Human beings are weird by nature, that’s for sure. Take for example SL sailing. There are two main activities any enthusiast can “pursuit”: racing and cruising. The first one is a little bit “complicated” because it is expected to be a competition, and as such it requires skill and speed (not to mention a lag-free internet connection) to cross the line first. It’s an exciting activity I have yet to master, and in order to get to that point I’ve been taking noob lessons at the Triumphal Yacht Club every Saturday at noon. (Hmm, that sounds as if I’ve already taken 10 of them, when the truth is I’ve only at my second class). To participate in these races, you need to use a specific type of boat, follow a course at a set wind speed and direction, and pray to the silicon gods you won’t be caught on a lag fest anytime along the path.
The second activity –cruising– is for leisure and relaxation. You don’t have to worry about anything at all: you can use any boat, set any speed and wind direction, or even use a motor boat if it pleases your nerves. The goal, as in the previous case, is to follow a course and get from point A to point B at some time, but you don’t need to beat anyone or be the best at anything at all. I’m taking these cruises to practice my sailing maneuvers, so I stick to the suggested 11-15 knots wind and rarely change the proposed wind direction. It surely takes a hell of a lot of time to finish the course sometimes, but that’s the way it’s done in RL, no?
So it’s kind of funny when these leisure cruises start, and suddenly almost everybody, including non-racers, act as if they were in a race, going at 25 knots speed, spinnakers in full bloom against a wind that comes from every direction imaginable (roll eyes). By the time I cross the first few sims, they have already covered half the track. I’m probably doing it wrong, I guess, but well…
Yesterday, during Sunday’s cruise, I took the chance (and it was a long chance since I crashed like five times) to practice my photography skills as well as my tacks… and be the last to get to the party. Actually, I was a little bit disappointed and frustrated at how the cruise went on that I even skipped the last mark and set course somewhere else. The pictures are simple and plain because I just wanted to find out if my computer could hold the boat on course and handle higher graphics settings. I’m surprise it managed both.
If half the people turning cruises into faux races were willing to participate in real ones it would make the world of SL sailing a lot more fun than –according to experts– it is right now.