After many weeks of fierce Tako Cup racing, only two sailors are still standing: Armchair Binder and Hans Zinnemann. On November 11 they’ll go head-to-head, and the winner takes home this year’s Cup. Armchair and Hans are as different as night and day; their final matchup promises to be electric. Armchair’s the American entry, and his in-your-face racing style is as brash and bold as his purple lightning-bolt sail design. With one hand on the tiller and the other holding a bottle of beer, Armchair blew away all his competition in the early elimination rounds, showing a remarkable display of speed and daring tactics. Never one to underestimate himself or to dwell on detailed strategy, Armchair frequently sizes up his opponents by saying “I’ll win… if I don’t crash first.”
The Armchair juggernaut could indeed crash on November 11, when he runs into Hans Zinnemann.
From Scotland, Hans is the formidable European entry in this final battle. Hans is a delight to watch on the race course; he wins races the old-fashioned way: he outsails his opponents. Hans’ racing style is thoughtful and precise, with a strategy that always seems to be looking two moves ahead. You can forget about reading all those books on sailboat racing techniques; just go watch Hans to see how it’s done.
The November 11 matchup of these two great sailors will be fascinating to watch. However, in some ways I think the verdict is already in for the 2007 Tako Cup, and it says a great deal about SL Sailing. Many articles refer to Second Life and SL Sailing as a computer “game,” I guess like pinball. If that were the case, the Tako Cup finalists would be a couple of 12 year old kids with fast fingers fueled by excess hormones. We didn’t get that. Instead, we ended up with two finalists who are “the real thing.” Armchair Binder has 25 years of real-life sailboat racing experience. Hans Zimmermann has “only” spent 23 years on real-life start lines. Both of this year’s finalists work in the sailing industry.
The reason Hans and Arm beat everyone else over the past two months of competition has nothing to do with their quick reflexes or fast computers. They didn’t win by ‘gaming’ the races. They rose to the top because they applied the knowledge and skill of decades of real-life on-the-water racing experience. They are indeed the two “best sailors” in or out of SL.
Armchair and Hans’ impressive Tako Cup performance pretty graphically demonstrates that SL Sailing is not a ‘game.’ It’s rapidly becoming a real ‘sailing emulation’ that can teach new sailors real skills and can let old skippers show off their years of experience. I don’t know who’s going to win on November 11, but I think with these two finalists, we’ve all won.
10 responses so far ↓
1 MarkTwain White // Oct 19, 2007 at 11:23 am
Well said Jane. As a judge for most of the races in the 2007 Tako Cup I can tell you that it has been a joy to see the level of skill increasing as we have moved along. That was also true in the ACA-SL Cup earlier this year. As a judge flying over these competitors and watching them sail I am thrilled to see the level they are rising to. Yes we all win with these two in the finals.
But you know what? Who would have thought that the two finalists for the Tako Cup would not come from the group of skilled skippers that dominated the ACA-SL Cup? Hans was in that hunt, but not around for the Semis, and Armchair wasn’t even racing at the time that Cup started.
What that tells me is that we are growing and getting better and better.
2 Lex Lian // Oct 19, 2007 at 12:32 pm
Who doesn’t love a “win-win.” Of course my Granddaddy always said, “second place is first looser..” but that bit of wisdom is a bit more well placed out on the race course
Your point RE SL becoming a place where sailors actually learn and grow skills that can be transfered into sailing in RL is very well made. Cheers!
LL
3 Bea Woodget // Oct 22, 2007 at 9:31 am
I agree with all of you, as a spectator I took a lot of pleasure to watch the races, and I enjoy train with other sailors in SL, thanks to all the races organized by Yacht Clubs. I learn a lot too, and even if I am not (yet) a RL sailor, I do believe I’ll become one soon…
I have only one regret: I don’t like this word “Endgame”… too sad… I am very eager to see the next Cup…in 2008
So when is the next “beginning game”?
What about a pre-tournament before acceding the official cup? What about a kind of racing series?
Racing is so exciting… On the other hand, I am afraid I need several months to pretend I can be up to the best, I will probably never reach the level our 2 wonderfull finalists demonstrate…
But even I finish at last position, I would do my best to fulfill/challenge others…
Best things to all sailors, and thank you so much to all people involved in SL sailing.
4 Jane Fossett // Oct 22, 2007 at 11:20 am
Bea,
I thought about that too! “Endgame” often has a sad connotation, which certainly wasn’t my intention.
I chose the title because I couldn’t resist the play-on-words, the double meaning.
After several weeks of very exciting racing, the Hans-Armchair contest on November 11 will indeed be the final test, the Endgame, to determine the winner of the Cup.
At the same time however, I chose the title because the match up of HZ and AC brings together two contenders with fifty years combined real life sailing skill. The fact they are the final pair should “End” the idea SLSailing is only a “Game.” As I mentioned, the RL sailors won, not the game kids… I’ll still be thinking about that, no matter who takes the Cup home in three weeks.
Speaking of which… just to provoke a good-natured argument… are Hans and Armchair representing specific Yacht Clubs in the finals?
Where’s that cup going, anyway?
I mean, who gets bragging rights?
Five years from now, somebody’s going to be sitting in a camping chair at Starboards YC saying… “I told that Arm-guy to cut over on a port tack… I told him… did he listen….”
I’m already convinced I’ll be sitting in the next chair saying “Oh yeah? Well, I told that Hans-fellow to keep his chin down and his left glove up… “
5 Hans Zinnemann // Oct 23, 2007 at 1:34 am
Hi Bea.
If I were to bet on the brightest new sailor for any 2008 cup my money would be on you. I think you already have the skill to go a long way and it has helped me a lot to train with you.
Cheers,
Hans (from deep in his secret training schedule)
6 Nber Medici // Oct 24, 2007 at 7:12 am
Let’s not think of Armchair and Hans as representing specific Yacht Clubs. That spirit of division is NOT what has brought the broader sailing community together and grown it so much in the past year. I believe that both of these fine sailors are members of many yacht clubs, so let’s think of them of being OUR lads and root for our favorite (if we have one) but let’s not root for them as representatives of specific clubs. IMHO (as MarkTwain would say - grin).
7 Jane Fossett // Oct 24, 2007 at 8:54 am
Sigh….
Nber’s right.
(as usual…)
8 Hans Zinnemann // Oct 24, 2007 at 10:03 am
Yeah, far better if we think of it as a battle between the UK and the US ;o)
9 Tory Micheline // Oct 29, 2007 at 8:22 am
It’s Yacht Racing, right ? Just like the America’s Cup. Oh, except the boats and sails are one design, there are no crew, the sailors are avatars, the water isn’t wet, servers create the wind, and the boats are sailed by RL humans through a computer interface. However, the RRS still apply and there will be a Champion, so lets say that it is Second Life Yacht Racing, and may the best Avatar win !!
10 Jane Fossett // Oct 29, 2007 at 1:24 pm
Yes, Tory, it’s Second Life Sailboat Racing, but… the “best avatar” wont win.
Over the past two months of intensive competition, the Tako Cup is now down to just two. The final pair are remarkable, real life racers, and they have fifty years of combined real-life experience leading boats to victory. Offline, they rank among the best sailors anywhere. In SL, they took the time to prove it again, to show us how it’s done… while we all watched, astonished.
Maybe there’s nothing surprising in that result. A few months ago, the ACA-SL finalists were M1sha Dallin and Eugene Sodwind, two more real sailors with pretty incredible skill and knowledge.
Tory? November 11 is not going to be a shoot-out between SL avatars. It will be a fascinatingly real, One Design competition between two outstanding sailors based on real sailing skills. No matter how that one race ends, I think the 2007 Cup competition will permanently change how we all view Sailing in Second Life.
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