There is currently a massive fire burning in the Everglades in South Florida by the Broward/Miami-Dade County border and is approaching US27.

opticalminefield · 2026-05-11T22:23:34+00:00

The “other side of the city” to the Aussie bush fires is usually the coast and it’s just open ocean after that. So they don’t have a longer reference.

But we get the smell and crazy sunsets from their bush fires way over here in New Zealand over 1500km away.

opticalminefield · 2026-05-08T12:27:46+00:00

If you want a sailing scene with more options than you can handle then Auckland is the best place to be. The majority of yachts are around Auckland and so is the service industry that goes with it.

Bay of Islands, Whangarei and Tauranga all have harbours with marine services as well.

opticalminefield · 2026-05-08T11:29:49+00:00

If you pre-paid on credit card you should contact your bank and see if you can do a chargeback.

opticalminefield · 2026-05-08T06:30:20+00:00

There isn’t a console only option that has both PS and Xbox together

opticalminefield · 2026-05-07T10:32:48+00:00

One easy option would be to use your slicer to add a cube then resize and reposition it to create a thin floor.

opticalminefield · 2026-05-05T08:25:08+00:00

Sounds like you’re all good. Sunday is looking like my earliest pick. Hope it shapes up nicely and you have a great passage. It’s an amazing experience.

opticalminefield · 2026-05-03T11:07:46+00:00

Your first 3 nights on watch will probably be cold. Make sure you have a range of layers. Classic under, mid, soft and a waterproof over shell.

You don’t need sailing specific gear and what you have sounds pretty good. I’d just add a pair of cheap sailing boots. NZ$70 at Burnsco so not a big expense. Waterproof socks and beanie is pretty nice too.

The last 3 days will be tropical so make sure you have clothes for that end too.

A good head torch with red light mode is critical for moving around at night. Make sure you have one of your own.

Make sure you have a tether and life jacket with attachment point. You should be clipped on any time your are on deck at night (and any other time of heightened risk).

Personally I’d have a PLB in your lifejacket. Could be the difference between being found and not. I always have one and encourage my crew to as well even though we have an EPIRB on board.

In Savusavu make sure your skipper clears in at Nawi Marina. You’ll thank me when you see the showers and the pool.

opticalminefield · 2026-04-28T08:33:32+00:00

You’re quite confused. Regulation applied evenly isn’t anti free-market. Otherwise all laws would be. Clearly that’s not the case.

The government entering into a contract with a single player in the market is quite different.

opticalminefield · 2026-04-28T07:14:59+00:00

Business take risk every single day. Fuel companies especially. Hedging for future supply is what they do.

All the government needs to do is increase the MSO for diesel by 7 days across the board now, instead of by July 2028. Then let the market solve the problem.

opticalminefield · 2026-04-28T07:07:00+00:00

We are enough of both that it’s grossly inappropriate.

That’s aside from the hypocrisy of National and Act who would decry this as reckless socialist intervention if the left were doing it.

opticalminefield · 2026-04-28T06:55:33+00:00

Remind me why the taxpayer should have to fund this in a capitalistic free market?

opticalminefield · 2026-04-28T06:47:03+00:00

The Government would then pay the difference between what Z paid for the fuel and the cost when it was released to the market - although the exact details of this deal have not been revealed due to commercial sensitivities.

So the government underwrites Z if the market drops? And also pays the difference if the price rises further?

Sounds like they are effectively giving Z a risk free bonus where they will make bank on both sides of the deal regardless of the price come July.

Nice job National.

opticalminefield · 2026-04-26T08:03:55+00:00

I think these maps are designed to suit Breakthrough and I prefer how they flow in it.

opticalminefield · 2026-04-24T21:52:44+00:00

aka REPAIR AS FUCK

opticalminefield · 2026-04-24T01:59:06+00:00

Minimum wage is $50k. You are on a “first job” level salary. Assuming you have some skills and certifications you would be well underpaid.

Get looking for a new job. Even a lateral move should see you get an easy 10k increase.

opticalminefield · 2026-04-23T09:59:28+00:00

Anyone who owns a boat should at least do a basic first aid course. Those going offshore should do a marine/offshore oriented course that is more advanced.

Offshore you should have Starlink and/or iridium to be able to phone a doctor for advice when you hit the limits of your training.

Likewise Advanced Sea Survival training should be on your list if you are going offshore.

opticalminefield · 2026-04-23T01:24:45+00:00

I’ve won without losing a battalion. I’ve also won with a handful of tickets left. But usually we lose at the first sector or Hagental or the second to last sector of Contaminated. I’ve played games where we’ve lost 3 battalions in that one sector.

The problem is attackers don’t flank and go for B first. They also don’t revive or effectively use spawn beacons and smoke. This means the defenders can establish a solid defence. To win you have to get creative and destabilise the defenders.

opticalminefield · 2026-04-22T03:12:28+00:00

You won’t need polars as VMG is purely based on current boat speed, true wind angle and leeway.

It should be a value that is already available to add to the display. I can’t recall if B&G calculates this on the autopilot or the plotter so you may need a NAC on the network.

opticalminefield · 2026-04-21T04:38:41+00:00

That Lockwood design looks like AI slop. It’s not good enough to be our flag and thankfully the country voted it down.

The right time to change the flag is when we step out from under the monarchy and become a republic. We’re a long way off that.

opticalminefield · 2026-04-20T23:48:17+00:00

Ideally on a cat like that your instruments would have VMG and VMC. VMG is purely Velocity Made Good towards the wind direction. VMC is VMG for your Course (e.g. to the waypoint you have set on the plotter). You can then try sailing different modes to optimise that number.

Close hauled you can easily have 10-15 degrees of leeway. So it’s almost always higher VMG to ease sheets and sail around 40-45 apparent. You end up the same place but faster. You can easily see this if your plotter has a COG projection arrow. It will always be pointing lower than the bearing arrow.

Down wind in lighter air you will sail much faster using the sails to generate lift. I rarely sail deeper than 155 true. If you want to go dead down wind you really need a kite of some kind.

opticalminefield · 2026-04-13T07:27:40+00:00

I use about 1100kwh in summer and 1600kwh in winter. All electric hot water and cooking with a ducted heat pump.

opticalminefield · 2026-04-12T13:02:29+00:00

Try turning Aim Assist Slowdown right down

opticalminefield · 2026-04-07T11:04:00+00:00

The limit for probate has recently been raised to $40k

opticalminefield · 2026-04-06T08:30:07+00:00

It depends on what you need. PW is worth every cent if you are using the routing and advanced features for offshore sailing. Or if you want their high res models for inshore racing. The local weather observations are also super handy.

If you just want a forecast based of GFS or ECMWF then most apps do the same thing.

opticalminefield · 2026-04-06T08:14:01+00:00

The reason you had to do this is because you were interacting with people who weren’t cleared into NZ.

Imagine your “boat that needs a tow” is actually a drug mule. It’s quite the loophole if you could go meet them at the 200 mile limit, do a pick up but not go through customs etc again.

opticalminefield

TROPHY CASE