Start procedure and pilot boat

[stakk]

The start procedure is always the same whenever the race. The game interface opens 2 days before the start date. You can then sail freely, try the game interface, the boat sails and get familiar with the race elements : coast, gates, buoys and finish line.

Two hours before the start, all the boats jump automatically at the start location and cannot move any more till the point of start. During the two hours before the start, you can prepare the start and your future route. To well understand the way the game engine displays the boat route projection, read the following carefully. The start is at 20:00 and the duration of the first iteration is equal to the iteration minute. If the iteration minute is 9 (like in week races), the first iteration will then last after 9 minutes instead of 10 for a regular iteration. Further iterations will last 10 minutes as regular iterations.

There are three ways to start :
1) Manual start : select the heading and put the right sail according to the polars of the sails. At 20:00, your boat will sail and at the end of the first iteration, your boat will have moved according to the boat speed.
2) Use the scheduler with a schedule item at 20:01 (NOT 20h00). Define a schedule item with time = 20:01 and a sail that will unable your boat to move in the scheduled direction.
(The boat won't start if the first schedule point is at 20h00 !)
2) Use a way-point at 20:00. Similar as start using the scheduler : define a way-point with time = 20:00 and a sail that will unable your boat to move.

When using the scheduler at 20:01 or a way-point at 20:00, the boat route projection will show you the exact route of your boat starting at 20:00.
Warning : the winds that will be used by the game engine for the start are known at 18:30 (wind logo becomes green). So boat route trajectories displayed by the game interface before 18:30 are likely to be misleading and will be recomputed rightly after 18:30.

If you start from the pilot boat, your boat will start behind the pilot boat position : at the position where was the pilot boat two iterations ago.