This system is based on an idea from Baptiste / Jimi, coded by Harald / Euphoria with support from Jean-Luc / Jiel.

Introduction

Welcome to the Virtual Skipper ELO Ranking. It is an alternative to the built-in Nadeo ranking, which measures quantity more than quality, as all knows. Top 30 of the Nadeo ranking is actually filled with boats operated by bots, getting their points from fictitious races.

This Virtual Skipper ELO ranking represents the skippers actual sailings skills in VSK! The system also adds a little extra tension to public racing, and a skill rating should motivate skippers to finish each race. It was created because a big share of the sailors like the competitive part of it - to have something extra to race for and set goals to reach for.

So what is this ELO stuff? Briefly ELO is a system that measures your skills with a rating number. By comparing a skipper's rating with the rating for another skipper, it calulates the probability to finish better in a race than the opponent. By doing this for all the skippers in a fleet race, the system finds the expected finish position for each skipper in the race. If a skippers actual result in the race is better than expected, it will improve the rating. If it's worse than expected, the rating will be reduced. The bigger difference between actual and expected results, the bigger change in the rating.

All new skippers start with an initial rating of 1600. It will take some races before the rating actually is reflecting the skills. How many is depending on how far from the average rating of 1600 the skipper's level is.

The amount of points scored in each race is dependent on

• The number of boats in the race

• The level of the opponents in the race

• Your finishing position in the race

• The length of the race (max 30 minutes)

• The type of rules used in the race (a race where it's possible to file a protest, doubles the amount of points on stake)

A sailor who is not racing will likely drop in form. This effect is incorporated in the ranking: A maximum of 5 points (*) is lost for each day since the last race (up to 10 days). And up to 10 points (*) is lost for each race less than 5 during the last 10 days. This means that 100 points may be lost for a skipper has done no races during the last 10 days. Once a new race is done, points are regained. To remain visible on the ranking, you need to have raced during the last month.
(*)The maximum values applies to the highest rated skipper and are scaled down to zero for a skipper rated at 1600 points.

Protip

Leaving a race will give you a DNF and a last place. This results in a significant rating drop. It's always better to finish a race, even if you are last. There are usually someone else who are quitting later in the race, and you will at least score better than these by finishing the race. It is also good for developing your overtaking skills to come from behind and sail up in the field. Many of the better sailors finds this more fun than leading a race from start to finish.

Rules

When hosting races with protest option (rules mode RRS), it is recommended to do this in the following way, which is to be considered default:

• All cancellations requests should be accepted (refusing to cancel a bad pen gives you DSQ)

• Manual protests possible on the water by writing "P boatname"

• No need to hail protest for a situation involving a cancellation request (but must follow the next instruction)

• Protests / redress requests to be informed to the host within 1 minute after finishing

• No redress for disconnections, but if a trusted skipper lose connection in a good position, the host may remove the skipper from the score file.

• In case of doubt for a situation which involves a VSK pen, the benefit of the doubt will go against the penalized boat

• In case of doubt for a situation without a VSK pen, no boats will be disqualified

When hosting races without protest option (rules mode NPC or Custom), you still may DSQ boats for violations of RRS Rule 2 - Fair Sailing. Please check the information page for a definition. No need to inform the sailors about this in the race chat. It is optional as it's you (the host) who decides the policy. It is basically the same as kicking a skipper from the server that you observed barging's while racing, but now you can also take the ones you did not see with your own eyes, but maybe got a report about in the chat.

General

1. Host on "normal" race courses. If the course has some fixed wind shifts or main direction different than the 8 standard directions, inform the sailors about this on a course intro (or course name).

• Have a set of hosting rules and make sure to follow them fair and strictly.

• Upload all races that are launched under this system.