sailing conditions of these boats).
  
  
• [Import route] - This will add the full boat route for the current leg (without time data).
  

Keep the list of boats in the memo field and click to copy boat name to the query field.

Feedback

Contact the webmaster. You can also check the VRTool forum for program FAQ. Join game group VRTool to receive update notifications and news.

good winds

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