Let’s play a game . . . Math Be Hard For Sailors Game. The phrase “math be hard for sailors” is said by Wade often as a joke and Sara always laughs because Wade is a human calculator and in no way is math hard for him.
The objective of Math Be Hard For Sailors Game is to precisely determine the destination arrival time for a prize.
Definitions:
- Precisely: the exactness of the time in hours, minutes, and seconds; date in month, day, and year format.
- Destination: a waypoint marking the latitude, longitude of the finish, and determined at the start of each game.
- Arrival time: determined by arriving at the destination waypoint.
- Prize: determined at the start of each game. To be eligible for the prize entries must be submitted via Math Be Hard For Sailors Entry and Update Form within the time indicated at the start of each new game.
- Tacking/gybing: when the wind crosses the bow (tacking) or stern (gybing) when turning the boat.
Rules:
- Dates and times are given and received in Hawaiian Standard Time (HST or -10 hours UTC)
- During our daily Noon Reports we’ll provide vessel and environment information for that day around noon. We recommend subscribing to the Noon Reports or click your preferred social media platform for instant notification of game details.
- The following information is provided in either text or picture.
- Weather conditions e.g. Sunny, partly cloudy, cloudy, rain, squalls, etc.
- Vessel Position (Ves. Pos.): latitude, longitude
- Speed Over Ground (SOG): the speed of the vessel in knots, as calculated by the Global Positioning System (GPS).
- Heading: the compass course we are steering. Purple line when picture is provided.
- Course Over Ground (COG): compass course being sailed including set and drift from heading, and tidal influences. Green line when picture is provided.
- Time of provided sailing detail.
- Nautical miles to destination: from the boat to the destination waypoint.
- Compass degree required to reach destination: from boat to destination waypoint.
- Apparent wind speed (AWS): apparent wind is true wind speed adjusted to include boat speed.
- Apparent wind angle: apparent wind angle is the true wind angle adjusted to include the angle of wind created by the boats forward motion.
- The use of NOAA Weather or Global Sailing Weather is acceptable to review wind speeds and direction to assist with prediction, the use of routing programs is frowned upon.
- When we tack or gybe because of weather shifts, squalls, or any other reason, players we will be notified during the Noon Report and will be allowed to resubmit (via Math Be Hard For Sailors Entry and Update Form) an adjusted date and time before the subsequent Noon Report is sent out.
- When we catch a fish the clock stops for all and we’ll note the time adjusted, no further submission is required.
- Destination waypoints will be outside of a harbor or anchorage so that if we arrive early and heave-to the game will not be effected because we do not enter harbors or anchorages at night.
That’s a lot of words for a sailor, but words be hard for sailors is a different game, here is a small example.
- Weather conditions: Sunny, minimum squalls
- Ves. Pos. 144 degrees 7.051 minutes south, 140 degrees 27.039 minutes west
- SOG: 5.0 kts
- Heading: 33 degrees
- Course Over Ground (COG): 12 degrees
- Time: 11:45:00 AM 2/25/17
- Nautical miles to destination (Crs Rng & Brg): 300
- Compass degree required to reach destination (Crs Rng & Brg): 22 degrees
- Apparent wind speed (AWS): 13.5 kts
- Apparent wind angle: 35 degrees
Step 1: Nautical miles to destination divided by Speed Over Ground (SOG) equals 60 hours
Step 2: Convert hours into date and time.
A good guess could be: 11:45:00 PM 2/27/17
However, the guess above does not take into account weather and other factors. The tricky part is looking at the weather online and trying to plot out our average speed and course, then compare the plotted course to the weather forecast. You can be a sailor and not ever leave home.
Click here for the most recent game Noon Report. Remember we do not play the Math Be Hard For Sailors Game for all passages, but we do find it fun on longer overnight voyages.
Good Luck!
Wade and Sara
