for when the weather is bad, when you cannot get to the boat or when you have a few minutes to play
My definition of Virtual Sailing is: Having The Sailing Experience Without Actually Being On The Water. Virtual Sailing includes (as I define the term) - using Sailing Simulators, watching Videos (below), Movies, Television Programs (few and far between, unfortunately), reading Books about sailing and operating Radio Controlled Sailboats!
The video clip below was found after much searching on the Internet and I fell in love with it at first sight. It shows Flying Scots sailing on a beautiful lake.
Turn on your speakers, if they are not on now, to hear the music with this video.
A double (left) click will give you a full screen picture. Another double (left) click on the full screen will take you back to the small screen.
I owned the Flying Scot you see in the picture to your left when I lived for a couple of years in Grand Forks and Fargo, North Dakota. It had to be sold when I moved to California and I have wished many times that it could have been brought to California with me. Left click on the picture to enlarge it.
WARNING:
Using my Comcast Cable Modem
the video starts immediately BUT using a "Dial Up"
connection it took about 25 minutes for it to load. All videos on this
page and on the Sailing
Videos page need a high speed connection to view properly. 
SAILING SIMULATORS
CLICK ON THE BLACK ARROWS BELOW
To Check Out Virtual Sailing Using Different Sailing Simulators
National Geographic
Interactive Program
and the Volvo Ocean Race, 2001-2002.
A very simple sailing simulator that allows you to change the rudder and the sail angle on
the sailboat and shows you the the speed of your sailboat as you change sail
angle -- it also shows the wind flow and the effect of
your changes on the sail. No need to download anything,
just click the button and start sailing. It is sort of cool and it is
FREE! Also, check out the other simulators (See
"INTERACTIVES" in the selection box at upper right of simulator page).
Stentec SailSimulator
4.2
- Has a DEMO you can download (only one
sailboat) -- Sailboats in full simulator are: Laser, Flying
Dutchman, Tornado Catamaran, Optimist, Volvo Ocean Racer, America's Cup Racer,
Sailing Cruiser 33, and 6 meter Keelboat. Cost of full program is $22.50 (download) and $42.50
(CD).
PoseySail
- Five Simulators - each of the 5 simulators have DEMOS available for free download. The
programs are: (1) Advanced Racing Simulator; (2) Sailing Tactics Simulator;
(3) Distance Race Sailing Challenge; (4) Sailing Dynamics Instructor; (5)
Coastal Cruising Simulator. Cost for full programs are $44.95 (download)
and $54.95 (CD). Posey also has some E-Books you can acquire: On CD they
are $15.00 and downloaded they are $10.00. For the cost you get three
E-Books and two Interactive Tutorials.
Virtual Sailor 7-Nautical Simulation Experience. - Has a Shareware download (time limited) DEMO - full version has Motor and Sailing vessels - Cost is $27.50.
Virtual
Skipper 2. Has a Shareware download (time limited - full version)
DEMO.
Boats in program
are America's Cup Class; Open 60; Offshore Racer; and Melges 24. Program cost is
$30.00
Virtual Skipper 5. The game is built around the 32nd America's Cup -- DEMO Cost: $44.99. You can download the game from the site connected to this link. You can also download and buy Virtual Skipper 4 here, as well - cost $29.99.
Virtual Passages 2.0. Has an online DEMO after giving them registration information. Program has 2 boats: (!) Coastal Cruiser; (2) Offshore Racer. Virtual Passage is a simulation system which combines a sailboat simulator and navigational package with a global historical weather set. Program cost is: $29.95 (download); $59.95 (Boxed CD set with charting). You can also get the Stentec Sail Simulator 4.2 here for $49.95 (CD) and if ordered with Virtual Passage there is a 20% discount.
Torreson
Marine Simulators. No DEMO'S. Available are: Opti Coach $64.00
(CD), Laser Coach
$64.00 (CD), five Posey Simulators $54.95 each (CD), Americas Cup Sailing Simulator
(Sail 2000) $49.95 (CD).
You can get the Posey Simulators via download
from the PoseySail.com site for a few dollars less and there are no Posey Demos
available here. I have owned Sail 2000 since it came out and like
it a lot. I think it is not available any more, directly, so if you want
it - the Torreson Marine site is a place to get it.
Left click on the pictures to the left and right to make them larger
The video clip below is of a Remote Control Laser tacking and jibing - no sound included. It is just over 3 minutes long so the file size is very large. My Comcast Cable Modem high speed Connection loads up immediately, however
it will take about 40 minutes for a "Dial Up" connection to fully load this video.
You can get more information about this neat R. C. Laser if you CLICK HERE
Click on the Large Circle with a Triangle facing to your right to start the Video.
Like to see more EXCITING! small boat videos?
This site was last updated 07/09/08