1. History

2. Game play

3. Virtual Regatta Inshore

4. Virtual Regatta News

5. In literature

6. References

Virtual Regatta is an on online sailing race simulator that is played in real time.^[1] For each famous sailing race, Virtual Regatta simulates the real meteorological conditions experienced by the skippers and allows its players to participate in real time from their computers, by choosing the best settings for their boat, both the sails and the heading.

Virtual Regatta organizes approximately 15 races a year, among which are the Vendée Globe, the Route du Rhum, the Solitaire du Figaro...

History

Virtual Regatta was created in France by Philippe Guigné, CEO of ManyPlayers, for the 2006 edition of the Route du Rhum.^[2] The first edition of the game had approximately 50,000 players.^[3]

It experienced a boom during the Vendée Globe 2008-2009 in which 340 000 virtual sailors participate. The winner, Hugues Fournier, took 85 days, 19 hours and 45 minutes to sail around the world, which is only 36 hours more than the real winner of the race, Michel Desjoyeaux. Following this success, and the Volvo Ocean Race 2009-2010, the French Sailing Federation granted Virtual Regatta the status of nautical club, where one can get his license since 2011.

In 2010, the site boasts 600 000 registered players, with an average of 35 000 players for each race (the Vendée Globe and the Volvo Ocean race gather much more players). 245 000 players compete in the Route du Rhum 2010, which is won by "Bolki".

Virtual Regatta organized challenges with famous skippers Loïc Peyron in 2009, Samantha Davies in 2010 and Roland Jourdain in 2011, the 3 skippers participating in the virtual race alongside the other players.

For the Vendée Globe 2012-2013 460 000 players compete: the success is so great that the Virtual Regatta servers experience issues at the start of the race, soon fixed. The winner of this edition, "llyl" took 74 days, 16 hours and 59 minutes. The craze for the virtual race generated important media attention both nationally and internationally.

In 2014, Virtual Regatta organized the virtual version of the Volvo Ocean Race et partnered with Sodebo who sponsors Thomas Coville, one of the major front-runners, to offer a "challenge" between Saint-Malo and Pointe-à-Pitre abord the giant trimarans. This "pirate race" is won by Alexandre Rocha "lotsemann" from Brazil, in 9 days 13 hours 4 minutes and 5 seconds.

For the Vendée Globe 2016, that united 451000 skippers, Virtual Regatta put its "certified players" to the fore. These players, world renowned skippers such as Loïck Peyron, Ian Lipinski and Yves le Blevec or celebrities like Sylvain Marconnet or Estelle Denis, played the race in its entirety.

Game play

Virtual Regatta partners with most of the famous races and many many media companies. The route is identical to that of the real race and the starts at the same time. Some of the races offered are not real.

After signing up for the race, the skipper can choose the type of boat he wants to use and personalize it.

The skipper has to take into account the real time meteorological conditions in order to choose the best settings for the sails and the best heading to take.

Some of those races offer prizes of multiple thousands of euros to split among the winners.

Virtual Regatta Inshore

Virtual Regatta Inshore in an online regatta simulator between two buoys. Races are between 5 and 10 minutes in length. Players have to helm their boats while respecting the official rules of the races. Weather conditions and downwind agitation (wind shadow) are realistic.

The rules of the races are the same as ISAF: International Sailing Federation. The performance and behaviour of the boats are taken from the real polar charts from racing boat constructors.

Virtual Regatta News

Since 2013 there has been no significant news about virtual regatta.

Every night at 20:00 during a race, participants were able to tune into a 10-minute news show, “Virtual Regatta News”, about the virtual regatta with weather information and routing advice. During one race this video-blog had over 40 million views ^[4] during the 80 days of the race. The presenter was the pro sailor Sébastien Destremeau.^[5]

A prologue was organized prior to the race for Virtual Regatta players to have the opportunity to play against real skippers in a virtual “run” across the Atlantic. The race left from Les Sables d’Olonnes, the equator was the finishing line.

In literature

The game inspired the 200 page novel Sur la vague virtuelle du vendée written by author Patrice Baluc-Rittener and published in 2008. The story is the autobiographical recount of the author’s personal adventure on board his virtual boat, “MacAII” on Virtual Regatta during the 2008-09 Vendée Globe. “MacAII” finished the race in 88 days, 11 hours and 15 minutes.^[6]

Since 2008 there has been no inspiration in literature.

References

• Caribbean Free Trade Association
• Caribbean Gardens
• Caribbean gardens
• Caribbean Helicopter
• Caribbean Helicopters
• Caribbean hermit crabs
• Caribbean Hindustani
• Caribbean Hindustani language
• Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology
• Caribbean island
• Caribbean Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex
• Caribbean Jazz Project
• Caribbean Journal of Science
• Caribbean Knowledge and Learning Network
• Caribbean La Amistad Conservation Area
• Caribbean lanternshark
• Caribbean large igneous province
• Caribbean Law Institute
• Caribbean Law Institute / Caribbean Law Institute Centre
• Caribbean legion
• Caribbean Legion
• Caribbean Literature
• Caribbean literature
• Caribbean lobster
• Caribbean lobsterette