In the application, open the settings pane, then Contact us and tap “Send a mail to support”. The application log is sent automatically to our support server and your mail carries its reference: there is nothing to attach. On a computer, the “Method” selector lets you choose between “Mail” and “Gmail”.

You can also use the contact form on the website.

Before sending us a message, please have a look at our FAQ (also available in Settings > About > “Frequently asked questions”). You’ll probably find the answer to your question there 😉

To go further: Troubleshooting.

🎥 Tutorials & Articles

📹 Videos

Don't miss this great tutorial on: Virtual Projection.

📄 Articles

And don't forget our regularly published help articles in our Blog. Permalink

A number of error or info messages may appear in some situations. Here are the main ones.

The routing does not start

• “The last boat position received from VR is more than 10 minutes old. Please, wait for a position refresh before making a routing calculation.”

  

  This message is usually the result of a clock offset between eSail4VR and Virtual Regatta. Set the time on your device to “automatic”.

• “Routing impossible as it starts after the end of the weather forecast”

  

  For some unknown reason the most recent weather did not load. Force the download with Settings > Display > “Reload weather forecast” before routing again.

• “The routing failed as your boat is grounded. Please refloat your boat in VR and then come back to eSail4VR”

  

  Refloat your boat manually in Virtual Regatta before routing again.

• “The routing failed as your boat is too close to shore. Please move your boat in VR away from shore and then come back to eSail4VR”, followed, when the option is on, by “or uncheck the anti-grounding safety pixel in the eSail4VR settings.”

• “The boat data from VR is not available yet. Please wait for it to load and try again.” and “The boat polar is not available yet. Please wait for it to load and try again.”: wait a few moments until VR has sent these data.

The target is a problem

• “The routing target is on land. Please move your routing target at sea.”
• “The routing target is too close to land. Please move your routing target away from land”, with, when the option is on, “or uncheck the anti-grounding safety pixel in the eSail4VR settings.”
• “The routing target is inside a zone to avoid. Please move the target out of it, or move or switch off the zone.”
• “The routing target is too close to the boat (less than one isochrone step, N min). Please move the target farther away.”

The color of the target warns you beforehand: see “Scrolling the chart under target, its color is sometime modified, why?”.

The routing stops before the target (partial routing)

• “The routing stopped at its maximum duration (N d) without reaching the target. You can increase it in the Routing menu.”

  

  eSail4VR offers routing for up to 15 days, based on the 16-day GFS weather model. If your target is not reachable within the chosen duration, the routing stops before reaching your destination. This is called partial routing. With Expert mode, the duration is set in Settings > Routing > “Max duration” (1 to 15 days).

• “The routing stopped at the end of the weather forecast without reaching the target.”

  

  The routing stops before reaching your target because it is too far away for the duration of the forecast. This is called partial routing. Get closer to your target.

• “The routing stopped because the boat no longer gets closer to the target. The route shown goes as far as it could.”

  

  At the end of the calculation on a long routing, the isochrones are too far apart to deploy correctly. Place a pivot point to refine the end of the route with tighter isochrones.

• “The routing is stuck at mark N of the course, too close to the coast. Turn off “Follow the course”, add a target and route to the target.”: this message concerns the “Follow the course” option of the “Routing to target” window (Expert mode).

The routing finds no route

• “The routing stopped because no isochrone could be calculated. Please try again, and contact us if it happens again.”

  

  At some step of the calculation, no reachable point could be found to produce the next isochrone (an isochrone is the line of points reachable at the same instant). Try moving the target or reloading the weather (Settings > Display > “Reload weather forecast”), or wait for a new boat position. If the message comes back, contact us.

• “The routing could not reach the target: no valid path is left. The boat may be enclosed by land, ice limits or exclusion zones.” If your boat has entered an exclusion zone (AEZ, TSS, etc.), routing cannot be calculated: leave this zone manually in Virtual Regatta.

Warnings when sending the orders

• “Zones are not avoided: the option “Avoid VR and own zones” is unchecked in the Routing menu.”
• “You have unchecked the anti-grounding safety pixel option. A point in the routing path is within this one pixel from land.” Even if you send orders as waypoints, there is no guarantee that your boat will not run aground.
• “Sending is blocked: a leg (WP1-WP2) crosses land, ice or an exclusion zone” (in the “Edit your orders” window). Change the route or the order type before sending.
• “The race organiser has restricted sending orders from eSail4VR for this race.”

To go further: Troubleshooting and Routing.

As in 2024, the organizers of the Nation's cup have banned the sending of orders.
As far as we know, this is the only race on the calendar where orders cannot be sent.

Today, you can't take out a subscription directly on a Windows PC. To take out a subscription, you need to go through your smartphone (or tablet) on the App Store for iOS or macOS and on the Play Store for Android.

This subscription will then be valid on all your devices, including your PC.

There are two possible reasons:

1. Your subscription is not validated in the application. Check it in Settings > Subscription (the “Premium Subscription” screen). As long as it is not validated, the routing send button offers you to subscribe instead of sending the orders, and the “Expert mode” switch (Settings > Routing) is refused.
2. You paid with the payment method linked to your mobile network provider. This system generally does not work. It is better to set up another payment method with your bank card, as in the example below:

In any case, if your subscription is not validated in the application, it means we have not received it in our database and it has therefore not been charged.

Once the subscription is validated, turn on “Expert mode” in Settings > Routing if you want to choose the order type yourself in the “Edit your orders” window. Without Expert mode, the send button asks “Please confirm the programming of the routing on the VR servers”, then sends automatic orders.

To go further: Premium subscription and Expert mode.

Cancelling subscription on the Apple Store (iOS/iPadOS) :

You can cancel your auto-renewal subscription from your Apple account.
To disable an auto-renewal subscription on an Apple mobile device (iOS/iPadOS):
Settings iPad/iPhone > Your account > Subscriptions > Select one > Deactivate

Cancelling subscription on the Apple Store (macOS) :

To cancel your subscription with a Mac, follow this link.

Please note: do not cancel before the end of the 7-day trial period if you want to keep the Premium option. On the other hand, if you don't want to subscribe, you must cancel before the end of the 7th day, so you won't be charged.

Cancelling subscription on Google Play Store (Android) :

You can cancel your auto-renewal subscription from your Play Store account.
To deactivate an auto-renewal subscription on an Android mobile device:
Follow this link to find out more.

Please note: do not cancel before the end of the 7-day trial period if you want to keep the Premium option. On the other hand, if you don't want to subscribe, you must cancel before the end of the 7th day, so you won't be charged.

Unfortunately, this is a relatively frequent problem with the Google Play Store, where payment validation processes can fail if the bank has not taken the necessary steps. But it can also be due to connection problems with bank servers.
We have no other procedure to suggest than:

• install the app
• try to pay with a bank card
• use a prepaid card for the Google Play Store, available from supermarkets or tobacconists
• find someone you know an Apple device’s owner with which this type of malfunction almost never occurs.

eSail4VR's Premium option allows you to send your programming directly into Virtual Regatta.

The number of programming points you can send depends on your “status” in Virtual Regatta.

• Without Full Pack or VIP: 2 programming points
• Full Pack without VIP: 9 programming points
• VIP : 15 programming points

💻 Desktop

• macOS: version 13 (Ventura), released on October 24th, 2022, for Apple silicon Macs (arm64) as well as Intel Macs (x86_64).
• Windows: version 10 (build 1809, 10.0.17763), x86_64, released in October 2018.

📱 Mobile

• Android: version 9 (Pie, API level 28), arm64-v8, released in August 2018.
• iOS / iPadOS: version 16, arm64, released in September 2022.

⚠ Warning

These operating system versions are required in order to run eSail4VR, corresponding to compatibility with our development tool. However, they do not guarantee that the application will be fully compatible with your device. Many other factors can influence performance and compatibility, such as insufficient RAM, a poor graphics processor, etc.

Solving a problem on a Windows PC can be complex, due to the variety of possible configurations. Here are some basic steps to check:

1. Check the application version
   • Make sure you have the latest version of the application. Your version is shown in Settings > About, under “Version N” (with “View version history”). It is red if you have an older version. If you cannot open it, your version is very old.
   • To update your application, follow this link and press the “Get it from Microsoft” button. The application may also offer “A new version is available. Would you like to update?”.
2. Check the Windows version
   • Your system must be Windows 10.0.17763 (version 1809) or later, 64 bits (x86_64). See the requirements in this FAQ for more details.
3. Try another network
   • If you’re connected to home Wi-Fi, try sharing a mobile connection, or vice versa.
   • If you’re on a corporate network, make sure you’re not behind a firewall that may prevent the loading of some data (coastline, weather).
   • If you use a VPN, disable it.
4. Restart your PC
5. Consult our Facebook users group
   • Go to the eSail4VR users Facebook group to check whether other users have the same problem.

Finally, if these steps don’t solve the problem, it’s likely that your PC is not compatible, due to insufficient RAM or a graphics card that doesn’t meet the application’s requirements.

To go further: Troubleshooting.

• Go to the bottom of this page
• Press/clic "Get it from Microsoft" button
• Download the installation file
• Run the install exec file

• Uninstall the app by placing it in the trash
• Open Finder
• Go in "User" directory[user]
• Display hidden files and folders in this directory by pressing “Command” + “Shift” + “.” (dot) simultaneously..

• Delete following folders:
  English: /Users/[user]/Library/Containers/eSail4VR
  French: /Utilisateurs/[user]/Bibliothèque/Containers/eSail4VR
  Replace [user] by your user name on the Mac

• Quit eSail4VR
• Uninstall the application from the Windows menu "Add or remove programs.

Check that you are entering the correct login credentials. Try logging out of Virtual Regatta and logging back in to confirm your password. Then go to eSail4VR and try again.

If you still can't log in, change your password in Virtual Regatta. The easiest way to do this is to log out and ask Virtual Regatta to send you a new password by e-mail. Then try logging in with this new password.

Here's how to request a new password from the Virtual Regatta application:

• Open Virtual Regatta and tap on your avatar in the top left-hand corner. Your profile is displayed.
  
• Tap on “Change my password” and follow the instructions.
  
• Use the new password to log in to your Virtual Regatta account in eSail4VR.
  

If, after installation, the application loops on an hourglass, it is very likely that the time on your device is not correct.

- For Windows: go to "Date and time settings", check "Set time automatically", and then press the "Sync now" button.
- For Android: go to "Settings > Additional settings > Date and time", check "Set time automatically".
- For macOS/iOS : go to « Settings > General > Date & Time », set Time to « Automatic ».

Then restart eSail4VR.

In Expert mode (Settings > Routing, “Expert mode” switch, reserved for Premium subscribers), you can adjust the routing calculation parameters. Here are some guidelines on how to do this best. You can always reset the default values with the “Reset routing parameters to default” button under the settings. We recommend using these defaults in the vast majority of cases.

Max duration

From 1 to 15 days, 15 by default. This is the maximum duration of the routing. You may want to reduce it to understand when a route decision should be made. This can be seen during the routing calculation when the best route switches. For example, on the North Atlantic, from Brittany to the West Indies, you can have a routing that switches from a northern route to a southern trade-wind one. Calculate a routing with a 15 day max and another with an 8 day max, then compare the two routes. If the routes over the first few days are similar, there is no decision to be made immediately. If they differ from the beginning, you have to choose right away.

Sweep angle

From 40° to 360°, 220° by default. This is the scan angle over which the algorithm searches for routes. The larger the angle, the longer the calculations, but the less chance you have of missing the best route. As a general rule, 220° is more than enough. If you notice that your routing passes by the edge of an isochrone (locations reachable in a certain time, drawn in blue), increase this angle. This happens most often in areas of light wind or for very fast boats like Ultims, which can lengthen their route considerably to find favorable winds.

Step angle

“Auto” or from 1° to 5°. This is the angular increment used in the routing calculations. The smaller it is, the more accurate the calculations are, but the longer the calculation time. In “Auto” mode, it is initially at its minimum of 1°. The router can increase it if the processor is slow and the calculations take too long.

Anti-grounding safety pixel

On by default. It prevents the routing from approaching the coast to within 1 pixel. See “Anti-grounding safety pixel: what does it mean?” in this FAQ.

Avoid VR and own zones

On by default. The routing goes around the restriction zones of Virtual Regatta as well as the exclusion zones you drew in the Zones tab. See “How do I route with restricted zones?”.

Polish the first 48 hours only

Off by default. After the isochrones are calculated, the application “polishes” the optimal route (the “Polishing the optimal route” step). This option limits that polishing to the first 48 hours.

Isochrone < 2 h, < 6 h, < 12 h, < 24 h, < 48 h, < 120 h and “Further isochrones”

This is the time step between two isochrones, set separately for each slice of time ahead. The default values are 15 min (< 2 h), 30 min (< 6 h), 1 h (< 12 h), 2 h (< 24 h), 3 h (< 48 h), 6 h (< 120 h) and 6 h beyond. This step increases as you move further out in time because the weather conditions will change by then and it is useless to look for too much precision. Near the coast, it can be interesting to decrease the time step of the first isochrones to stick to the coast. The shorter the time step, the longer the calculations.

Follow the course

This is not in Settings: it is a switch in the “Routing to target” window (Expert mode, when the race has a finish). When on, the routing follows the marks of the course.

Have fun changing these parameters to get the best routings. Remember that we spent a lot of time optimizing the default values: they are the best in the vast majority of cases. When in doubt, don’t hesitate to press the “Reset routing parameters to default” button.

To go further: Expert mode and Settings.

Virtual Regatta provides the coastline to within 1 pixel. This allows us to reproduce it exactly and prevent the routing from approaching the coast to within 1 pixel. This is particularly useful when routing has to navigate through narrow passages between islands.

The “Anti-grounding safety pixel” setting is in Settings > Routing, among the Expert mode settings (reserved for Premium subscribers). It is on by default. When it is on:

• a target within 1 pixel of the coast is refused: “The routing target is too close to land…” (it is displayed in green);
• a boat within 1 pixel of the coast gets the message “The routing failed as your boat is too close to shore…”.

If you turn it off, a warning reminds you when you send the orders that a point of the routing is within one pixel of land, and that we cannot guarantee that your boat will not run aground, even with waypoints.

Caution: this option does not work for exclusion zones or the AEZ.

To go further: Expert mode.

In the “Edit your orders” window, the “Order type” selector offers five types: Auto, Wind, Compass, Waypoints and Manual. Make sure you turn on “Expert mode” in Settings > Routing to access this window.

• Auto: the application chooses for you the order type best suited to the conditions encountered. For example, it sends waypoints near a coastline or an exclusion zone.
• Wind: the angle between the boat and the wind (TWA) is constant between two orders. In VR, the padlock is closed. This is the preferred type offshore.
• Compass: the heading of the boat is constant between two orders. In VR, the padlock is open. Use it offshore in light, variable winds.
• Waypoints: the boat sails from waypoint to waypoint using their coordinates. This is the preferred type when close to shore.
• Manual: you draw the route yourself on the map. Each point you place sets the order of the leg leading to it. The TWA / COG / WPT selector chooses the order type placed at the next point: constant wind angle (TWA), constant heading (COG) or waypoint (WPT). “Undo last point” removes the last point placed. The game takes either orders or waypoints: switching from one to the other removes, after confirmation, the points already placed.

The “Mixed” type of earlier versions no longer exists: “Auto” now makes the choice.

Read also “How to read a line from the order editor” in this FAQ.

To go further: Orders.

Depending on your VR options, you can use a maximum number of orders:

• No option: 2 orders
• Full pack: 9 orders
• VIP: 15 orders

It is key to use this limited set of orders wisely. To optimize the sending, you can skip orders if the previous one was close to the current one. The “Skip orders tolerance” parameter, in the “Edit your orders” window below “Order type”, lets you decide how close these orders must be to be skipped (from 0 to 5°). In practice, if you want to send your orders for a long time, like during the night, increase the tolerance.

To go further: Orders.

If you don't see your boat data, it's most likely that the time on your device is not correct.

- For Windows: go to "Date and time settings", check "Set time automatically", and then press the "Sync now" button.
- For Android: go to "Settings > Additional settings > Date and time", check "Set time automatically".
- For macOS/iOS: go to "Settings > General > Date & Time", set time to "Automatic".

Then restart eSail4VR.

Set the coordinates to degrees, minutes, seconds to match those of Virtual Regatta: in Settings > Display, choose “D°M’S.s’” in “Coordinates” (the other choices are “D.d°” and “D°M.m’”).

Please note: don’t be fooled by the white lines symbolizing the course. They are only there to look pretty, and they are not the same in the two applications, as the VR one isn’t sent to us.

To compare your position, simply tap or click on your boat in both applications and read the respective coordinates, as shown below:

To go further: Settings.

The data in the Virtual Regatta game are exactly those displayed in our instruments (the instrument bar on the right of the screen: Boat speed, Heading, Wind speed, Wind angle, Sail, Stamina, etc.), as we are connected to their server in real time. It’s this initial data that’s taken into account for routing calculations. To compare them, simply tap the red “boat” button to center the map on your boat, then compare the information in the instruments with that of VR. If the isochrones of a routing are displayed (Expert mode), the instruments show instead the values of that routing at the timeline time, in the color of the routing: hide the isochrones to get the boat’s values back. The only (minor) discrepancies are due to rounding.

To go further: The screen.

You are probably on an Android phone. The “Routing table” has several columns (Time, TWS, TWD, TWA, SOG, COG, Stamina, Sail) and on a small screen they do not all fit if the system font is large.

Reduce the font size in the Android settings, then open the table again. You open it from the routing’s row, in the Routings tab of the left pane.

To understand the columns, see “What are these abbreviations in the routing table?” in this FAQ.

To go further: Routing.

The color of the target shows the type of area it is on:

• Red (a raspberry red, like the buttons of the app): OK, on open sea.
• Dark blue: on land.
• Green: within 1 pixel of the shoreline (*).
• Yellow: in an exclusion zone.
• Pale bluish white: within the ice limit (AEZ).

(*) Read in this FAQ “Anti-grounding safety pixel: what does it mean?”

To go further: Zones.

In two words: be patient!

When you tap the red “+” button at the bottom right of the map, the application searches the Internet for a certain amount of information to make sure that all its data is up to date. If these requests are slow, a waiting indicator (a spinning circle) is shown.

Requests can be slow for two main reasons:

• a large number of players are loading weather GRIB files at the same time;
• your Internet connection is slow.

You don’t have to do anything, just be patient: it can sometimes take around thirty seconds. The button is also greyed out while a routing is being calculated; the “Cancel routing” button, at the top of the map, stops that calculation.

To go further: Troubleshooting.

The red “+” button (bottom right of the map) opens the “Routing to target” window. It lists your targets, with a “Routing” button next to each one, and offers “Add a target” to create a new one.

If a routing is selected and its isochrones are displayed (Expert mode), moving the map displays the yellow line that lets you position a pivot point to modify the course of your routing. On a touch screen, the “+” button then starts from that pivot point, and the “Routing to target” window no longer offers “Add a target”: it only lists the existing targets and their “Routing” button. To create a target, move the center of the screen away from the isochrone so that the yellow line disappears, then open the window again. With a mouse, the “+” button always starts from the boat; the pivot point is started with a right-click.

To go further: Routing.

To make sure orders are sent with recent data, the application takes the age of the routing into account, that is the time elapsed since the boat position used for the calculation. The send button is on the routing’s row, in the Routings tab of the left pane, and only exists for your own routings.

• Less than 12 minutes: sending works normally.
• From 12 minutes: a message warns you: “The boat position used to calculate this routing is N min old. The boat has moved since: we advise you to calculate the routing again. Send the orders to VR anyway?” (in Expert mode: “Open the orders dialog anyway?”). You can confirm or refuse.
• From 22 minutes: the send button is no longer displayed on the routing’s row.

In any case, calculate a new routing and everything will be back to normal.

To go further: Orders.

When you select a routing in the Routings tab of the left pane, its isochrones (the blue lines joining the points reachable at the same moment) are drawn on the map. They are only displayed with “Expert mode” turned on (Settings > Routing, reserved for Premium subscribers).

On each isochrone, a blue dot indicates the point closest to the target. This is very useful to place a pivot point wisely. In this case, we’ll give priority to ranking up to this isochrone.

For example, if the best routing is very far from the direct route, it is recommended to make a second routing with a pivot point passing through one of these blue dots. If the second routing is very close in time to the first, it’s often a good idea to follow it.

Read in the blog: Ces isochrones qui nous agacent les neurones (in French).

To go further: Routing and Expert mode.

eSail4VR displays all the followed or friend boats that Virtual Regatta sends to it. Their list is in the “Fleet” tab of the left pane, under “Followed”. If you don’t see them, there may be several reasons:

• The setting is off. Check that “Show followed boats” is turned on in Settings > Display. It is on by default, so the application can hide the boats on the map.
• The time on your device is not exactly the same as VR. In this case you may also not receive your position or your boat data. Set the time on your device to automatic and relaunch the application.
• The network connection to the VR server is not working, or is working incorrectly. Check by changing network, for example from Wi-Fi to cellular. Otherwise, just wait.
• The connection to the VR server doesn’t work although your network works perfectly. Try reconnecting to your account by entering your login details again.

If the setting is on and the boats are still missing, it is useless to send us a message: the cause does not come from eSail4VR.

To go further: The race and the fleet.

These are the boat’s two “lines”, switched on in Settings > “Display”: “Constant heading line” (red curve) and “Constant TWA line” (dark green curve). Each one shows where the boat would be over the next 12 hours if it kept its heading, or its wind angle (the TWA), using the winds forecast by the GRIB. A dot marks each hour, and a boat silhouette follows the timeline’s time cursor.

On a computer, the curves pass through the mouse pointer, and a label gives the heading and TWA to aim for.

Going further: Reading the constant TWA and constant heading curves.

You probably registered just after the race opened.

You've tried routing, but the weather forecast grib file associated with the race has not yet been created on our servers; an empty grib file is loaded and crashes the application.

Wait for the next weather file update and everything will be back to normal.

Yes, we take into account all your options in the calculation of the speed of your boat included the stamina. However, we cannot anticipate when consumables will be taken. You need to restart the routing after activating consumables that modify the stamina.

It depends on what type of regatta you race and where you are in the race.

There is one universal principal though : the target should be as much as possible "visible" from the boat position with as little land as possible between them.

This means that you should not put a target just behind an island, behind a cape, at the far end of a bay...

The strategy depends on your current position. However, there is one basic principle: the target should be 7 to 15 days' sailing ahead of your boat and as “visible” as possible from the boat's position, with as less shoreline as possible in between. In other words, avoid placing a target just behind an island, a cape or at the bottom of a bay.
For the start of the Vendée Globe, here are a few useful tips:

1. Descending the North Atlantic:
   
   
   
   • At the start, you generally encounter one or more lows. You need to take advantage of the wind shifts by sailing more to the west ahead of the low-pressure area, where the winds are from the south-west, and then south on the way out, when the winds shift to the north-west. Occasionally, you may encounter anticyclonic conditions with northeasterly winds, in which case you'll have to sail downwind towards the Canaries.
     You then sail wind a beam in the trade winds of the northern hemisphere. You'll need to choose where to pass the doldrums, which are generally quite active at this time of year, and lie around N7°. In general, winning routes cross the doldrums and then the equator between W25° and W30°, and even up to W35°. Be careful not to have to tack in the southern hemisphere trade winds (SE'ly winds) if you go too far west..

2. Passage of the Saint Helena High :
   
   
   
   • After the Equator, pass to the west of the St. Helena High to “catch” favorable downwind conditions off Argentina.
     Keep an eye on the lows forming behind the Andes, which may enable you to take a shortcut and avoid making a long “ladle” along South America.

3. Bypassing Antarctica :
   
   
   
   • When you enter the Indian Ocean, sail around Antarctica, following the Antarctic Exclusion Zone (AEZ), to stay within the strong winds of the roaring forties and howling fifties.
     Most of the time, stick to the AEZ to minimize the distance you have to cover.

4. South Atlantic ascent:
   
   
   
   • After Cape Horn, it’s a tricky. Either you go up along the coast of Brazil, or you go further offshore. Several groups usually form, as the weather forecasts are not stable. You'll have to make a choice.

5. Crossing the Equator and approaching the finish :
   
   
   
   • The Doldrums are generally less active on the way back and shouldn't be a problem. Most of the time, you'll have to round the Azores High, leaving it to the east on your right. Once you're sailing in downwind conditions, it's a straight shot to the finish..

Departure advice

Read in our blog Where to place the routing target

Yes, the application calculates these penalties as well as the Stamina and takes them into account in routing. Read this article about stamina in our blog.

Yes, the boundaries of Cetacean and Biodiversity Protection Zones, as well as Traffic Separation Devices, are marked in red.
Routing takes these exclusion zones into account. Red also "How do I route with restricted zones?" in this FAQ.

Yes, the limit of the Arctic/Antarctic exclusion zones is drawn in pale bluish white on the map. The routing takes these exclusion zones into account: it does not cross land, ice or exclusion zones, and sending the orders is blocked if a leg crosses them. Please note that they may be modified during a race if the actual race committee changes them.

To go further: Zones.

Routing with restricted zones presents new challenges, well known to offshore racers and in particular to those who have raced the Fastnet. The restriction zones in Virtual Regatta are:

• TSS: Traffic Separation Scheme
• CPZ: Special Cetacean Protection Zone
• BPZ: Biodiversity Protection Zone
• AEZ: Arctic / Antarctic Exclusion Zone

You might think that exclusion zones are simply islands. This is not quite the case because, unlike land, the winds are not slowed by these zones, and optimal routes often pass through them. What’s more, it’s sometimes necessary to zigzag between these zones, and routing algorithms have a hard time finding optimal routes.

If there are many restricted zones on the direct route, professional routers such as Jean-Yves Bernot recommend first performing a routing without the restricted zones, to understand what the optimal route would be without avoiding them, and then turning the restricted zones on to finalize the routing study. We often use pivot points or intermediate targets in the corners of these zones.

The “Avoid VR and own zones” setting

It is in Settings > Routing, among the Expert mode settings (reserved for Premium subscribers). It is on by default; without a subscription you cannot change it, so the default value stays in place. The Zones tab itself is not reserved for subscribers. When on, the routing goes around the VR restriction zones and your own exclusion zones, the ones you draw yourself in the Zones tab of the left pane.

To draw a zone, open the Zones tab and tap “New zone”: tap or click on the map to add points, then finish. Zones belong to each race. The routing goes around the zones that are switched on.

Be aware: it is imperative to avoid sending orders as Wind. Use only Compass or, even better, Waypoints. See the questions about order types in this FAQ. If the option is unchecked, the application reminds you: “Zones are not avoided: the option “Avoid VR and own zones” is unchecked in the Routing menu.”

To go further: Zones and Routing.

TWS : True Wind Speed - Speed of the real wind
TWD : True Wind Direction - Direction of the real wind
TWA : True Wind Angle - Angle of real wind related to the boat
SOG : Speed Over Ground - Boat speed over the ground
COG : Course Over Ground - Course of the boat over the ground
Stamina : Skipper's energy

The “Edit your orders” window opens from a routing’s send button, in Expert mode. At the top, a text preview tells you what will happen, for example “Programmed until 14:30, then TWA 150° held” or “Last waypoint reached around 18:10”. The “Map” button folds the window into a banner to free the map; “Orders” opens it again. “Dismiss” gives up and “Send” sends the orders to VR.

Wind type

• The time of the order is on the left.
• The padlock is closed and blue: we are in Wind type.
• The angle (150° for example) is the wind angle. The numbers are green when close to the best VMG angle (the best speed made good towards or away from the wind). They are red when the angle is tighter than the best upwind angle, or wider than the best downwind angle. Otherwise they are white.
• The arrows next to the angle show the tack: green “«”, the wind comes from the right, we are sailing on starboard; red “»”, the wind comes from the left, we are sailing on port.
• The switch on the right: on, the order will be sent; off, the order will be ignored.

Compass type

• The padlock is open and light-colored: we are in Compass type.
• The angle (72° for example) shows the heading to follow.
• The arrows and the switch read as in Wind type.

Waypoints type

The line shows “WP1 · Lat: … Lon: …”, the coordinates of the waypoint, followed by the switch. The routing is sent as a series of waypoints. This is the best choice for tricky passages, along the coast or close to exclusion zones. Switching a waypoint off shows on the map what the route becomes without it.

Auto type and Manual type

“Auto” fills the list with the type it considers best; the lines read as above. In “Manual”, the list fills as you place points on the map, with the TWA / COG / WPT selector and the “Undo last point” button. The “Mixed” type of earlier versions no longer exists.

Note

Routing has its limits. If the wind is weak and highly variable, it is very difficult to send coherent orders. Wind type is hazardous because if the timing isn’t right (wind shifts earlier or later than predicted), you run the risk of being blown off the initial course. Compass type ensures you head in the right direction, but it won’t be optimal. The best solution, though not easy to implement, is to send your orders as Wind type and then go into VR to observe the predicted route and edit it by hand.

To go further: Orders.

First of all, check that “Expert mode” is on (Settings > Routing, Premium subscribers). Without it, the application sends automatic orders without going through the “Edit your orders” window.

If you received the message “Orders received by VR. The white dotted line is the route your boat will now sail with them, on the current forecast. Near land or an exclusion zone, zoom in to check it stays clear.”, they should be taken into account by the game engine. Wait a little and reload the game page to confirm that everything is OK.

Then zoom in sufficiently on your boat to check that your programming points appear correctly.

Depending on your VR status

• Without Full Pack or VIP: 2 programming points
• Full Pack without VIP: 9 programming points
• VIP: 15 programming points

You need to zoom in enough on your boat to see your programming points, which you will also find in the “Edit your orders” window. Before you reach the last programming point, you need to have sent a new routing so that your boat doesn’t drift away, as it does in VR if you are in Wind type (padlock closed).

In the worst case, if you are in Wind type (padlock closed) and you are not sure of sending a new routing in time, you can select the last programming point in VR and open the padlock (compass mode), so the boat will follow the heading of the last point.

You can also extend your programming in time: read “Skip orders tolerance” in this FAQ.

To go further: Orders.

You get a “stepped” routing if the routing deviates too far from the direct route: it ends up on the edge of the isochrone. To avoid this, increase the sweep angle in Settings > Routing > “Sweep angle” (Expert mode, reserved for Premium subscribers). The default is 220°. If your device is fast enough, set it to 360° and you’ll never have to wonder again.

If you haven’t taken the Premium option, add an intermediate target with “Add a target”. You can place it on the stepped routing, towards its middle.

With a sweep angle of 220°, you get steps:

With a 360° sweep angle, the steps have disappeared:

To go further: Expert mode and Routing.

Start by selecting a routing in the Routings tab of the left pane. The blue isochrone lines should be displayed. If they are not, turn on “Expert mode” in Settings > Routing (reserved for Premium subscribers).

1. On a touch device, like a phone or tablet: when the screen center is on an isochrone point, you will see a yellow line from the boat to the center of the screen. The picked pivot point will be this point at the center of the screen. Tap the red “+” button, choose your target in the “Routing to target” window and tap “Routing”.
2. On a device with a mouse, like a PC or a Mac: when the mouse is on an isochrone point, you will see a yellow line from the boat towards the mouse. The picked pivot point will be this point under the pointer. Right-click, choose your target and press “Routing”.

Right-click requires a valid subscription.

To go further: Routing and Expert mode.

A pivot point is a point where the boat is forced to sail through.
They can be used in 2 different ways.

1. To do what if scenarios. What would be the routing if I force to sail through this point? Do I loose much time? Is it safer?
   For example, say it takes 5 days to sail towards our target. If the outing calculation finds a fastest route going through a couple of low wind areas and with a pivot point a route 5 minutes longer but with no "danger zones", I would rather sail the second route found with a pivot point.
2. To continue the routing after a waypoint in VR

Yes, it’s very useful for anticipating their route and keeping an eye on them. This function requires a valid subscription.

1. On a touch device, such as a smartphone or tablet:
   • Select a competitor with a short press on the map, or in the “Followed” list of the Fleet tab (the map automatically centers on the boat and its name appears).
   • Long press on the boat: the “Routing to target” window appears.
   • Tap the “Routing” button next to the target you choose.
2. On a computer with a mouse or a trackpad, such as a PC or Mac:
   • Select a competitor by clicking on its boat on the map or in the Fleet tab. The boat’s name should appear on the map.
   • Point your mouse at the selected competitor’s boat and right-click: the “Routing to target” window appears. Click “Routing” next to the chosen target.

To go further: The race and the fleet.

The start must be made in the VR interface, not in eSail4VR.

What you have to do:

1. Perform the routing in eSail4VR and choose the departure time: on a record race whose boat has not started yet, the red “+” button opens the “Record start time” window. Choose a start time in the list and tap “Routing”. The “Best starts” button opens the web page of the best starts for this record, when it is available.
2. Manually set the first heading in the VR interface.
3. At the time selected, “Start an attempt” in VR.
4. Once the first position has been received in eSail4VR, redo the routing and send it.

To go further: The race and the fleet.

Q1: What happens when a sail is changed in automatic mode?

When changing from one sail to another, there is a wind speed threshold (TWS) which determines when the new sail becomes faster than the old one. At this threshold (TWSc), the boat reaches a reference speed (BSc).

Q2: Why doesn't the sail change immediately when the new one is faster?

To avoid unwanted sail changes, the system only switches to the new sail when the boat's speed exceeds the reference speed by a factor of 1.4% (BSc x 1.014). This factor is called the “overlap factor”.

Q3: What is the “boost effect”?

The boost effect occurs between the moment when the boat's speed reaches the reference speed and when it exceeds the recovery factor. During this range, although the new sail is faster, the boat is still moving forward with the old sail, but at the speed of the new one. This creates a temporary performance boost.

Q4: Why is it beneficial to sail in auto sail mode?

In auto sail mode, the boost effect is applied, giving the boat a temporary advantage. In manual mode, this effect is not present, making automatic mode more advantageous for maximizing speed. However, in some situations, it may be advisable to temporarily deactivate the Auto-sail mode in Virtual Regatta.

Q5: How can you tell if you're about to go into boost mode?

A star* is displayed at the right of the sail in the routing table..

Q6: What to do if you see this star*?

As a precaution, to avoid untimely sail changes, you can decrease or increase the wind angle (TWA) to exit this zone. For example, if the routing table indicates: TWA 110° Code Zero *, you can change the order to 108°.

If the Routing table shows a succession of sails with this asterisk on a course, it may be advisable to temporarily disable the Auto-sail mode in Virtual Regatta to avoid the risk of multiple sail changes due to possible wind variations. Read blog post about AEZ.

In both cases, the curve shows the boat’s position over the next 12 hours with the forecast winds.

• Constant TWA (dark green). The wind angle does not change: if the wind shifts, the heading turns with it. It suits following a wind that changes.
• Constant heading (red). The direction does not change: if the wind shifts, the TWA changes. It gives a straight path, easier to check near coasts or when the forecast wind varies little.

If the forecast wind does not change, the two curves stay close. These are forecasts: look at where they go before sending an order.

Going further: Reading the constant TWA and constant heading curves.

You need Expert mode and a valid Premium subscription. Open the order editor with a routing’s send button, choose “Manual” in “Order type”, then “TWA” or “COG” with the selector (the Space key alternates them). Move the pointer: a label gives the order that would be placed. Click to add it, repeat for the next orders, then press “Send”.

In “Manual” mode, the editor warns if a leg crosses land, ice or an exclusion zone, but does not block the sending: check the line on the map.

Going further: Sending a manual order from the curves.

The calculation of weather forecasts takes time!

Virtual Regatta uses GFS 0.25° weather forecasts provided by NOAA, the weather service of the United States. They are, of course, the same forecasts we uses.

These forecasts are calculated 4 times a day and the outputs are identified by the time of the beginning of the calculation in UTC time, also called Z. So we have the outputs of 00Z, 06Z, 12Z and 18Z.

For each calculation, the first 24 hours of forecast are available after about 3h40 of calculation, and delivered in eSail4VR few minutes after, about 03h45 UTC for the 00Z model. That makes 4h45 in winter time and 05h45 in summer time for France. Then, (+90) indicates that the first 90 forecasts hours are available, and so on.

Here is a summary table where you will find the update times of the weather forecasts (UTC+1):

WARNING:

The NOAA is sometimes late and in this case the files are not updated. It doesn't matter because they are not updated in the game as well. What matters is that we are synchronized with the game. The NOAA delays can be due to the production of the model or its distribution.

You can check how the PRODUCTION is going by following this link.
You can check how the DISTRIBUTION is going by following this link.

Now, at what time to do the routings?

The best compromise seems to be (European Central Timezone):

• Winter time (UTC+1): at 05h15 or at your alarm clock, 11h15, 17h15 and 23h15.
• Summer time (UTC+2) : at 06h15 or at your alarm clock, 12h15, 18h15 and 00h15.

⚠️ Possible delays in updating forecasts

Nothing to be done! The delay probably comes from NOAA and will be resolved on its own.

From time to time, NOAA may experience delays in the production or distribution of its GRIB files. This means that in-game weather forecasts will not be updated until NOAA catches up. The important thing is that our application remains synchronized with VR, and this is most likely the case. You can check the PRODUCTION status here and DISTRIBUTION status here.

We understand that this can be frustrating, and we sometimes receive messages from impatient players, such as “1:36pm and still no weather update beyond 108 hours !!!!!!”. We invite you to contact us if you think you've identified a problem, but please be aware that adding lots of exclamation marks won't speed up its resolution. 😊.

In very rare cases, the problem may be on our side. Rest assured that we will do our utmost to resolve any anomaly quickly when it occurs.

Let’s try to understand the information given by eSail4VR and Virtual Regatta (VR).

In eSail4VR

A GRIB file is identified by an identifier such as: GFS025 20241209 12Z +384, shown at the top left of the timeline, at the bottom of the screen (it is not shown when the timeline is in column mode)

That means:

1. GFS025: the weather model used is GFS, with a resolution of 0.25°. Depending on the model, the identifier starts with GFS025 or ECMWF, for example.
2. 20241209: the model initialization date is December 9th, 2024.
3. 12Z: the last available run (simulation) is the one at 12h UTC.
4. +384: this file includes 384 hours of weather forecasts from this run.

However, this GRIB file is actually made up of several time steps from different runs. In this example, we have the following time steps:

• 20241209.06.009: wind for the 9th hour of the 06Z run
• 20241209.06.012: wind for the 12th hour of the 06Z run
• 20241209.12.009: wind for the 9th hour of the 12Z run
• 20241209.12.012: wind for the 12th hour of the 12Z run
• …
• 20241209.12.384: wind for the 384th hour of the 12Z run

But how do we calculate the boat’s wind at 19h52 UTC (20:52 local time in Paris)? ⏱️

We use a linear interpolation between the 2 time steps closest to 19:52 UTC in our GRIB file:

• 20241209.06.012: it is the 12th hour of the 06Z run, so the wind forecast at 12 + 6 = 18h00 UTC
• 20241209.12.009: it is the 9th hour of the 12Z run, so the wind forecast at 9 + 12 = 21h00 UTC

The weight of each time step depends on the current time. At 19h52 UTC, we are 112 minutes after 18h00 and 68 minutes before 21h00 (180 minutes between the two).

• the weight of time step 20241209.06.012 is therefore 68 / 180 × 100 = 38 %
• the weight of time step 20241209.12.009 is therefore 112 / 180 × 100 = 62 %

In short, at that time, the wind used in eSail4VR is an interpolation between:

• 38 % of the data from the 06Z run (time step 20241209.06.012)
• 62 % of the data from the 12Z run (time step 20241209.12.009)

🌊 In Virtual Regatta

Virtual Regatta’s interface shows this interpolation graphically:

It is 8:52pm (French local time), so 19h52 UTC.

• The blue section of the left-hand gauge represents the weight of the 06Z run, equal to 38 %.
• The green section of the left-hand gauge represents the weight of the 12Z run, equal to 62 %.
• The gauge on the right is full green, meaning that from 21h00 UTC (10pm local), the boat’s wind will come from interpolations between time steps all issued from the 12Z run.

N.B. Percentage numbers are not displayed in Virtual Regatta, only gauges.

✅ Conclusion

Although the information displayed is different, eSail4VR and Virtual Regatta use strictly the same data and the same interpolation logic to calculate winds from GRIB files. These interpolations make it possible to calculate weather conditions at any time, by combining data from the various available runs.

To go further: Weather.